Article with footnotes and chiastic

Matthew 26 opens with a fourth prediction by Jesus of His impending death—one not found in the other Gospels and which explicitly connects the event with the Passover (Matt 26:1–2). The fulfillment of the prediction will be narrated in the next chapter, when Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified (27:24–26). Chapter 26 describes in rapid succession the plot to seize Jesus (26:3–5), His anointing at Bethany (26:6–13), Judas’ agreement to betray Him (26:14–16), preparations for and celebration of the Last Supper (26:17–30), the prediction of Peter’s denial and the disciples’ protestations of loyalty (26:31–35), Jesus’ prayer and arrest in Gethsemane resulting in His abandonment by the disciples (26:36– 56), and His trial before the Sanhedrin (26:57–68). The chapter closes with Peter’s denial of Jesus three times (26:69–75).

Interpretation of Matthew 26

1. Verses 1–5, the Plot to Seize Jesus

• In the final discourse, spoken privately to the disciples on the Mount of Olives, Jesus had been describing the Son of Man’s glorious appearing and the future kingdom. Now He snaps their attention back to the crisis they are about to face.

• Two days before Passover is apparently late on Tuesday evening, the beginning of Nisan 12 of the Jewish calendar.¹ Jesus links His approaching death to the Passover and the Paschal sacrifice, implicitly indicating its approaching fulfillment (Matt 1:21; cf. John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7).

• Jesus’ future reference to being “delivered up” is a present tense in Greek, stressing that it will certainly happen.² Throughout this chapter, the point is made that Christ’s suffering and death fulfill prophecy (Matt 26:24, 31, 54, 56), indicating Jesus is following God’s plan for saving human beings.

• In the time of Jesus, the Romans appointed the high priest. Valerius Gratus selected Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Annas. Apparently Caiaphas was politically savvy in maintaining good relations with the Roman officials inasmuch as he served longer than any other first-century high priest, from AD 18 to 36. The chief priests and elders gather at his palatial residence to discuss how to stop Jesus.

• The Jewish leaders sought a quick, secret trial to secure Jesus’ condemnation before the Passover and the week-long celebration of Unleavened Bread. Otherwise their murderous design might be thwarted yet again due to His large, sympathetic following (cf. Matt 21:26).

2. Verses 6–16, the Anointing at Bethany and Jesus’ Betrayal by Judas

• The anointing in Bethany took place “six days before the Passover” (John 12:1), which was the previous Saturday night, but both Matthew and Mark have a topical sequence, placing it here in order to connect it more closely with the events of Jesus’ suffering and death (cf. Matt 26:12). Anointing Jesus’ head, a custom sometimes done to honor important guests, alludes to Jesus’ messianic role as King of Israel (cf. 1 Sam 10:1; 16:13; 2 Kgs 9:3, 6).

• The “very costly fragrant oil” is identified as spikenard by other Gospels with an estimated value of three hundred denarii (Mark 14:3; John 12:3), that is, about a year’s wages. Its strong fragrance would quickly be recognized as it was all poured out, not only on Jesus’ head but also on His feet (Luke 7:38; John 12:3).

• Led by Judas Iscariot (John 12:4–6), the disciples protested what appeared to them to be a great waste of resources that could instead have been sold to help the poor. But Jesus does not allow them to crush the woman’s act of devotion and commends her for doing “a good work for Me” (Matt 26:10).

• Their objection was met with the reminder that “you have the poor with you always” (cf. Deut 15:11), “but Me you do not have always” (Matt 26:11). More importantly, though, was the symbolic meaning that, just as the alabaster flask had to be broken to apply its precious contents, so Jesus’ body would soon be broken (v. 26), providing an infinite sacrifice for the salvation of human beings.

• Jesus also indicates its future connection with “wherever this gospel is preached” (v. 13), which is one reason, perhaps, that this story is recorded in all four Gospels. The worldwide extent of this proclamation is also predicted (cf. 24:14; 28:19).

