WHEN JESUS HAD finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. 5“But not during the Feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9“This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
10Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. 12When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
14Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
17On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ “19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
22They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”
23Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”
26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
33Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
34“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
35But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
42He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Original Meaning
MATTHEW SIGNALS THE end of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse with his regular statement “When Jesus had finished saying all these things . . .” (26:1; cf. 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1). The difference between this and the earlier ones is the statement that he “finished saying all these things,” indicating that Jesus now has finished his five primary discourses to his disciples. Jesus later describes the content of these discourses as “everything I have commanded you” (28:20), which must be taught to disciples throughout the age until his return as his binding words of guidance.
Jesus’ destiny with the cross moves inexorably forward. Having finished his Olivet Discourse, he spends that evening again in Bethany, where they spent each evening of Holy Week (cf. 21:1, 17). In just two short days they will go back to Jerusalem for the final hours of Jesus’ earthly life and mission. He declares to his disciples dramatically, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (26:2).
Matthew concludes his Gospel with two long chapters that narrate the events leading up to Jesus’ death and a shorter chapter that narrates Jesus’ stunning resurrection and final commission to his disciples. We will look at the events of Jesus’ death in three sections: (1) the events surrounding the celebration of the Passover and institution of the Lord’s Supper, with the fateful movement to Gethsemane (26:1–46); (2) the arrest, trials, and conviction of Jesus (26:47–27:26); (3) the flogging, crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus (27:27–66).1 The length of Matthew’s treatment of these events indicates the central place that Jesus’ death holds in God’s plan of salvation. As Malcolm Muggeridge exclaims, “It was manifestly the most famous death in history. No other death has aroused one-hundredth part of the interest, or been remembered with one-hundredth part of the intensity and concern” as the death of Jesus of Nazareth.2
Jesus’ Prediction and the Plot of the Religious Leaders (26:1–5)
THE PASSOVER (26:1–2). The Passover Feast was celebrated annually to commemorate Israel’s escape from Egypt (Ex. 12). The month of Passover, the first month of the religious year for the Israelites, was first called Abib (Ex. 13:4) but later changed to Nisan (Est. 3:7). After dark on Nisan 15, the Passover meal was eaten (Ex. 12:2–11), which began the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus’ statement that “the Passover is two days away” (lit. “after two days”) points ahead to Thursday evening at sundown, when he and the disciples will celebrate the Passover together, after which he initiates the “Lord’s Supper.”
This is now the fourth and last time that Jesus predicts his arrest and crucifixion: “The Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (cf. 16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19). Although this prediction is briefer than the others, Jesus connects his death with the celebration of Passover. Later, Paul recognizes the spiritual significance by referring to Jesus as “our Passover lamb” (1 Cor. 5:7).
The religious leaders plot Jesus’ arrest and execution (26:3–4). At the same time that Jesus predicts his crucifixion, “the chief priests and elders of the people” are plotting his arrest. The “chief priests,” controlled by the high priest and the wealthy aristocracy of Jerusalem, were dominated by Sadducean influence (see comments on 3:7–10). They are among the most eager in Jerusalem to get rid of the threat to their influence in the temple posed by Jesus and his messianic following, so they plot to arrest him “in some sly way and kill him.”3 They gathered together in the palace of Caiaphas, the current high priest. The “palace” (aule; lit., “courtyard”) means the private home of the high priest. As the conspiracy against Jesus proceeds in Matthew’s narrative, the close cooperation between Caiaphas and the Roman government will be important in accounting for the way in which Jesus is so readily condemned and crucified.
For the first time in Matthew the high priest is identified as “Caiaphas,” who is son-in-law of the previous high priest, Annas (who still wielded much influence). Caiaphas was appointed high priest in A.D. 18 by the Roman prefect Valerius Gratus, Pontius Pilate’s predecessor.4 He maintained the position until being deposed in A.D. 36 by Vitellius, the Roman consular legate of Syria.5 Because the Roman governor appointed and deposed the high priest, the office was essentially a political one, and apparently Caiaphas knew how to manipulate it well. Because of this, the reputation of the office was ruined.6 The Qumran community was especially critical of the high priestly leadership, whom they called the “Wicked Priest.”
The plot to arrest Jesus (26:5). The chief priests and elders cannot arrest Jesus openly because of his popularity with the people. They saw the tumultuous welcome Jesus received from the crowds just two days prior at his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21:8–11). At this time of Passover, with thousands of pilgrims jamming Jerusalem and with nationalistic fervor running high as they celebrate the way that God liberated their ancestors from bondage in Egypt, the people have been stirred by the rumors that Jesus is their expected Messiah. Until the religious leaders can turn that stream of emotion against Jesus, they dare not upset the crowds by moving too soon against him.
Popular uprisings were increasingly common in first-century Palestine, as the people grew weary under the oppression of the Romans and the duplicity of their own religious leaders. These religious leaders may well have remembered the uprising in the temple at the Passover after the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C. His son Archelaus quickly displayed the same kind of cruelty that marked his father’s reign by sending in troops and cavalry, who killed about three thousand pilgrims taking part in the riots.7 The religious leaders will bide their time until the most propitious, secretive moment to arrest Jesus.
Jesus Anointed at Bethany (26:6–13)
MATTHEW (and MARK 14:3–9) recounts the story of Jesus’ anointing thematically, placing it in the context of the conspiracy to arrest Jesus, whereas John 12:1–8 narrates the story chronologically, showing that it occurs on the Saturday night before Jesus’ triumphal entry. This sort of thematic arrangement is typical of Matthew (see comments on 21:12–17). Placed in this context, it provides a link between the conspiracy of the religious leaders (26:3–5) and the betrayal by Judas (26:14–16). The woman’s act of homage stands out conspicuously against the duplicity of Judas and the plotting of the high priest, Caiaphas. The characters at the anointing remain largely unidentified in Matthew’s narrative, which places full attention on the anointing by this woman and the reaction of the disciples.8
Mary anoints Jesus (26:7). On Saturday evening, just after the end of the Sabbath at sunset, Jesus and the disciples attend a dinner at the home of “Simon the Leper” in Bethany. Since Simon is hosting a meal in his own home, he has probably been healed of leprosy by Jesus, for lepers were required to live away from the common population. According to John 12:2, Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, are there.9 Lazarus, of course, was a celebrated figure because he had been raised from the dead by Jesus, and Martha and Mary were long-time followers of Jesus (Luke 10:38–42).
During the dinner, a woman (identified in John 12:3 as Mary) approaches Jesus carrying an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, “which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.” Unguents of various sorts—whether ointments, oils, liniments, or perfumes—were used much more freely in the ancient world than they are today. Some were for cleansing, others were medicinal, still others were ceremonial (cf., e.g., Ps. 133:2). At a Jewish banquet a host sometimes poured small amounts of oil on a guest’s head, which remained on the hair and clothing, enhancing the fragrance at the feast.10
The perfume Mary uses is pure nard (see Mark 14:3; John 12:3), an oil extracted from the root of the nard plant grown in India.11 This is not a typical household oil for anointing, but an expensive perfume oil used for a solemn and special act of devotion. By breaking the flask, Mary shows that she is not just pouring a few drops to enhance the aroma of the feast but is performing the highest act of consecration to Jesus, even anointing his feet (cf. John 12:3).
