Matthew 26:1

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, For the exposition, see the notes at Mark 14:1....

Christ now confirms again what we have seen that he had sometimes predicted to his disciples; but this last prediction clearly shows how willingly he offered himself to die; and it was necessary that he should do so, because God could not be appeased but by a sacrifice of obedience. He intended, at the same time, to prevent the disciples from taking offense, lest they might be altogether discouraged by the thought that he was dragged to death by necessity. Two purposes were thus served by this statement: to testify, first, that the Son of God willingly surrendered himself to die, in order to reconcile the world to the Father, (for in no other way could the guilt of sins have been expiated, or righteousness obtained for us;) and, secondly, that he did not die like one oppressed by violence which he could not escape, but because he voluntarily offered himself to die. He therefore declares...

1-5 Our Lord had often told of his sufferings as at a distance, now he speaks of them as at hand. At the same time the Jewish council consulted how they might put him to death secretly. But it pleased God to defeat their intention. Jesus, the true paschal Lamb, was to be sacrificed for us at that very time, and his death and resurrection rendered public....

CHAPTER XXVI. _Christ predicts his being betrayed and crucified_, 1, 2. _The chief priests, scribes, and elders consult about his death_, 3-5. _A woman anoints his head at Bethany, at which the disciples are_ _offended, but Christ vindicates her conduct_, 6-13. _Judas, for thirty pieces of silver, engages with the chief_ _priests to betray him_, 14-16. _He eats a passover with his disciples, and assures them of his_ _approaching death, and that one of them would betray him_, 17-21. On each asking, Is it I? Christ asserts that Judas

EXPOSITION Ch. 26-28:20 THUS JESUS ENTERS UPON HIS KINGDOM. Before attempting to expound this most momentous section of the gospel history, we must make up our minds concerning the solution of the difficulties which are involved in some details in the account of the Supper. The supposed discrepancy between the narrative of the synoptists and that of St. John has exercised the minds of commentators from the earliest times unto the present, and enormous ingenuity has been expended in endeavouring to harmonize what are regarded as conflicting statements. The two chief difficulties are these: According to the synoptists, as generally understood, our Lord and his apostles ate the Passover, _i.e. _the Paschal lamb, when he instituted the Holy Communion; according to St. John, the death of Christ took place before the Passover was celebrated. Hence

AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN JESUS HAD FINISHED ALL THESE SAYINGS,.... Meaning either all that are recorded by this evangelist, all the sermons and discourses of Christ, delivered both to the people of the Jews, and to his disciples; his conversation with the former, and his divine instructions and prudent advice to the latter, together with all his excellent parables, which are largely related in this book; or else what is said in the two preceding Chapter s, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the world, the state of the church, and conduct of his servants to the end of time, expressed in the parables of the virgins and talents, and concerning the last judgment and final state of all men: HE SAID UNTO HIS DISCIPLES; who now were alone with him: having finished his prophetic, and being about to enter on his priestly office, he gives his disciples some intimations of it...

13. THE PASSION OF THE KING. Chapter s 26-27. CHAPTER 26 1. His Death Planned. (Matthew 26:1 .) 2. Mary of Bethany Anointing the King.(Matthew 26:6 .) 3. The Betrayal. (Matthew 26:14 .) 4. The Last Passover.(Matthew 26:17 .) 5. The Lord's Supper Instituted.(Matthew 26:26 .) 6. Peter's Denial Announced and the Scattered Sheep.(Matthew 26:30 .) 7. In Gethsemane. ...

THE DECISION OF THE CHIEF PRIESTS (Mark 14:1 f.*). Mt. enlarges a simple statement of fact into a prediction by Jesus, and places the meeting of the conspirators in the house of Caiaphas. Luke 22:1 f. is briefer even than Mk....

When Jesus had completed all these sayings, he said to his disciples. "You know that in two days time it is the Passover Feast, and the Son of Man is going to be delivered to be crucified." At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the High Priest, who was called Caiaphas, and took counsel together to seize Jesus by guile and to kill him. They said, "Not at the time of the Feast, lest a tumult arise among the people." Here then is the definite beginning of the last act of the divine tragedy. Once again Jesus warned his disciples of what was to come. For the last few days he had been acting with such magnificent defiance that they might have thought he proposed to defy the Jewish authorities; but here once again he makes it clear that his aim is the Cross. At the same time the Jewish authorities were laying their plots and stratagems. Joseph...

FINISHED. Compare Matthew 7:28. Marking an epoch. As in Matthew 11:1; Matthew 13:53; Matthew 19:1. See App-156. SAYINGS. Plural of _logos._ See note on Mark 9:42....