Matthew 26:1-25

26:1-2 | Jesus had told His disciples several times that He would be arrested, tortured, and crucified. Here, He specifies the time it would happen. He probably spoke these words on Tuesday; the Passover lamb would be killed Thursday afternoon. The disciples did not at first understand that Jesus himself is the Passover Lamb, but later, they and their fellow believers would grasp this enormous truth (1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:19).

26:3-5 | By this point, the religious leaders had resolved to kill Jesus, yet they wanted to wait until after Passover to avoid a mob uprising. This is significant, for it shows God’s sovereign control over the entire affair. Despite human plans, God’s Son, the Passover Lamb, was ordained to die on the cross during this Jewish holiday.

26:6-7 | The home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was also in Bethany, but apparently Simon the leper hosted this party for Jesus, no doubt out of gratitude for his healing (8:2-3).

26:8-12 | The fragrant oil was worth about 300 denarii (Mark 14:5), or approximately the wages of a year’s labor. To the disciples, this was a waste of the expensive ointment (John 12:4-5), but to Jesus, it was an anointing – a good work that served as preparation for His coming sacrifice. Jesus’ comment regarding the poor (Deut. 15:11) is not an unfeeling dismissal of their needs, just a simple declaration that His end is near.

26:13 | What a memorial to a lavish, spontaneous, loving act of worship! The woman, identified as Mary in John 12:3, stands even today as an enduring picture of how to respond to the Savior.

26:14-16 | Judas was not only stung by Jesus’ rebuke over the expensive oil but disgruntled that Christ had no intention to foster an uprising to free Israel from the Roman empire. Thirty pieces of silver (Zech. 11:2) is the price specified in Exodus 21:32 for a slave accidentally gored to death.

26:17-19 | The Passover requires extensive preparation, involving a roasted lamb sacrificed earlier in the afternoon and other elements connected with eating, drinking, and theological discussion (Exod. 12:1-28).

26:20-22 | The Passover meal began on Thursday after sundown, and at some unspecified point in the meal, Jesus announced that one of His disciples will betray (“hand over”) Him (Mark 14:17-21).

26:23-24 | The confluence of divine sovereignty and human choice is revealed. Although Jesus’ betrayal was foreseen long before it happened and had, in fact, been prophesied centuries before (Ps. 41:9), Judas chose of his own free will to betray his Master. For this horrifying choice, he received an especially harsh judgment (Acts 1:25).

26:25 | Interestingly, while the other disciples called Jesus “Lord”, Judas called Him Rabbi. Not only was he betraying Jesus; now he also feigned innocence. When Judas asked Jesus if he was the betrayer, Jesus answered, You have said it, no doubt startling Judas, who thought his deed was a secret.