The disciples’ objections (26:8–9). The perfume costs at least three hundred denarii (Mark 14:5), equivalent to about a year’s wages for the average worker (i.e., the equivalent of over $12,000; see comments on 18:28; 20:9). John’s Gospel informs us that Judas Iscariot is the one who expresses the feelings of some of the apostles, especially his own, that the perfume could have been sold for money and given to the poor (John 12:4–5). But John likewise exposes Judas’s real motives (12:6), since he regularly pilfered money from the moneybox. The other disciples do not know of Judas’s thievery, but they also think that this is a waste of precious funding. Poverty was a pervasive problem in Jerusalem and throughout Israel.
An act of memorial (26:10–13). But Jesus indicts them all: “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” Jesus is not relieving the disciples of caring for the poor, for drawing on the law (cf. Deut. 15:11), he recognizes that because there will always be the poor among them, giving to them is a duty of ideal conduct. Note too the last parable of the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus left the disciples with a dramatic scene of reward and punishment related to caring for the needy, which would be their ongoing obligation (Matt. 25:31–46). In other words, Jesus here emphasizes that the woman is performing an act of homage to him that can only be done at this time while he is with them (cf. similar comments about not fasting in 9:14–17). There are special circumstances that affect the disciples’ practices while Jesus is still with them.
Jesus goes on to show the even more profound significance of Martha’s deed: “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.” It is not impossible that Mary is able to see from the gathering storm clouds of opposition from the religious leaders that Jesus will soon be arrested and executed and so comes here to prepare him for that fate. However, this seems unlikely, for we do not find evidence that anyone really understood his prophecies of the cross and resurrection until after the fact. Rather, Mary’s anointing of Jesus is more an act of special tribute and thanksgiving for him for what he has done for her and her family. It also may be an intended act of worship, as she may be increasingly recognizing his true identity. But whatever her actual motivation, Jesus tells his disciples that what she has performed is an act of homage far more significant than even she knows. She unknowingly has begun the preparations for his burial, which will come sooner than any of them conceives possible.
Mary’s act presents an example that will set a right precedent for all ages: “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Whatever she consciously understands about Jesus, she is memorializing his death for all generations to come. In the proclamation of the gospel, the true story behind this story will be told that she is performing an act of worship to her Lord in setting him above all other values. Her example should set a high precedent for all subsequent disciples of Jesus.
Judas Arranges the Betrayal (26:14–16)
MATTHEW NEXT RECOUNTS the dastardly deed of Judas’s receiving payment for betraying Jesus. Judas is specified as “one of the Twelve,” a fact known to Matthew’s readers (cf. 10:1–4), but the designation heightens the culpability of this one who has been privileged to be included in the inner circle of Jesus’ closest followers, was designated for leadership in the church to come, and would have exercised authority over the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28). Instead, his privilege gives him opportunity for inconceivable treachery, which will result in staggering condemnation.
The arrangements for the betrayal probably occur on Wednesday of Holy Week. If so, it is the only incident in the Gospels that occurs on this day. Jesus and the other apostles most likely stay in Bethany, perhaps at the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha (see comments on 21:17). This often is called “silent Wednesday,” since no specific activities of Jesus are recorded of this day of Holy Week.
Judas leaves Bethany and travels the two miles to Jerusalem, where he meets privately with the chief priests to ask what they are willing to pay him to betray Jesus (26:14–15). Matthew is the only Gospel that specifies the agreed-upon amount of thirty pieces of silver (cf. Zech. 11:12). This amount is not only the price of a slave accidentally gored to death by an ox (Ex. 21:32) but is also apparently a way of indicating a paltry amount. This may reflect the insignificance of Jesus in the minds of Judas and the chief priests, though it may have been only a partial payment of the agreed-upon sum. The identity of the coin is not specified, but most likely the amount is the equivalent of four months wages, or about five thousand dollars. Once Judas receives the amount, he probably returns to Bethany to join Jesus and the other disciples and to watch for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to the temple authorities (26:16).
As Judas enters this plot, his spiritual nature is revealed; he is not a true believer (cf. Luke 22:3–4, which tells us that Satan entered him). Many reasons have been suggested as to why Judas does this: avarice and love of money; jealousy of the other disciples; disillusionment at the inevitable outcome of Jesus’ ministry; an enthusiastic intention to force Jesus’ hand and make him declare himself as Messiah; a bitter spirit that arose when his worldly hopes for a place of prominence in the messianic kingdom were crushed, and this disappointment turned to spite, and spite became hatred. Perhaps all of these have some place in his heart, but most likely he is disappointed in the spiritual nature of Jesus’ messiahship and decides to recoup what losses he has suffered in following Jesus for three years. Whatever the reasons, Judas’s betrayal stands as history’s most infamous act of traitorous treachery.
The Passover and the Lord’s Supper (26:17–30)
ISSUES OF CHRONOLOGY. Matthew now tells us that “on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ ” The traditional understanding of the day of the week of the Passover and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and thereafter the day of the week of Jesus’ death, derives from a basic comment from all of the Gospels, namely, that Jesus was crucified on the “day of Preparation.” Mark gives an explicit clarification for his readers, “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath)” (Mark 15:42; cf. Matt. 27:62; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42.). This expression points to Friday, the day before the Sabbath, when the Jews prepared everything for the beginning of the Sabbath. When Sabbath began at sundown on Friday, all work ceased. Therefore, Jesus died on Friday afternoon.
However, several passages in John’s Gospel suggest that when Jesus was led away to trial and crucifixion, the Passover meal had not yet been eaten by the Jews, which would imply that Jesus’ final meal with his disciples was not a Passover meal (cf. John 13:1–2; 13:27–29; 18:28; 19:14, 31). The following points must be reconciled with that perspective. (1) All the Gospels state that Jesus ate the Last Supper the day before his crucifixion (Matt. 26:20; Mark 14:17; Luke 22:14; John 13:2; cf. 1 Cor. 11:23). (2) The Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7–8) portray the preparations for the Passover as occurring on Thursday afternoon (Nisan 14), with Jesus eating the Passover meal with his disciples after sundown on Thursday evening (now Nisan 15) and then instituting the Last Supper later that evening. Then Jesus was crucified during the next day, Friday (still Nisan 15).
Some insist that either the Synoptics or John is wrong, but if we look deeper, we can find a plausible explanation for the differences. There have been several attempted explanations of the differences between the Synoptics and John,12 but the two most promising are as follows.
(1) One view suggests that Jesus and the disciples celebrated the Passover according to a solar calendar known from Jubilees and possibly used by the Qumran community.13 In this view, the Synoptic Gospels follow the method of the Galileans and the Pharisees, by whose reckoning the day was measured from sunrise to sunrise. Jesus and his disciples had their Paschal lamb slaughtered in the late afternoon of Thursday, Nisan 14, and ate the Passover with unleavened bread later that evening. John’s Gospel, however, follows the method of the Judeans, especially the Sadducees, in reckoning the day from sunset to sunset. These Jews had the Paschal lamb slaughtered in the late afternoon of the Friday Nisan 14 and ate the Passover with the unleavened bread that night, which by then had become Nisan 15. Thus, Jesus had already eaten the Passover meal when his enemies, who had not yet celebrated the Passover, arrested him.14
(2) Another view is perhaps stronger. This view suggests that the passages in John that seem to contradict the Synoptics (e.g., John 18:28; 19:14, 31) all point to a use of the expression “Passover” for the weeklong series of events, not just the Passover meal itself.15 For instance, when John 18:28 says that the Jews did not want to become ceremonially unclean by entering Pilate’s palace during Jesus’ trial, it was so that they could continue to participate in “Passover Week,” not just the meal itself. In other words, Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover meal on Thursday, the beginning of Nisan 15 and the weeklong feast, at the same time as the rest of those assembled in Jerusalem (cf. Mark 14:12).16
Preparations for the Passover (26:17–19). Knowing that Jesus has come to Jerusalem to participate with them in the Passover meal, his disciples ask where they should prepare for the celebration (26:17). They are still in Bethany, early in the day on Thursday. Jesus directs them to go into Jerusalem where they will find a specific man, whom they will tell, “The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house” (26:18). Finding a man carrying a water jar would not be difficult, since women normally lugged water. Either Jesus has made prearrangements for the room with friends in Jerusalem in order to avoid the Jewish authorities, or else these were divine arrangements. Either way, Jesus’ statement, “My appointed time is near,” recognizes that he is on a divinely ordained timetable (cf. 26:45).
