Chapter Text
The Plot to Kill Jesus
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
2Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
3Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
5But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
The Anointing at Bethany
6Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
16And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
The Last Supper
17Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
20Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
21And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.
22And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
23And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.
24The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
25Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
26And 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.
27And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29But 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.
30And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
31Then 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.
32But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
33Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.
34Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
35Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
Gethsemane
36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39And he went a little further, 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.
40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42He 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.
43And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
45Then 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.
46Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
Jesus Arrested
47And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
49And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
50And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.
51And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.
52Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
53Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
54But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
55In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.
56But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Jesus Before Caiaphas
57And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
58But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
59Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;
60But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,
61And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
63But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
65Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
66What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
67Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
68Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
Peter Denies Jesus
69Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee .
74Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
75And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
Summary
The chief priests and elders plot to kill Jesus. A woman anoints Him with costly ointment at Bethany, and Jesus declares she has prepared Him for burial. Judas agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
Jesus celebrates the Passover with His disciples, institutes the Lord's Supper, and foretells Peter's denial. In Gethsemane, He prays in agony, asking that the cup pass from Him while submitting to the Father's will. Judas arrives with a multitude and betrays Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is arrested, tried before Caiaphas, and Peter denies Him three times.
Meaning
The events of this chapter reveal the full spectrum of human response to Christ: the woman's extravagant devotion, Judas' calculating betrayal, the disciples' failure to watch, and Peter's fearful denial. Each response confronts the reader with the question of their own faithfulness.
Gethsemane reveals the genuine humanity of Christ. His anguish was not theatrical but real, yet His prayer models perfect submission: not as I will, but as thou wilt. The cup He accepted was the cup of divine judgment that He would bear on behalf of sinners.
Background
Thirty pieces of silver was the price set in Exodus 21:32 for a slave killed by an ox, making Judas' bargain a deliberate insult to Jesus' worth. The Passover commemorated Israel's deliverance from Egypt, and Jesus transformed its elements into symbols of His own sacrificial death.
Gethsemane means oil press and was a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The trial before Caiaphas was held at night, which violated Jewish legal procedure.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-5The plot against Jesus
- vv. 6-13Anointing at Bethany
- vv. 14-16Judas agrees to betray
- vv. 17-30The Last Supper instituted
- vv. 31-35Peter's denial foretold
- vv. 36-46Agony in Gethsemane
- vv. 47-56Betrayal and arrest
- vv. 57-68Trial before Caiaphas
- vv. 69-75Peter denies the Lord
Key Verses
“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.”— 26:26
The institution of the Lord's Supper, foundational to Christian worship and the doctrine of the Eucharist or Communion observed by the church for two millennia.
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”— 26:28
Jesus interprets His coming death as the inauguration of the new covenant promised in Jeremiah 31, grounding the doctrine of atonement in His own words.
“And he went a little further, 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.”— 26:39
The Gethsemane prayer reveals Christ's full humanity and perfect submission to the Father's will, the model for all surrendered prayer.
“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”— 26:41
A frequently quoted warning about human frailty and the necessity of vigilance and prayer in resisting temptation.
People & Places
People
- Jesus — The Son of man who institutes the new covenant, prays in agony, and is betrayed and condemned.
- Caiaphas — The high priest who presides over the council that condemns Jesus for blasphemy.
- Simon the leper — A man of Bethany in whose house Jesus is anointed for burial.
- Judas Iscariot — One of the Twelve who betrays Jesus for thirty pieces of silver and identifies Him with a kiss.
- Peter — The disciple who vows loyalty unto death, sleeps in Gethsemane, and denies Christ three times before the cock crows.
- The two sons of Zebedee — James and John, taken with Peter into the inner circle at Gethsemane.
- The unnamed woman — She anoints Jesus with precious ointment, prefiguring His burial, and is promised a perpetual memorial.
Places
- Bethany — A village near Jerusalem where Jesus is anointed in the house of Simon the leper.
- Jerusalem — The city where Jesus keeps the Passover and is arrested and tried.
- Mount of Olives — The hill east of Jerusalem to which Jesus and the disciples retire after the Last Supper.
- Gethsemane — The garden on the Mount of Olives where Jesus prays in agony and is betrayed.
- Galilee — The northern region where Jesus promises to meet His disciples after the resurrection.
- The high priest's palace — Caiaphas' residence where Jesus is tried and Peter denies Him in the courtyard.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Jesus explicitly frames His passion as the fulfillment of Scripture. In verse 31 He cites Zechariah 13:7, 'I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad,' applied to His arrest and the disciples' flight. In verses 54 and 56 He insists the arrest must occur 'that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.' Before Caiaphas in verse 64 He claims the Danielic title of the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:13), and the thirty pieces of silver in verse 15 echo Zechariah 11:12.
Devotional
Matthew 26 sets devotion and betrayal side by side. A woman pours out her costliest treasure on Jesus, while Judas calculates His worth at the price of a slave. Peter swears unbreakable loyalty, then breaks before a servant girl's question.
The chapter invites honest self-examination. Where do we resemble the woman who gave extravagantly, and where do we resemble the disciples who slept when asked simply to watch one hour?
Gethsemane offers the answer: 'not as I will, but as thou wilt.' Surrendered prayer is the soil where the willing spirit strengthens the weak flesh, and where loyalty learns to outlast fear.
Literary Style
Passion narrative — sustained dramatic prose weaving dialogue, prophetic citation, and rapid scene changes. Matthew employs deliberate contrast (devotion versus betrayal, vow versus denial) and frames events with formula citations to show fulfillment of Hebrew Scripture.