Matthew 26:30

‘And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives.'

The celebration coming towards its end it closes as usual with the Hallel (Psalms 115-118), after which they leave the city proper and return to the Mount of Olives (but still remaining within the bounds allowed during the Passover. The western slopes of the Mount of Olives would be within those bounds, Bethany itself was outside them). And thus in a few short verses Matthew has brought out the main significance of the meal. As so often he was not concerned about the detail, but with the main message. And he signals the close of the meal by speaking of the singing of the Hallel.

This would be sung by the disciples with particular feeling as they began to grapple in their minds with what Jesus had been saying, for it considered many of the questions that must have been flooding through their minds, as will be seen by the contents repeated from our introductory words above. Here Matthew deliberately connects the promise of the certainly of the coming of the Kingly Rule of His Father with the Hallel (Matthew 26:29). This speaks of God being their help and their shield (Psalms 115:9), and the One Who will multiply blessing to His people from Heaven (Psalms 115:12; compare Matthew 5:3; Matthew 13:16; Matthew 16:17), so that they will bless the Lord (Psalms 115:18). It reveals Him as the One Who will deliver them from death to life even when they are greatly afflicted (Psalms 116:8; compare Matthew 7:14; Matthew 16:25; Matthew 19:29; Matthew 25:46), so that they will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (Psalms 116:13; Matthew 26:27). Thus they will offer to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord (Psalms 116:17), praising Him for His covenant love towards them (Psalms 117:2; Psalms 118:2), for He is their strength and their song, and has also become their deliverance (Psalms 118:14; Matthew 1:21). The gates of righteousness will be opened to them for them to enter in (Psalms 118:19; compare Matthew 5:6; Matthew 5:20; Matthew 21:32), because He is their salvation (Psalms 118:21; Matthew 1:21), and this because the stone which the builders rejected has become the headstone of the corner (Psalms 118:22; compare Matthew 21:42). Thus ‘blessed is the One Who comes in the name of the Lord' (Psalms 118:26; compare Matthew 21:9; Matthew 23:39). Here are all the elements of the ‘drinking of the fruit of the vine (depicting rejoicing and celebration and partaking of the cup of salvation) in the Kingly Rule of His Father'. As Jesus said, ‘I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you within My Father's Kingly Rule', for then salvation will have been accomplished and they will have received life out of death (Matthew 7:14; Matthew 16:25; Matthew 19:29; Matthew 25:46) and will be going out with His salvation to the world with ‘the Good News of the Kingly Rule' (Matthew 24:14).

‘They went out to the Mount of Olives.' Mention of the Mount of Olives at such a crucial time would ring bells in the minds of Christian Jews. The Mount of Olives was the place where great events were to take place when God began to act (Zechariah 14:4) which would lead to the establishment of God's Kingly Rule (Zechariah 14:9). Now those events were beginning.