Matthew follows this with the briefest account: “So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.”
The Passover meal and the order of that night’s events (26:20). Matthew narrates briefly the events as Jesus and his disciples gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. With the other Gospels, we can see a fuller order of events that night.
1. Beginning to eat the Passover meal after evening came (Matt. 26:20)
2. Dissension among the disciples as to who is the greatest (Luke 22:24)
3. Washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:1–20)
4. Identifying Judas as the betrayer, after which he leaves (Matt. 26:21–25)
5. Institution of the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:26–29)
6. Messages and prayers in the Upper Room (John 14:1–17:26)
7. Walk to Gethsemane (Matt. 26:30)
8. Prediction of Peter’s denials (Matt. 26:31–35; cf. Luke 22:31–38)17
9. Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–46)
10. Betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:47–56)
The betrayer revealed (26:20–25). Matthew narrates merely that when evening came, “Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.” The parallels tell us that Jesus first celebrates Passover with the Twelve, and as the evening goes on, he initiates the Lord’s Supper. The most widespread style of formal dining in the Greco-Roman world was the triclinium. This was a dining room in which the guests reclined on a couch that extended around three sides of a room. The host was seated in the center of the U-shaped series of tables, with the most honored guests on either side, their heads reclining toward the tables and their feet toward the wall.18
During the Passover, Jesus reveals the betrayer: “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” Jesus has anticipated the betrayal and even warned the disciples on their journey to Jerusalem that he will be betrayed (20:18; cf. John 6:71; 12:4), but his prediction of the treacherous act at the meal apparently comes as a surprise to all. Hence, they “are very sad” or distressed. They do not expect a betrayal to come out of their tight-knit group that has experienced so much together for the last three years. Yet the disciples are now fully aware that Jesus has an understanding of events beyond their comprehension. He knows more about them than even they know themselves. So one after another they ask, yet hesitantly declare, “Surely not I, Lord?” This question expects a negative answer, but they do not speak confidently.
Jesus prolongs their dismay as he states, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.” Each of those around the room have dipped their bread into bowls that served the group, so this implies no more than one of those at the meal at that time will betray him, but no one knows who. “Judas seems to have covered his tracks pretty well.”19
Even with the treachery, the betrayal does not thwart God’s plans, for Jesus declares: “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him.” Jesus affirms the divine certitude of his death by alluding to what “is written” about him, a reference to the Suffering Servant prophecies (Isa. 42–53).20 The Old Testament prophecies of a coming Suffering Servant were not widely held up as a primary expectation, not even among Jesus’ own followers. But Jesus drives home the truth that the Scriptures have prophesied the coming of a slain Messiah. This points again to the profound interplay of God’s sovereign control over all human activity with each one’s personal responsibility and culpability for one’s own decisions.
The divine judgment anticipated on the one who betrays the suffering Son of Man is staggering: “But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” With Judas’s death, his existence will continue in a conscious hell. Jesus reiterates the reality of hell for those who reject his invitation to turn away from their own perverted will and find the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven.21 If Judas had truly accepted the invitation to kingdom life, another person would have betrayed Jesus, because the necessity of the cross was divinely decreed. But Judas has sealed his own eternal destiny by his personal choice, and he is now personally accountable.
Matthew accentuates the contrast between the larger group around the table who address Jesus as “Lord” (26:22) and Judas, who addresses Jesus as “Rabbi” (Teacher). Although “Lord” (kyrios) can be used as a formal address (7:21), when directed to Jesus it came to designate discipleship. Significantly, Judas is never recorded to have addressed Jesus as “Lord.” This is perhaps a clue to the fact that Jesus knew all along those who did not truly believe in him as their Lord and who would betray him (cf. John 6:60–65).
Matthew then points to the interaction between Jesus and Judas, which apparently was heard by the rest of the Twelve (26:25). Judas, the one who will betray him, says, “Surely not I, Rabbi?’ ” (26:25). The tone of his reply is disingenuous, deceptively sincere, expecting a negative reply from Jesus. Judas has been carrying out his arrangements for the betrayal in secret, with no thought of anyone knowing about it. But Jesus’ knowledge is divinely revealed: “Yes, it is you.”
The NIV rendering of this phrase accurately reflects the literal Greek expression: “You yourself have said.” This phrase is a way of making an affirmation that places the responsibility back on the one making the inquiry. Rather than masking his insincerity, Judas’s own question has indicted him. This same expression recurs in the important dialogues with Caiaphas (26:64) and Pilate (27:11). Jesus’ reply confirms the truth that the interrogator is trying to avoid.22 Although Matthew does not record Judas’s response or his exit, he most likely leaves at this point to make final arrangements for the betrayal. His deception is known, but he is satanically driven to accomplish his treachery. John gives a wretchedly tragic comment: “As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night” (John 13:30). The time of eternal darkness for Judas’s accountability for his decisions looms.
The institution of the Lord’s Supper (26:26–30). With the traitor gone, Jesus continues the Passover with the rest of the Twelve. He dramatically brings the symbolic significance of this meal to its intended fulfillment as he institutes what becomes known as “the Lord’s Supper.”
The bread (26:26). The “Haggadah of Passover” was the set form in which the Exodus story was told on the first two nights of Passover as part of the ritual Seder (lit., “order”).23 Central to the meal were three foods—unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and the Passover offering (a lamb in temple days)—along with the four (traditional) cups of wine. Jesus uses the bread as a stunning illustration, saying: “Take and eat; this is my body.” He sets off the significance of the new observance as he invokes a prayer of blessing from God. God’s activity alone makes possible what he is about to illustrate and undertake.
During the meal proper the host blessed the unleavened bread, broke it, and shared it with those around the table. But Jesus gives it a wholly new significance—he identifies himself with the Passover sacrifice. The Old Testament prescribed that the paschal sacrifice should be consumed by a company previously invited (Ex. 12:4), so Jewish practice always focused on the corporate character of the Seder.24 The corporate nature of the Lord’s Supper is also a primary characteristic, pointing ahead to the church that collectively proclaims the Lord’s death until he comes again (cf. 1 Cor. 11:23–33).