• In contrast to the woman’s extravagant gift is the paltry sum Judas received for betrayal. We learn from Matthew that Judas took the initiative, it was the chief priests who count out the money, and the price of betrayal was “thirty pieces of silver.” This is the amount that was paid to Zechariah, whose work as a shepherd was not valued (Zech 11:12–13)—a connection Matthew 27:9 draws explicitly.

3 Verses 17–30, Preparations for and Celebration of the Last Supper

• A significant amount of preparation was required to celebrate the Passover and the head of the household was responsible for organizing it. The disciples, as members of Jesus’ spiritual “family,” were given detailed instructions by Him.

• Wisely, neither the name of the man nor the exact location were disclosed to the Twelve, giving Judas no helpful information and leaving him “little time to lay plans for betraying Jesus to the leaders during the quiet hour He spent with His disciples in the upper room.”³ Thus, Jesus would have an uninterrupted time to impart some final teachings.

• In Matthew, Jesus’ message to the owner of the house where the Last Supper will be held includes, “My time is at hand,” referring to His imminent suffering and death (cf. Mark 14:41; John 12:23–24). This unnamed man apparently understood what these cryptic words meant even if the disciples did not.

• During the Last Supper, Jesus makes the surprising announcement to the Twelve that one of them will betray Him. He introduces this saying with “Assuredly,” which underscores the certainty of this prediction’s fulfillment.

• This leads “each” disciple to ask, “Surely not I, Lord?” (Matt 26:22, NAS95), hoping (as the Greek construction indicates) for a negative answer in response. Interestingly, Judas’ phrasing of the question betrays his unbelief. Refusing to call Jesus “Lord” as the other disciples had done, he asks, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” (v. 25, NAS95). ⁴

• In response to Judas, Jesus answers knowingly, “You have said it,” neither clearly confirming nor denying it, leaving the final decision up to Judas himself. No doubt the other disciples wondered about Judas at this point and he left soon afterward to do the deed (John 13:28–30).⁵

• Standard rituals were connected with the celebration of the Passover but Jesus seems to have given His own messianic interpretation of them. It was the transition from type and shadow symbolized by the Paschal lamb to fulfillment and reality seen in Jesus’ life and approaching death.

• The interpretation given by Jesus, rather than looking backward, predictively points to His death, resurrection, and the victorious supper celebration in His Father’s kingdom (Matt 26:26–29).

• Since this was a celebration of the Passover, the “bread of affliction” (Deut 16:3) would certainly be unleavened (Exod 12:15, 19–20). Jesus had earlier warned of “the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” which symbolized their false doctrine (Matt 16:12). Here the absence of leaven points to His pure, sinless sacrifice.

• Nowhere in the New Testament are the contents of “the cup” ever called “wine.” The only description of it is identical in all three Synoptic Gospels: the “fruit of the vine” (Matt 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18), fitting in view of Jesus’ likening His new covenant ministry to “new wine” in obvious contrast to old, fermented wine (Matt 9:17). The unfermented wine points to the power of Christ’s blood to cleanse from sin.

• Jesus ratified the covenant through His shed blood, providing in reality the release from the penalty of sin that the blood of the sacrifice symbolized in type (Exod 24:8; cf. Heb 9:20, 22). His words, “for many” (Matt 26:28) and reference to His blood being “poured out” allude to the work of the Suffering Servant who justifies many, pours out “his soul to death,” and bears “the sin of many” (Isa 53:11–12).⁶

• Jesus connects the new “wine” of the Lord’s Supper with “My Father’s kingdom” (Matt 26:29), pointing to the messianic banquet that His people will celebrate in heaven (Rev 19:7–8) and, ultimately, to the final restoration in the new earth (Rev 21:1– 5). Until then, the Lord’s Supper is celebrated “in remembrance” of Christ’s death for us and in light of the future hope we have through faith “till He comes” (1 Cor 11:25–26).

4. Verses 31–35, Jesus’ Prediction of Peter’s Denial and the Disciples’ Protestation of Loyalty

• As they walk slowly from the upper room to the Mount of Olives (Matt 26:30), Jesus warns the disciples of their imminent spiritual danger: “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night” (v. 31). His quotation of Zechariah 13:7, that God would “strike the Shepherd,” alludes to His own death and, as a result, “the sheep of the flock” (the disciples, Matt 25:32; cf. Isa 53:6) would be “scattered.” Nevertheless, Jesus repeatedly includes a word of hope, pointing beyond His sufferings and death to their eventual meeting in Galilee (Matt 26:32).

