Matthew 26:20

Now 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? For the exposition, see the notes at Luke 22:7....

20._When the evening was come, he sat down at table. _Not to eat _the passover, _which they were bound to do standing, as travelers, when they are in haste, are wont to take food hastily, with shoes on their feet, and a staff in their hand, (Exodus 12:11;) but I consider the meaning to be, that after having observed the solemn rite, he _sat down at table _to supper. Accordingly, the Evangelists say, _when the evening was come: _for, at the commencement of the evening, they killed the lamb, and ate the flesh of it roasted....

17-25 Observe, the place for their eating the passover was pointed out by Christ to the disciples. He knows those hidden ones who favour his cause, and will graciously visit all who are willing to receive him. The disciples did as Jesus had appointed. Those who would have Christ's presence in the gospel passover, must do what he says. It well becomes the disciples of Christ always to be jealous over themselves, especially in trying times. We know not how strongly we may be tempted, nor how far God may leave us to ourselves, therefore we have reason not to be high-minded, but to fear. Heart-searching examination and fervent prayer are especially proper before the Lord's supper, that, as Christ our Passover is now sacrificed for us, we may keep this feast, renewing our repentance, our faith in his blood, and surrendering ourselves to his service....

Verse Matthew 26:20. _NOW WHEN THE EVEN WAS COME, HE SAT DOWN WITH THE_ _TWELVE._] It is a common opinion that our Lord ate the passover some hours before the Jews ate it; for the Jews, according to custom, ate theirs at the _end_ of the _fourteenth_ day, but Christ ate his the preceding even, which was the beginning of the same sixth day, or Friday; the Jews begin their day at _sunsetting_, we at midnight. Thus Christ ate the passover on the _same day_ with the Jews, but not on the _same hour_. Christ kept this passover the beginning of the fourteenth day, the precise day and hour in which the Jews had eaten their first passover in Egypt. See Exodus 12:6-2. And in the same part of the same day in which the Jews had sacrificed their first paschal...

WHEN THE EVEN WAS COME - The lamb was killed “between the evenings,” Exodus 12:6 (Hebrew) - that is between three o’clock, p. m., and nine in the evening. The Jews reckoned two evenings - one from three o’clock p. m. to sunset, the other from sunset to the close of the first watch in the night, or nine o’clock p. m. The paschal supper was commonly eaten after the setting of the sun, and often in the night, Exodus 12:8. HE SAT DOWN - At first the supper was eaten standing, with their loins girded and their staff in their hand, denoting the haste with which they were about to flee from Egypt. Afterward, however, they introduced the practice, it seems, of partaking of this as they did of their ordinary meals. The original word is, “he reclined”

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

NOW WHEN THE EVEN WAS COME,.... The second evening, when the sun was set, and it was dark, and properly night; for "on the evenings of the passovers near the Minchah, a man might not eat עד שתחשך, "until it was dark" p.'' This was according to the rule, Exodus 12:8, HE SAT DOWN WITH THE TWELVE, his twelve disciples; so the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, and Munster's Hebrew Gospel; and which also adds, "at table"; even all the twelve apostles, who were properly his family, and a sufficient number for a passover lamb q: for "they do not kill the passover for a single man, according to the words of R. Judah, though R. Jose permits it: yea, though the society consists of an hundred, if they cannot eat the quantity of an olive, they do not kill for them: nor do they make a society of women, servants, and little ones?''...

6, 7. _Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat._ This is not the woman who anointed Christ's feet with ointment, but another of the holy women who ministered to him. I believe this was Mary, the sister of Lazarus, who came to Jesus, «having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.» 8, 9. _But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor._ When you do the best you can do, from the purest motives, and your Lord accepts your service, do not expect that your brethren will approve all your actions. If you do, you will be greatly disappointed. There was never a more beautiful proof of...

SAT DOWN WITH THE TWELVE The order of events on the night of the Passover supper appears to have been: (1) The taking by our Lord and the disciples of their places at the table; (2) the contention who should be greatest; (3) the feet washing; (4) the identification Judas as the traitor; (5) the withdrawal of Judas; (6) the institution of the supper; (7) the words of Jesus while still in the room (Matthew 26:26); (Luke 22:35); (John 13:3); (Matthew 14:1). (8) the words of Jesus between the room and the garden ...

MATTHEW 26:20 meta. tw/n dw,deka {C} As is the case in Matthew 20:17, the reading maqhtai, after oi` dw,deka is doubtful. In the present verse the weight of the external evidence seems to favor the shorter reading....