Jesus’ twofold injunction with the explanation (“Take and eat; this is my body”) demonstrates that his body will be the fulfillment of the ceremonies surrounding the Passover lamb, as he becomes the sacrificial atonement for the “passing over” of the sins of the people. It is significant that Jesus uses bread, not the paschal lamb, to initiate the commemoration. Because of his death, the killing of a lamb will no longer be necessary. To emphasize the once-for-all nature of his forthcoming sacrifice, Jesus focuses on the bread, which also had redemptive significance within the Seder and could be eaten as a continuing memorial while upholding the cessation of animal sacrifice.25 The later theological debates about the meaning of “body” and its relation to the presence of Jesus in the bread would not have even entered the minds of those hearing Jesus’ words. They are having difficulty enough understanding the symbolism. But once the events of the cross transpire, they will, like Paul, recognize that the bread and the cup are profound memorials of the single most important event in history.
The cup (26:27–28). Continuing the symbolism, Jesus takes a cup, gives thanks, and asks all of them to join in drinking from it. Of the four cups of wine consumed at a Passover celebration (the cup of benediction, the cup just before the meal, the third cup [of blessing] after the meal, and the cup following the singing of the Hallel), this is most likely the third cup, which Jesus takes and says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
This third cup was often called the cup of redemption, corresponding to God’s third promise in Exodus 6:6, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” The death of the Passover lamb and the smearing of its blood opened the way for the redemption of God’s people from Egypt, but the shedding of Jesus’ blood, which this cup foreshadows, opens the way for the redemption of all humanity to enter into a new covenant relationship with God.26 With this statement Jesus indicates that he is fulfilling the new covenant promised to the people of Israel (see esp. Jer. 31:31, 34; Ezek. 36:26–27).27
Throughout his ministry Jesus based his invitation to the kingdom of God and the attendant forgiveness of sins and promise of regeneration upon the initiation of the new covenant (cf. 5:17–20). The time has come for its inauguration with the cross and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. Those who receive Jesus’ gracious invitation to partake of his sacrificial death live in the blessing of the new covenant. We experience forgiveness of sins and the beginnings of transformation into the image of Christ that accompanies our regeneration through the Holy Spirit (cf. Titus 3:4–7; 2 Cor. 3:18). On the expression “for many,” see comments on 20:28.
The poignant promise (26:29). Jesus gives a surprising twist to the occasion as he states, “I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” The fourth cup of the Passover was associated with God’s promise, “I will take you as my own people” (Ex. 6:7). It was poured, and following the conclusion of the antiphonal singing of the second part of the Hallel (Ps. 115–118), drunk by all. It is possible that the hymn mentioned in Matthew 26:30 is the Hallel and that Jesus abstains from the fourth cup as an illustration that he will not partake of this cup until his return.28 However, in later Judaism a dispute arose as to whether a fifth cup was obligatory during the Passover celebration, called the cup of Elijah. This is the cup kept in readiness for the advent of the prophet Elijah, who they believed would come on the Festival of Redemption from Egypt to herald the messianic redemption. Perhaps this practice went back to Jesus’ day.29
Either way, Jesus’ words hold out a poignant promise (that his sacrificial death will bring forgiveness of sins) and a sad indication (that he will have to go away), but also an assurance (that he will return). When he comes again and brings the final establishment of the kingdom on earth, he will bring to fulfillment the time of peace and redemption for which his disciples are waiting and the consolation for which the people of Israel await. Until then, the Lord’s Supper is a perpetual reminder of the new and greater exodus by which all who embrace its significance and historical accomplishment find release from sin’s bondage and deliverance into everlasting life.30 The blessings of the kingdom, inaugurated through the finished work of Christ on the cross, are a permanent reminder that he is coming again to bring the final establishment of the kingdom to those who await his fellowship.
The final evening together with the Twelve concludes with Jesus giving his Upper Room Discourse (John 14–17). After this discourse they sing a final hymn—perhaps the Hallel (Ps. 113–118) or else the last great Hallel psalm (Ps. 136), in which the antiphonal refrain, “His love endures forever,” recurs throughout the recounting of God’s great and good deeds.31 Or perhaps this is a spontaneous hymn of praise led by Jesus.
Prediction of the Falling Away and Denial (26:31–35)
AFTER THEY SING together, Jesus goes with the Twelve to the Mount of Olives. They are most likely on their way back to Bethany, where they have spent each evening during Holy Week (cf. 21:17). The two-mile walk to Bethany from Jerusalem takes them over the Mount of Olives, on which is located the Garden of Gethsemane. This garden was a favorite place of prayer for Jesus, as well as a gathering place for people camping during their pilgrimage to the Passover.
Along the way Jesus startles the disciples with another ominous prediction: “This very night you will all fall away on account of me.” Earlier Jesus predicted that one of the Twelve would betray him; now he implies that all of them will lack courage. The expression “fall away on account of me” (cf. 11:6; 13:57) indicates that there will come that night an extreme test of their loyalty to him as their Master. They will not cease being his disciples, but they will fail the test of courage to stand up for him. This lacking will later be dealt with as they become the courageous foundation of the church, but their strengthening comes through failure.
Their failure was also prophesied by Zechariah, as Jesus demonstrates: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” The shepherd who is struck by the sword is the one described by the prophet as pierced (Zech. 12:10; cf. Matt. 24:30) and rejected (Zech. 11). But the scene shifts in Zechariah 13:7, as this time Yahweh strikes the shepherd. This shepherd is identified as Yahweh’s companion, who is side by side with him as his equal. As this messianic Shepherd is smitten, the sheep are scattered, which in the Zechariah context speaks of the dispersion of the Jews.32 This quotation demonstrates that even when God’s actions are carried out by others, they are a result of his sovereign activity.
Four times Jesus predicted his arrest and crucifixion (16:21; 17:22–23; 20:17–19; 26:2). In the first three he also predicted his resurrection, which he now does for the fourth time: “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee” (cf. the recall of this statement in 28:10, 17). Jesus prophesied judgment for Judas’s betrayal (26:24), but the promise to the other disciples is that after they falter, they will be restored in fellowship with him.
But with his usual bravado, Peter steps forward to say, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” Peter has played a prominent role in Matthew’s Gospel in both a positive and negative sense (see 14:28–31; 15:15; 16:17–19; 17:24–27; 18:21). He is both an imperfect disciple and a leader in process of development. The difference between growth and failure is whether Peter continues to be receptive to God’s will. When he remains open to the things of God, he grows both in his personal discipleship and in his leadership responsibility. When he does not remain receptive to the things of God, he fails in both.
Here Peter fails on both accounts. He does not listen to Jesus’ warning and heed its caution, and his false bravado leads the rest of the disciples to join him (26:33). Jesus warns Peter that he will fail even more than the others—“this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” Roman military guards were organized around various “watches,” which accorded to the natural phenomena of sunrise, midday, sunset, midnight. The crowing of the rooster is proverbial for the arrival of the day. Thus, the denial will take place before the end of the fourth watch or at dawn. Peter’s bravado prompts him to reassert vehemently his allegiance to Jesus: “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”
The difference between Judas and Peter (and the rest of the disciples) is demonstrated by their behavior after their failures. Judas is satanically driven to accomplish his treachery (cf. Luke 22:3–4; John 13:2), because he never was a true believer (John 6:60–65). Peter and the other disciples falter, but their repentance later brings them back to Jesus for restoration. “One may either deny or betray Christ and be forgiven if one genuinely repents. Without repentance (a change of heart followed by right action), both remain equally damning.”33
Gethsemane: Jesus’ Agonizing Prayers (26:36–46)
GETHSEMANE (26:36). On their way out of Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples stop at a place called Gethsemane, which John calls a “garden” (John 18:1, 26). This word comes from the Hebrew/Aramaic gat šemanim, which most likely means “oil-press.” Putting the accounts together suggests that Gethsemane was a garden area among the olive tree groves on the Mount of Olives that had a place for the preparation of olive oil. Jesus and his disciples often frequented the place (John 18:2).