• Immediately, Peter emphatically rejects Jesus’ prediction that all the disciples would “stumble,” absolutely insisting that he would not but would remain faithful. Jesus, unimpressed by this self-confident boast, emphasizes the truthfulness and absolute trustworthiness of an even more startling prediction, that “before the rooster crows” Peter would deny Him three times (v. 34).

• Amazingly, Peter doubles down on his feeble promise in the strongest possible way: “Even if I must die with You, never will I deny You” (v. 35, author’s translation). And the others followed Peter’s lead despite being no more ready for what was to come.

5. Verses 36–56, Jesus’ Prayer and Arrest in Gethsemane and His Abandonment by the Disciples

• The location of Gethsemane (meaning “oil press”) is uncertain but seems to refer to a place used to make olive oil. John calls it a “garden,” indicating it was an area used for cultivation (John 18:1, 26), so it may designate an olive grove on the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem.

• Jesus has most of the disciples sit down while He takes Peter, James, and John deeper into the garden with Him to pray. The same three who saw Him transfigured and indicated their willingness to share His suffering (Matt 20:22; 26:35) are now to witness His agony.

• He is described as “deeply distressed” (Matt 26:37), “troubled” (ESV), “grieved and agitated” (NRSV). Jesus expresses that He is “exceedingly sorrowful,” the same Greek word used to describe David’s experience (LXX Ps 41:6, 12 [ET 42:5, 11]; 42:5 [ET 43:5]). The separation from His Father was so intense that He felt near death.⁷

• In urging the three disciples to “watch and pray” (Matt 26:41; cf. v. 38), Jesus encourages them to be wide awake to their spiritual danger and to be companions with Him in prayer.

• Jesus’ prayer to “let this cup pass from Me” shows that He seeks another way forward rather than to drink the cup of God’s wrath against sin.⁸ Despite wanting the cup removed, Jesus, as always, submits His will to that of His Father, even though it means death on the cross (Phil 2:7–8).

• Judging from this first of three seasons of prayer (only Matthew records all three), one hour was not very long for Jesus to pray (Matt 14:23; cf. Luke 6:12). He urges the three disciples, even addressing Peter by name, to “watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matt 26:40–41), referring apparently to the urge they will feel to abandon Him and save themselves when the mob comes to arrest Him (v. 47).

• Jesus’ wording in verse 42—literally, “Let Your will be done”—echoes not only the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:10), but also the “Let there be” of creation week (LXX Gen 1:3, 6, 14).⁹ It indicates a settled submission to God’s will and a firm desire for it to be accomplished in His life.

• Jesus’ announcement that “the hour is at hand” sounds a note of urgency to rouse His sleepy disciples. He could hear the multitude approaching to arrest Him; His prophecy of being betrayed (Matt 26:21) is now coming to pass. His “hour” had come in fulfillment of prophecy.¹⁰ The grand purpose of His life was now to be fulfilled (John 12:27).

• Jesus’ reference to the mob as “sinners” is a reminder that, by rejecting the light of the gospel, people are left in spiritual darkness (Matt 4:16; John 3:19; 8:12; cf. 2 Cor 4:3–4).

• The multitude, sent by the religious leaders, probably included the temple guard but the mention of swords indicates Roman soldiers were present too— unsurprising since there was always a potential for trouble during a major Jewish feast, particularly the Passover. John 18:3, 12 mentions a “detachment of troops” (Gk. speiran), which refers to a Roman cohort of up to six hundred men (cf. Matt 27:27)¹¹ that would have been stationed in the nearby temple complex.

• Judas’ use of a kiss to identify Jesus to the mob was a typical Jewish way of showing love among close friends and family and also used to greet a revered rabbi, but in reality revealed an appalling duplicity (cf. Prov 27:6). The response by Jesus, addressing Judas as “Friend” (Matt 26:50), shows caution and is used in Matthew only in a negative sense (Matt 20:13; 22:12). The question may be an attempt to prick Judas’ conscience.

