Matthew 26:26-46 Lesson 55

Matthew 26:26-46
Lesson 55

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The Lord's Supper, Peter's vow, praying in Gethsemane.

Remember verse 26:39 when ill or suffering.

Study Tip:

As you read the Bible make two lists;
1) Things you should do.
2) Things God promises to do.

The Gospel According to St. Matthew

The King James Bible

Matthew 26:26-46
Agony in Gethsemane

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

Margin notes:

"This is my blood of the new testament." (26:28) - "This is the blood that seals the New Covenant (new agreement)." Just as a blood sacrifice was used to seal the Old Covenant fifteen hundred years earlier (Exodus 24:6-8), Jesus' blood sacrifice guarantees the New Covenant.

"For the remission of sins." (26:28) - "For the forgiveness of sins."

"I will not drink henceforth." (26:29) - "I will not drink again."

"When they had sung an hymn." (26:30) - What did Jesus and the disciples sing? The Passover meal usually ended with the singing of the Hallel found in Psalm 118.

"Ye shall be offended." (26:31) - "You will stumble, fall away."

"It is written, I will smite the shepherd." (26:31) - Means; "It is written (In Zechariah 13:7), I will kill the shepherd."

"Gethsemane." (26:36) - An olive garden located two miles east of Jerusalem at the foot of the Mount of Olives near Cedron Brook. Jesus and His disciples visited there often (John 18:1-2).

"The two sons of Zebedee." (26:37) - These are the disciples James and John.

"Sorrowful and very heavy." (26:37) - Means, "sad and very troubled."

"Tarry ye here." (26:38) - "You stay here."

"Not as I will, but as thou wilt." (26:39) - Jesus is surrendering His will to the will of God.

"Watch and pray." (16:41) - The Bible repeatedly tells us to pray (Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1).  

You can read additional accounts of the Lord's Supper in Mark 14:18-26 and Luke 22:14-21. Peter also promised never to deny Christ in Mark 14:27-31; Luke 22:31-34; and John 13:36-38.

New Living Translation

Matthew 26:26-46
Parable of the Three Servants

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it, for this is my body."

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, "Each of you drink from it,

28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.

29 Mark my words-I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom."

30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

31 On the way, Jesus told them, "Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,

'God will strike the Shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there."

33 Peter declared, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you."

34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, Peter-this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me."

35 "No!" Peter insisted. "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" And all the other disciples vowed the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit here while I go over there to pray."

37 He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.

38 He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."

40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you watch with me even one hour?

41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!"

42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, "My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done."

43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn't keep their eyes open.

44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.

45 Then he came to the disciples and said, "Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look-the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Up, let's be going. Look, my betrayer is here!"

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. Did Jesus want to avoid His crucifixion? (26:39)

Set time aside each day to read your Bible. It has much to offer.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. No, Jesus was showing normal human apprehension over His coming death (Hebrews 5:7-9). In a few hours, the Messiah is going to suffer a brutal beating and then be sacrificed on the cross to pay off the debt incurred by the sins of mankind. On this, the eve of His crucifixion, a very human Christ sought the comfort of prayer and friends (26:38). This passage shows that Jesus understood the terrible ordeal He would endure the next day, but He still willingly submitted to the cross. Notice that Jesus prays to God, "not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Application thought for the day:

Twice, the disciples failed to stay awake while praying (26:43) at Gethsemane. Their inability brought a warning from Jesus (26:41). To avoid temptation, we must always be focused. Regardless of how willing our spirit is, we need prayer to keep us in the fight and spiritually ready when temptation is thrust at us. 

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2020 evolke

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