At least four current sites have been suggested as the actual identity, but two primary ones claim scholars’ attention.34 The first site now houses the Church of All Nations, which is adjacent to an olive grove about fifty-five yards square, with olive trees perhaps more than a thousand years old. The second, more likely site is located a few hundred feet north of the traditional garden. This site is a cave in which archaeologists have found evidence of preparing olive oil. Some suggest that a cultivated garden area originally surrounded the cave.
Watching and praying (26:37–38). Joan Taylor suggests that the disciples go to the cultivated garden area to sleep in the cave that they frequented on other occasions. Once at Gethsemane, Jesus directs the larger group of disciples to stay in the cave (26:36), but he asks the inner group of three disciples (Peter, James, and John; see comments on 10:2–4) to stay awake with him while he prays. Jesus wants them to share with him this overwhelming time of sorrow and trouble as he faces the cross: “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Jesus does not ask them to pray but to watch. As he grievously anticipates his looming death, his overwhelming sorrow reveals a heart broken almost to the point of death itself, because he knows that he will experience his Father’s forsakenness (cf. 27:46). This reveals the depth of Jesus’ human relationships he feels is necessary to sustain him in his time of greatest need. It may be difficult to grasp that the Son of God had such needs, but to do so gives us a more adequate understanding of his incarnation.
Jesus’ first prayer (26:39). Jesus goes away from the trio of disciples to be alone, because he must plead with his Father privately, although having his closest followers near provides necessary human support. There alone, “he fell with his face to the ground and prayed.” In this posture of abject humility, Jesus lays his life before his Father in utter honesty and trust. Matthew reveals one of the most profound insights into the intimacy between Father and Son. In this time of prayer that lasts an hour (26:40), Jesus probably reiterates various expressions of this central theme, which accounts for the variation among the four Gospel writers.
With harmless urgency and trustfulness, Jesus lays his life in his Father’s safe-keeping as he calls out with tender intimacy, “My Father.” This continues Matthew’s unique insight into the special relationship of Son and Father in this Gospel (cf. 7:21; 10:32–33). Jesus pleads, “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus is facing a real temptation, the most severe of his life. He started his earthly ministry by being tempted by the devil in the desert (4:1–11), and he was variously tempted by satanic devices at other points in his ministry (e.g., 16:22–23). The significant feature of the earlier temptations was the satanic attempt to deter Jesus from the cross (cf. 4:8–9; 16:21–23). Now, at the moment when he is ready to accomplish his life’s mission, the temptation is intensified to its maximum. This is the devil’s last-ditch effort to attempt to convince Jesus that the cross is unnecessary.
But Jesus has demonstrated a complete confidence in his Father’s sovereign power and perfect will throughout his life, so at this moment of greatest temptation, he turns to his Father for guidance. Jesus has prophesied that he must endure this cup of crucifixion to accomplish redemption of humanity (cf. 20:22–23, 28; 26:27), but Satan still tempts him to believe that it is not absolutely necessary.
Jesus lays the temptation out to his Father, but he does not ask to shirk his destiny. He wants only to obey his Father’s will. This is the landmark example of honesty and trustfulness in prayer. The Father will not respond to the petition in the way requested, but it does not reflect any fault in the One requesting. The Father does hear the Son’s plea, but it is the Son’s obedience to the Father’s answer to continue to the cross that brings salvation to humanity (Heb. 5:7–10)
It is not death itself that evokes this plea from Jesus but the kind of death. Jesus faces the most intense suffering imaginable as he endures not simply death, but a divinely sustained human death, in which he suffers punishment for the sins of humanity. His overwhelming sorrow (26:38) comes from the grievous anticipation of separation from his Father that he will experience in his human consciousness as “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21). Although dreading the prospect of pain and death on the cross, the prospect of separation from the Father is a greater horror and a greater sorrow (Matt. 27:46). But doing the will of the Father is Jesus’ only motivation because he knows that millions of men and women, before and after his triumph over sin at the cross, will be reconciled to the Father through his death.
The disciples’ first failure (26:40–41). After intensely wrestling in prayer, Jesus returns to find the trio of disciples sleeping. He addresses Peter as the leader of the disciples. Peter must continue to be receptive to the leading of God if he is to become stronger personally as well as be a future leader in the church. Matthew does not mince words in his appreciation for Peter’s leadership role or in his recounting of Peter’s failure to provide proper leadership (cf. 14:28–32; 16:16–23). Though addressed to Peter, Jesus also chides the trio (the verbs in 26:41–42 are plural) for not watching with him while he prayed.
Jesus goes on to admonish them, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Jesus called them to watch with him so that they could support his prayer to the Father. They have failed that charge, but he calls them to continue, yet now they must also pray about their own temptation. In the immediate context, the temptation is to succumb to physical sleep at this late hour when they are being asked to watch with Jesus. It points to the temptation to fail in their responsibility to support Jesus in his great hour of need. It may point even more deeply to the temptation that they themselves will face as Jesus is led away to the cross—a temptation to deny Jesus, as he has predicted (26:31–35).
Jesus draws a contrast between their human spirit (not Holy Spirit) and its aspirations and their human nature that is impacted by sin, specifically here their physical humanness. Jesus is not creating a proverbial expression to excuse human weakness but is giving an example of how obedience to God’s will is accomplished. Spiritual disciplines of watching and praying enable the spiritual heart to direct all aspects of a person’s human nature so that the entire person is obedient to God’s will (see comments on 5:20; 15:17–19). Unfortunately, the disciples fail Jesus at his moment of personal need by falling asleep, but as Leon Morris states, “There is a sense in which [Jesus] had to be alone in prayer, for only he could pray the prayer he prayed. But there is also a sense in which he could have been encouraged by the support of his closest followers nearby.”35
The second and third prayers and failures (26:42–44). As Jesus goes away to pray a second and third time, he prays the same thing. However, in the second prayer there is a slight but significant variation: “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Now there is the conscious recognition that it is not possible for the cup to be taken away and that Jesus must drink its wrathful onslaught. He consciously submits to that destiny in the words, “May your will be done.” This is probably what the writer of Hebrews understood when he wrote that Jesus “learned obedience from what he suffered” (Heb. 5:8).
But the disciples have not yet learned this obedience, because again Jesus goes back to find the trio sleeping, “because their eyes were heavy.” They have not learned the discipline of spirit over flesh. So Matthew tells us that Jesus leaves them, though Mark states, “They did not know what to say to him” (Mark 14:40). As he goes away to pray again a third time, Jesus prays the same thing. Although there may be some development in Jesus’ understanding of the nature of the temptation and the Father’s will for him, Matthew allows us to see that even from the start, there is no deficiency in Jesus’ prayer. He continues only to seek the Father’s will.
The betrayer arrives (26:45–46). After the third time of intense prayer, Jesus returns to the trio to find them still sleeping. He chides them for dozing when they could have supported him, and they will also find themselves asleep spiritually when the time for alertness finds them denying their Master. But it is too late to get ready now. He calls out, “Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Jesus’ instructions to the disciples earlier that day were impelled by the recognition that his “appointed time is near” (26:18), and now the “hour is near.” The divine clock ticks inexorably on; the time for Jesus to accomplish his mission of salvation through the cross has arrived.
