Matthew 26:1-22

Context

The Plot Against Jesus

26:1 When¹ Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 26:2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over² to be crucified.”³ 26:3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas. 26:4 They⁴ planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 26:5 But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”⁵

Jesus’ Anointing

26:6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 26:7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar⁶ of expensive perfumed oil,⁷ and she poured it on his head as he was at the table.⁸ 26:8 When⁹ the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said, “Why this waste? 26:9 It¹⁰ could have been sold at a high price and the money¹¹ given to the poor!” 26:10 When¹² Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She¹³ has done a good service for me. 26:11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!¹⁴ 26:12 When¹⁵ she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 26:13 I tell you the truth,¹⁶ wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

The Plan to Betray Jesus

26:14 Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 26:15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?”¹⁷ So they set out thirty silver coins for him. 26:16 From that time¹⁸ on, Judas¹⁹ began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover

26:17 Now on the first day of the feast of²⁰ Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and said,²¹ “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”²² 26:18 He²³ said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near. I will observe the Passover with my disciples at your house.”’” 26:19 So²⁴ the disciples did as Jesus had instructed them, and they prepared the Passover. 26:20 When²⁵ it was evening, he took his place at the table²⁶ with the twelve.²⁷ 26:21 And while they were eating he said, “I tell you the truth,²⁸ one of you will betray me.”²⁹ 26:22 They³⁰ became greatly distressed³¹ and each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”

[26:1] ¹tn Grk “And it happened when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[26:2] ²tn Or “will be delivered up.”

[26:2] ³sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[26:4] ⁴tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[26:5] ⁵sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him.

[26:7] ⁶sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.

[26:7] ⁷tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205).

[26:7] ⁸tn Grk “as he was reclining at table.”

[26:8] ⁹tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[26:9] ¹⁰tn Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[26:9] ¹¹tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).

[26:10] ¹²tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[26:10] ¹³tn Grk “For she.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[26:11] ¹⁴tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.

[26:12] ¹⁵tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[26:13] ¹⁶tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[26:15] ¹⁷tn Grk “What will you give to me, and I will betray him to you?”

[26:16] ¹⁸tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[26:16] ¹⁹tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:17] ²⁰tn The words “the feast of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.

[26:17] ²¹tn Grk “the disciples came to Jesus, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.

[26:17] ²²sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 26:20). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.

[26:18] ²³tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[26:19] ²⁴tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[26:20] ²⁵tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[26:20] ²⁶tn Grk “he was reclining at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[26:20] ²⁷tc Many witnesses, some of them important, have μαθητῶν (maqhtwn, “disciples”; א A L W Δ Θ 33 892 1241 1424 pm lat) or μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ (maqhtwn autou, “his disciples”; 0281 pc it) after δώδεκα (dwdeka, “twelve”). However, such clarifications are typical scribal expansions to the text. Further, the shorter reading (the one that ends with δώδεκα) has strong support in Ì^37vid,45vid B D K Γ Ë^1,13 565 579 700 pm. Thus both internally and externally the reading that ends the verse with “the twelve” is to be preferred.

[26:21] ²⁸tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[26:21] ²⁹tn Or “will hand me over.”

[26:22] ³⁰tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[26:22] ³¹tn The participle λυπούμενοι (lupoumenoi) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.