• Had Jesus chosen to save Himself, He could have prayed and been supplied “with more than twelve legions of angels” (Matt 26:53), which amounts to more than seventy-two thousand. Actually, the large number of troops that came to arrest Jesus would be no match for even one angel, but this is a spiritual battle won by Jesus already in Gethsemane through prayerful submission to His Father’s will.

• The strongest possible form of command in Greek (“it must happen thus,” v. 54) underscores the unbreakable certainty of scriptural fulfillment (cf. John 10:35), which Jesus stresses also in His speech to the mob (v. 56). His reference specifically to “the prophets” points to the part of the Hebrew canon especially detailing His sufferings and death (e.g., Isa 53; Zech 12:10; 13:7). Matthew also records the fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction that “all” would stumble (Matt 26:31): “all the disciples forsook Him and fled” (v. 56).

6. Verses 57–68, Jesus’ Trial Before the Sanhedrin

• The scribes were experts in the law and the elders represented the leading families of Israel. Jesus was tried before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, which was tasked with deciding only the highest matters. Probably most of the seventy members were present since it was the Passover. Those who might impede the proceedings (e.g., Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea) were doubtless not invited.

• Capital offenses were supposed to be tried during the day and a verdict was only supposed to be rendered after another day had intervened, but proceedings were rushed so as to be completed before the Passover.

• Despite false witnesses distorting His words, Jesus remained silent. He would “not quarrel nor cry out” (Matt 12:19) in fulfillment of prophecy (Isa 42:2; 53:7; cf. 1 Pet 2:23).

• Since Jesus refused to answer questions, Caiaphas adjures Him to answer under oath whether or not He is the Messiah. Should He refuse to answer He would violate a valid legal requirement, but denying He was the Messiah would be dishonest. Despite the ambiguity of Jesus’ response, the religious leaders considered Him a messianic pretender who merited the death penalty. Their preconceptions and unbelief precluded them from accepting the truth that He was, in fact, the Messiah.

• Jesus’ reference to the Son of Man’s “coming,” alluding to the heavenly judgment of Daniel 7:9–10, 13, reverses the situation and depicts Caiaphas and the entire Sanhedrin ultimately facing divine judgment.

• In response, Jesus is accused of blasphemy, which is associated in the Gospels with claiming prerogatives that belong only to God (Matt 9:3; Mark 2:8; Luke 5:21; John 10:30–33). The apparently unanimous verdict is pronounced against Jesus on this basis (Matt 26:66).

7. Verses 69–75, Peter’s Denial of Jesus Three Times

• Matthew sandwiches Peter’s denial of Jesus between the nighttime trial before the Sanhedrin and the daytime proceedings, narrating the three denials in quick succession.

• Peter’s denials progress rapidly from pretending not to understand, to denying with an oath that he even knows Jesus let alone had been with Him. Finally, when recognized by his speech as a Galilean, several men accuse him of “truly” being one of Jesus’ disciples, which Peter most emphatically denied with cursing and swearing—that is, by calling down a curse on himself should he be lying and swearing that he was telling the truth.

• The pivotal moment for Peter came when, following his third denial, he heard the rooster crow and remembered Jesus’ words and realized His prediction had been precisely fulfilled. Luke 22:61 adds, “the Lord turned and looked at Peter.” Unlike Judas, who persisted in the face of overwhelming evidence of Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of him, Peter “went out and wept bitterly,” repenting with a sorrow that needed no repentance (2 Cor 7:10).

• Through heartfelt repentance, Peter found his way back to the right path and, just as he had denied Jesus three times, he was given the opportunity to reaffirm his love and commitment to the Lord three times (John 21:15–17).Application of the Chapter

Some important lessons we may glean from Matthew 26 include:

1. In place of the deliverance from bondage commemorated by the Passover, Jesus, by instituting the emblems of the Lord’s Supper, establishes the commemoration of the greater deliverance from sin accomplished by His death.