Jesus has perhaps watched the troop of temple police being led by Judas cross the Kidron Valley coming to the garden with torches. Instead of fleeing, he calls his disciples to meet this challenge head-on. These armed representatives of the temple, in spite of their authority as the chief priests’ representatives, are “sinners.” The Pharisees accused those who ate with Jesus of being “sinners” because they did not conform to their legal purity prescriptions (9:11), but Jesus calls “sinners” those who oppose God’s will, even these temple officials.36 They attempt to thwart God’s will as represented in Jesus’ ministry, and chief among them is Judas, the betrayer.
Bridging Contexts
CHAPTERS 26–28 FORM the heart of Matthew’s story of Jesus Messiah. Jesus is tried, crucified, and buried, but also raised from the dead. He then sends out his disciples on their worldwide commission. Dale Bruner calls these chapters “The Church’s Passion,” because “the suffering, death, resurrection, and sole universal Lordship of Jesus are what the church has always suffered most for preaching and yet has been most ‘passionate’ to preach.”37
The hand of history is evident in these chapters. The earliest preaching of the church was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. This is the kerygma, the good news, the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God.38 These stories were told over and over in every location that the early missionaries traveled. Matthew records that historical record in order to move his readers to faith in Jesus Messiah, who offers salvation and discipleship through his cross and resurrection. The themes that began in the first section of his Gospel—especially the inevitability of God’s plan of redemption and humanity’s responsibility to it—unfold and interweave throughout this final narrative.
The crucified Messiah. From the very beginning of this Gospel, which announced the arrival of the son of David, the son of Abraham (1:1), Matthew has carefully detailed Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills Israel’s expectations and the nations’ hopes. As the spotlight of history focuses on the events of the cross, Matthew draws our attention to Jesus once again as Messiah, but in a tragically ironic way. Jesus is the Messiah, but in a way that baffled his own followers, disappointed the crowds, and enraged the religious leaders. He will be a crucified Messiah. With four strokes of his narrative brush throughout the Passion Narrative, Matthew fills in the details and the colors of his portrait of Jesus as the crucified Messiah. Derek Tidball highlights this purpose of Matthew’s historical artistry:
He wants our attention to be held by who it was that was pinned in such a humiliating and fatal way to a stake on the hill of Golgotha. It is a portrait which in a myriad ways tells us about the real identity of the central figure and so of his mission.39
(1) Prophesied Deliverer. As the anticipated Messiah, Jesus fulfills Scripture that prophesied his actions during these final hours that lead him to the cross for the deliverance of his people. It is divinely appointed time (26:18), his hour of reckoning (26:45), prophesied in the Old Testament (26:24). The people of Israel anticipated a deliverer, but Jesus will deliver them in ways that not all expected. He will be stricken (26:31), fulfilling the prophecies of a slain Messiah who brings healing to his people and deliverance from iniquity (Isa. 53:4–12; Zech. 12:9–14). Later rabbis interpreted these verses to mean that they should expect a slain Messiah (b. Suk. 52a), but for many this will be a stumbling block.
(2) Sacrificial Servant. In fulfilling the prophecies of a crucified Messiah, Jesus will spill his blood as the servant who is the willing sacrifice to bear the sins of humanity. He raises the Passover cup of redemption and declares, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (26:28). He is the fulfillment of the symbolism of the Passover lamb as he becomes the Servant of the Lord (Isa. 53:12). The events of the cross are not pleasant. They are bloody, and modern sensibilities want to clean them up to make them more palatable. But to do so minimizes the awfulness of sin and its requisite eternal penalty that makes necessary the excruciating punishment.
(3) Willing Lord. Throughout his ministry Jesus exercised control over the forces of nature and the spirit world. That control does not cease as he goes to the cross. He is not a victim of these circumstances but a willing Lord. His anointing by the worshiping woman expressed more than any could comprehend, because he is truly the anointed Davidic Messiah who is David’s Lord (22:43). Yet the woman’s act unknowingly anoints him for death (26:12). Jesus sovereignly initiates the prophesied new covenant, but through the cup of wrath that he willingly accepts (26:28, 39–44).
(4) Humble King. Jesus was worshiped “king of the Jews” at his birth (2:2, 11), and he will be mocked as he is crucified “king of the Jews” (27:29). Both of these settings find Jesus in humble surroundings—the first in a poor Bethlehem home, the second in the humiliation of the powerful Roman Praetorium. But Jesus knows who he is and what he has come to do. He does not have to prove anything to anyone, for he knows he is the king of the Jews (27:11). The humiliation of his incarnation brought the arrival of the kingdom of heaven to those who dared to respond to his invitation (4:17). The humiliation of his crucifixion brings the redemption of humanity to those who dare to respond to his inauguration of the new covenant in his blood (26:28). But the humiliation of his death is also a poignant promise that his kingdom will soon manifest itself with power and glory when he comes again (26:29; cf. 13:41–42; 24:30–31).
Divine inevitability. Interwoven throughout the Passion Narrative is the divine inevitability of these events. Matthew emphasizes that there is no doubt that God is in control. Jesus’ ministry seems to be spiraling out of control, because the religious leaders are plotting against him, one of the Twelve will betray him, the rest of the Twelve will deny him, and there is no avoiding the cup of wrath. Yet behind the scenes God holds the spiral firmly in control. The events will transpire tragically, but not hopelessly, because divine inevitability controls the outcome. It is seen especially in Jesus’ predictions of the events that he prophetically foresees and humanly undertakes.
(1) Jesus’ death. Jesus predicts the forthcoming crucifixion (26:1–2), which Matthew narrates is being arranged by the plotting of the religious leaders (26:3–5). Jesus predicts his burial, for which the woman prepares him through the anointing (26:12–13). Throughout these scenes Jesus watches the divine clock that slowly ticks off the arrival of his appointed time (26:18) and hour (26:45) of betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. But the reprehensible betrayal and crucifixion are not foisted on the Son of Man. He knowingly accepts them as part of his mission, since Scripture has given him advance warning of their arrival (26:24). The new covenant was long ago prophesied by the prophets, but as Jesus spends his last earthly night with his disciples before the crucifixion, he demonstrates with the cup that it is only through his blood that the covenant will be inaugurated (26:28). Jesus’ death is inevitable, but it is divinely predicted.
(2) Judas’s betrayal. Likewise, Jesus’ arrest is not accidental. He sees the plotting of the religious leaders, knows the duplicity of one of his closest followers, and predicts that those two forces will combine to arrange for his betrayal. Matthew narrates the arrangements for the treachery (26:14–15) that Jesus predicts (26:20). It is not just a wild guess, however. As Jesus raises the issue to all of the disciples, he forces Judas to answer his own duplicitous question (26:25). Jesus knows that the final arrangements have been made and that the betrayer has accomplished the deed (26:45–46). While this act by Judas is inevitable, it is divinely predicted.
(3) The disciples’ denials. Moreover, Jesus’ abandonment by his closest followers is neither a disappointing slip nor a missed appointment. They abandon him because of their own failure to honor his name and value his relationship as their Lord and Messiah. But once again, Jesus predicts the outcome. Not only will all of the disciples fall away from owning their allegiance to him (26:31), but so will the designated leader for the establishment of the church, Peter (26:33–34). At the incident where Jesus pronounced Peter’s leadership role (16:17–19), his overbearing impetuosity caused him to succumb to the satanic temptation to attempt to deter Jesus from the cross (16:21–23). Peter may have thought he had overcome that weakness, but the bravado of his vehemence cannot mask from Jesus the reality of his susceptibility to cowardice. Jesus predicts that Peter will three times over deny him that very night.
But this is not just some special insight that Jesus employs. Scripture not only prophesied that God would strike the shepherd (Jesus) to bring about the redemption of humanity (26:31; cf. Isa. 53:4–6; Zech. 13:7), but also that his sheep would be scattered. The disciples’ denials are inevitable, but they are divinely predicted.
Human accountability. In addition to divine inevitability, however, those humans who participate are held accountable for what they do. Matthew paid less attention to specific individuals in his account of Jesus’ ministry than do the other evangelists,40 but throughout the Passion Narrative he reverses that tendency and highlights repeatedly identifiable characters. Each scene highlights a person’s accountability to God’s will as it is being carried out by Jesus.
(1) Caiaphas (26:1–5). As high priest Caiaphas is responsible to lead the people in their sacrifices. His privileged position should have prepared him to anticipate the arrival of a priestly Messiah in the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4; cf. Heb. 5:10; 7:11–17), but his political ambitions and manipulations blind him. He will be held accountable for his failure (cf. Matt. 26:57–27:1).
(2) Mary (26:6–13). The second person is the woman who anointed Jesus, whom we know to be Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. As a long-time follower of Jesus, she is responsible to exercise her faith in Jesus, which means to give to him as much of herself as she knows him to be. The value of the perfume is representative of her belief in Jesus as her Messiah, who has inaugurated the kingdom of God and raised her brother from the dead. So she gives all she has to anoint Jesus. Her understanding of his identity and mission is probably not yet complete, but her action is an expression of unqualified faith in what she knows to be true. Her story will be told throughout this age as an example of properly exercised faith in Jesus.
(3) Judas (26:14–16, 20–25). As the treasurer for the apostolic band and one of the Twelve, Judas Iscariot is responsible not only to carry the gospel message during Jesus’ earthly mission but throughout the age (10:1–6, 17–23). His privileged position would have placed him on one of the twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28). But as the events of this section unfold, his privileged position increases his responsibility, which leads to increased susceptibility to temptation—all of which increases his accountability (cf. 26:46–56; 27:1–10).
(4) Peter (26:31–35, 37–46). Like Judas, Peter has been privileged to be with Jesus throughout his earthly ministry. But not only is he one of the Twelve, he was privileged to be with Jesus for the one year of relatively private ministry Jesus had in Judea before his Galilean ministry began (cf. John 1:35–42).41 He appears with all of the disciples to receive the stinging indictment that he will soon deny Jesus, but when he vehemently declares his allegiance, Jesus singles him out for further culpability in declaring that he will deny him three times. Peter is also privileged to be among the inner three called to be with Jesus in his hour of need in Gethsemane. Yet once again Peter is singled out for failing to stay awake and watch with Jesus. His allegiance to Jesus is as weak as is his flesh.
Peter was honored to be singled out for a special leadership role in the establishment of the church (16:16–19), but with that increased responsibility comes increased accountability. As the events of the evening transpire, Peter slowly abdicates his leadership and denies his relationship to Jesus (26:50–58, 69–75), which leaves him vulnerable to the same judgment that Judas faces. He was tempted before to use his position of responsibility to advance his own arrogant understanding of God’s will for Jesus (16:21–23). He failed there, and he will fail again as Jesus needs his support throughout the night. His cowardly example is a warning to leaders and disciples, but his later repentance provides a picture of hope that encourages them as well.
(5) Jesus. The final person in these scenes is Jesus. Throughout the narrative the future for Jesus looks increasingly grim. He knows full well that the cross lies ahead, with the unfathomable suffering it will entail. In Gethsemane he is tempted in the same way that all of the others are tempted to abuse their responsibility to God’s will for their lives. But Jesus is tempted to the extreme limit available to the satanic forces. What he endures there is unimaginable. But there is only one option for Jesus—his Father’s will. Jesus is the prototypical example of one who understands God’s will, wrestles with the difficulty of carrying it out, and demonstrates that petitioning God about the inevitability or necessity of his involvement in these events is not inappropriate, but who demonstrates unreserved commitment to obeying God’s will.
Thus, as in the first temptations in the desert, Jesus endures temptations unique to his mission, but his obedience stands for all his disciples as the premier example for our own wrestling with temptation (see comments on 4:1–11). Our life mission, like that of Jesus, should consist of saying again and again to the Father, “not as I will, but as you will” (26:39).
Contemporary Significance
“IN HIS WILL is our peace.” That well-known saying from the medieval poet Dante enabled him to experience peace while all around him were religious people dominated by a craving for worldly power. Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), the great Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker, is best known for his monumental epic, The Divine Comedy. He lived at a time when religious and political turmoil tore apart much of the Italian landscape and caused Dante himself to be exiled by Pope Boniface VIII. The plot of The Divine Comedy finds a man, generally assumed to be Dante himself, miraculously journeying from Good Friday evening through Easter Sunday to visit the souls in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. He has two guides: Virgil, who leads him through the Inferno and Purgatorio, and Beatrice, who introduces him to Paradiso.
These fictional encounters enabled Dante to comment on the religious and political climate of his day. He was profoundly disturbed by the pope’s craving for worldly power. There were no spiritual models among the religious leadership of his day that exercised any kind of restraint on human appetites, and the weakness of the empire supplied no law that was sufficient to exercise a physical restraint on the pope’s appetite or any other will. The pope’s deception had been responsible for Dante’s exile and the torching of his home city of Florence, so in the epic Dante foretells these events after the fact as a warning to his countrymen. But Dante also intended to show the means by which he triumphed over his personal disaster, thus making his poem into a true “divine comedy.”42
Dante’s most important contribution to the daily lives of perplexed Christians is found in the cantos of Paradiso. He helps them focus on the glories of heaven as a way of navigating the sullied appetites of religious officials dominating political and social life. The Paradiso is a profound contemplation of spiritual realities that Dante fictionally experiences as he journeys through Paradise. The souls he encounters hint at the joy and peace of the future kingdom.
The first soul is Piccarda Donati, Dante’s relative by marriage, who was unfaithful to her religious vows on earth. He does not recognize her at first because of her new vivid beauty, which he compares to “a pearl upon a milk-white brow.” The beauty comes from the glow of “the first fire of love” that she now experiences in the recesses of experiencing God’s will. She reveals to Dante her complete joy in the statement, “In His will is our peace; it is the sea into which all things are drawn by Him who created all the works of nature” (Paradiso 3:85–87).43
“In His will is our peace.” This is the compass that Dante finds that will help him navigate the secret appetites of men and women who betray, deceive, deny, and destroy all who stand in their way. It is a reflection of Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” This is also one of the most important themes in this section of Matthew’s story. In spite of the duplicity, the political maneuvering, and the betrayal of the religious establishment, Matthew would likewise say that “in His will is our peace.”
God is in control. Perhaps the most important lesson that we can learn from this section of Matthew’s Passion Narrative is that God is in control. Despite the downward spiral of events and his disappointment in people around him, Jesus resolutely goes forward. He trusts the Father’s will even when everything looks bleak. The sure lesson for us is that we must continue to follow God’s known will when we cannot see what is unknown—and the most complete delineation of that will is found in the Scriptures, from which Jesus also learned.