2. Just as Jesus’ giving to the disciples the emblems of the bread and the cup provided the opportunity for them to accept and personalize the messianic meaning of these elements, so participation in the communion service in obedience to Jesus’ command, “ do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), signifies one’s personal acceptance of Jesus’ death and resurrection and a public expression of faith that Jesus lives and is coming again (Matt 26:29).

3. Just as the disciples eating from the one communion bread and drinking from the one cup symbolized their unity as one spiritual family (Matt 26:26–27), the widespread Adventist practice of eating the communion bread together and drinking at the same time from the communion cup symbolizes our unity as a church family.

4. To “watch” means to be ready for danger (24:43) and alert against temptation (1 Pet 5:8). It is the opposite of “sleep,” which refers metaphorically to inattentiveness when spiritual vigilance is needed (Matt 25:5; 1 Thess 5:6; cf. Rom 13:11). The same admonition appears in connection with readiness for the second advent (24:42; 25:13; cf. Rev 16:15).

5. Jesus’ humble submission to His Father’s will is a lesson and an example for us to surrender our life to God’s will day by day (cf. Matt 16:24–25).

6. Jesus’ sympathetic words regarding His sleepy disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41), is more generally applicable in our own battle with temptation. It is also a warning not to allow human weakness to conquer by trusting to one’s own strength. Spiritual battles cannot be won with carnal weapons (2 Cor 10:4–6) but, by persevering in prayer and reaching heavenward for divine power, deliverance from temptation is certain (Matt 6:13; cf. 1 Cor 10:13; 2 Pet 2:9).

7. Jesus never condoned violence, as the warning “All who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matt 26:52) underscores. Rather, He taught His followers to “Love your enemies” (Matt 5:44). Violence only begets more violence. Rather than “Might makes right,” Jesus’ example shows that “Right makes might.” Similarly, God’s last-day remnant are warned against using violent means to defend themselves (Rev 13:10) and are to show the same patient endurance and faith exemplified by Jesus (Rev 14:12).

8. Jesus’ silence toward His accusers denied them the opportunity to further twist His words or use them against Him. Similarly in legal proceedings today, the best self-defense is silence and the right to remain silent is recognized in many countries around the world.

9. Peter’s progressive denial of Jesus and descent into deceit and demoralization illustrate that each wrong step prepares the way for another, more serious, misstep, and that it is always better to turn back from a wrong path than to pursue it further in hopes it may improve.

1. “Maps and Charts Illustrating the Life and Ministry of Jesus,” in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, ed. Francis D. Nichol, 7 vols. (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1980), 5:233.

   Hola Glen!

2. See Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 535–536.

3. Nichol, 5:520.

4. Holas

5. Cf. Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1898), 654–655: “Until this step was taken, Judas had not passed beyond the possibility of repentance. But when he left the presence of his Lord and his fellow disciples, the final decision had been made. He had passed the boundary line.”

6. Cf. Clinton Wahlen, “Lessons From Matthew 20,” Reflections 79 (July–September 2022): 15 (commenting on Matt 20:28). The verb “pour out” (Gk. enchunō, a variant form of encheō) appears in sacrificial contexts (Lev 4:7; 8:15; 9:9; Isa 57:6; cf. Ps 22:14; Zech 12:10).

7. Cf. White, 686: Jesus “felt that by sin He was being separated from His Father. The gulf was so broad, so black, so deep, that His spirit shuddered before it. This agony He must not exert His divine power to escape. As man He must suffer the consequences of man’s sin. As man He must endure the wrath of God against transgression.”

8. The cup metaphor symbolizes God’s judgment against sin (e.g., Ps 75:8; Isa 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15–28; Ezek 23:31–34; Rev 14:9–10; 16:19; 18:6).

9. See Clinton Wahlen, “Matthew and the Genesis Creation,” in The Genesis Creation Account and Its Reverberations in the New Testament, ed. Thomas R. Shepherd (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2022), 169.

10. The Greek word ēngiken (“at hand”), used twice here (vv. 45–46), signals also the fulfillment of prophetic expectations in connection with the proclamation that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3:2; 4:17; 10:7).

11. Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker et al., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 936.