Like the ancient patriarch Job, we may not always have the privilege of knowing the reason or the good that results from particular events in our lives. However, when we rest in God’s known will, we will find our peace. God is ultimately in control of all events around us. Human power structures, no matter how powerful they look, are not powerful enough to thwart God’s intention to fulfill his ultimate desires and ends. We find today that our suffering is not foreign to God. Jesus’ suffering in his humanity enables him to empathize with us directly in the midst of our pain. And in that empathy we can affirm God’s love for us. Jesus willingly went to the cross to meet our deepest need of forgiveness of sin, so that we can enter the blessed existence of the kingdom of God. It is there that we enter into the peace of God’s will.
How to experience this in our day-to-day activities is one of the chief growing points of our discipleship to Jesus. You may have been laid off work. Your church board and pastor may be experiencing a deepening rift. Your youngest child may have been diagnosed with autism. You may have an erratic neighbor who threatens to sue you over water rights to his farm. You may have an ongoing struggle with your husband in which he inappropriately accuses you of flirting with other men. You may have sustained an injury that wipes out your chances of getting that potential scholarship to college. All of these can be a threat to the stability of your life.
I have walked with people through each of these scenes. The impact varies from incident to incident, but in each the reaction is to think that life is out of control. Depending on the maturity level and the circumstances of one’s life, it may be on the verge. But the lesson from each of the Passion Narrative scenes is that God is there to walk us through anything, if we will only turn to him. That is why the institution of the Lord’s Supper is so centrally significant in this passage. It gives us a schematic in which we can evaluate our varied circumstances to draw on Jesus’ proven redemptive activity and his ever-present help.
The Lord’s Supper as life’s schematic. The institution of the Lord’s Supper gives us a crucial experience of God’s will for us, individually and corporately. It is not simply a religious exercise but a schematic for our lives. Many churches celebrate the Lord’s Supper at least once a month. It is a special time. One might think that the routine could turn to ritual that robs the celebration of its significance. However, in the symbolism “realities beyond verbal expression are acted out.”44 We will do ourselves much good to explore continually the many dimensions of the Lord’s Supper, of which there are at least six.45
(1) Backward. The Lord’s Supper points backward to Jesus’ historical accomplishment of salvation as a finished act. It further looks back to the history of salvation that prompted the Passover meal. By looking back, we are prompted to rest in the finished work of salvation on the cross and give thanks as we consider Jesus’ body and blood expended for us (26:27–28). As a memorial to his sacrifice, the Lord’s Supper is a powerful reminder of the historical bedrock of our faith in his finished work of the cross.
(2) Forward. The Lord’s Supper looks forward to the time when we will enjoy the consummation of the kingdom of God and enjoy fellowship with Jesus in drinking the cup anew together with him (26:29). We also look forward with confidence to each new day with a conviction that our future is secure with him whether we live or die. But we also look forward with sober recognition that he will come again to reward those who long for his appearance (2 Tim. 4:8) and judge those who eat unworthily (1 Cor. 11:32).
(3) Inward. The celebration of communion is also an important time of self-examination, as Paul reminds us. Those who live in blatant sin when approaching the table are guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:27–28). Communion times can be important occasions of looking inwardly at one’s heart and holding oneself personally accountable before God. The original Lord’s Supper is warning enough to us since it comes in the context of betrayal and denial, a sober reminder for us all to take heed lest we too fall.
(4) Upward. The Lord’s Supper also looks upward as we remember that Jesus’ death on the cross and burial in the tomb is not the end of the story. His resurrection is the sure declaration that his death was efficacious. So we look up with conviction and joy in knowing that the Savior lives and is seated at the right hand of the Father. His resurrection is the foundation of our faith that we too have been raised with him, so that we set our minds on things above (Col. 3:1–4).
(5) Around. Communion is also a time to emphasize the corporate nature of the Lord’s Supper. John’s account of the evening’s activities includes the well-known story in which Jesus girds himself like a slave and washes his disciples’ feet (John 13:3–16), a powerful reminder of the lesson he taught earlier that they are to serve each other (Matt. 20:20–28). The evening will later find Peter boastfully declaring that even if all the others deny Jesus, he will resist to the point of death (26:33–35). That kind of self-deceptive pride is a sure formula for failure. Without community we fail alone. Jesus’ disciples need each other to help them stay faithful, and times of communion are powerful opportunities to renew our service to each other in the body.
(6) Outward. The corporate nature of communion also points to the outward dimension of the Lord’s Supper. As Paul recounts the institution of the meal, he proclaims that as we partake, we “proclaim the Lord’s death” until he comes (1 Cor. 11:26). The world is dying without the message of the good news that Jesus has provided salvation from sins through his death on the cross. As we renew our common commitment to that message, we are renewed individually to walk with that risen Savior in a world that waits to hear our personal testimony.
In the regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper, we can focus on a different dimension each time for a consistent rehearsal of the depth of this blessed time of communion with our Lord Jesus. Some approach the Lord’s Supper by keeping the ritual unvaryingly the same so that people are not distracted and can turn inward in the meditations of remembrance or confession. Others approach the communion service by varying the ritual from service to service so that people focus their meditation in a fresh way on some aspect of the Lord’s Supper.46 Regardless of what we do, the Lord’s Supper becomes life’s schematic in understanding God’s salvation-historical will for our lives, individually and collectively.
Jesus, the “Prince of Peace.” The experience of peace in this world of chaos sounds like an imaginary pipe dream. Jesus said that wars and calamities will be the common experience on earth until his return in glory (24:4–8). So where really can we find peace in God’s will? Nowhere else than in the finished work of the crucified Messiah.
Matthew has demonstrated that Jesus’ life is the fulfillment of the prophecies of Isaiah concerning a messianic deliverer: from birth (1:23; cf. Isa. 7:14), to ministry (Matt. 4:14–16; cf. Isa. 9:1–2), to miracles (Matt. 12:15–21; cf. Isa. 42:1–4). But what about the “peace” that was prophesied to come when the “Prince of Peace” established his kingdom (Isa. 9:6–7)? Many Jews today disregard Jesus as the true Messiah since he did not destroy the enemies of Israel and establish a time of worldwide peace and prosperity. Shalom is integral to the anticipated eschatological time (cf. Ps. 85:8–10; Isa. 55:12), and Ezekiel speaks of the Davidic messianic Shepherd who will make a covenant of peace (shalom) that will usher in a time of blessing and security (Ezek. 34:23–30).
Christians also live in the anticipation of the establishment of the kingdom, when Jesus will return to bring worldwide peace. But Christians also live in the reality of the new covenant peace that Jesus, the Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), brought through his work of the cross. The new covenant brings personal peace as a disciple’s alienation from God is solved through the forgiveness of sin (Rom. 5:1; Col. 1:20), but it also brought, and brings, peace between Jew and Gentile as the two became one new person in the church of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:11–18). The new covenant enables Jesus’ disciples to be instruments of peace in this world through their message (Acts 10:36) and their lives (Rom. 12:17–21; 14:19), and it enables them to have personal inward peace regardless of the circumstances of this world (Phil. 4:7). The writer to the Hebrews gives this concluding benediction in Hebrews 13:20–21:
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus found peace in the Garden of Gethsemane as he rested in obedience to his Father’s will—and that in spite of knowing that his worst battles were yet to come. We likewise will find our life’s greatest peace as we rest obediently in God’s will for us individually and corporately. “In His will is our peace.”