Matthew 26

1 – 2

After Jesus finished saying all these things, he told his followers, “You know that the day after tomorrow is the day of the Passover Feast. On that day the Son of Man will be given to his enemies to be killed on a cross.”

They knew that He had said this but they did really understand.

3 – 5

Then the leading priests and the Jewish elders had a meeting at the palace of the high priest. The high priest’s name was Caiaphas. At the meeting, they planned to set a trap to arrest Jesus and kill him. But they said, “We must not do it during the feast. The people might cause a riot.”

They were planning to take Jesus at night when nobody was watching. It was against their own law to have a trial at night. Evil men work at night hoping to hide what they are doing.

6 – 7

Jesus was in Bethany. He was at the house of Simon, who had a harmful skin disease. While Jesus was there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. She poured this perfume on Jesus’ head while he was eating.

This woman is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. This perfume was all she had in this world. She was giving up her emergency savings and would have to trust God to take care of emergencies.

8 – 9

His followers saw the woman do this and were upset. They asked, “Why waste that perfume? It could be sold for a great deal of money, and the money could be given to the poor.”

John only says that Judas talked this way but here we see that he led the rest of them into thinking his way. Evil talk spreads quickly.

10 – 13

But Jesus knew what happened. He said, “Why are you troubling this woman? She did a very beautiful thing for me. You will always have the poor with you. But you will not always have me.

This woman poured perfume on my body to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth. The Gospel will be told to people in all the world. And in every place where it is preached, what this woman has done will be told. And people will remember her.”

The followers were not ready to see that Jesus would die and be risen from the dead. Mary saw this and trusted God. She showed her trust by preparing Jesus body as was the Jewish custom.

14 – 16

Then one of the 12 followers went to talk to the leading priests. This was the follower named Judas Iscariot. He said, “I will give Jesus to you. What will you pay me for doing this?” The priests gave Judas 30 silver coins. After that, Judas waited for the best time to give Jesus to the priests.

It could be that Judas was so angry about what he thought was a waste of money that he decided to turn against Jesus at this time. John tells us that it was the devil who put these ideas into the heart of Judas. We see how the devil can use anger to make us go further into sin.

17 – 19

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the followers came to Jesus. They said, “We will prepare everything for you to eat the Passover Feast. Where do you want to have the feast?”

Jesus answered, “Go into the city to a certain man. Tell him that the Teacher says, ‘The chosen time is near. I will have the Passover Feast with my followers at your house.’” The followers did what Jesus told them to do, and they prepared the Passover Feast.

Some teachers say that this was the house of another Mary who was the mother of Mark. This family had given their house to God and asked Him to use it for His glory.

20 – 22

In the evening Jesus was sitting at the table with his 12 followers. They were all eating. Then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. One of you 12 will turn against me.”
This made the followers very sad. Each one said to Jesus, “Surely, Lord, I am not the one who will turn against you. Am I?”

Jesus quoted a Psalm to show the disciples that the Word warns you of things that are happening in your life. You will not be surprised if you see these things ahead of time in the Word. Psalm 19:11, Psalm 41:9, Psalm 55:12 – 14

23 – 24

Jesus answered, “The man who has dipped his hand with me into the bowl is the one who will turn against me. The Son of Man will die. The Scriptures say this will happen. But how terrible it will be for the person who gives the Son of Man to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been born.”

Jesus treated Judas as the guest of honor by handing him the bread. He later called him his friend. Jesus never gives up on people, but some give up on themselves.

25. Then Judas said to Jesus, “Teacher, surely I am not the one. Am I?” Judas is the one who would give Jesus to his enemies. Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”

There are times when people reject God’s offer of grace and are immediately attacked by Satan. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. James 1:14

26 – 29

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread. He thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to his followers and said, “Take this bread and eat it. This bread is my body.”

Then Jesus took a cup. He thanked God for it and gave it to the followers. He said, “Every one of you drink this. This is my blood which begins the new agreement that God makes with his people.

This blood is poured out for many to forgive their sins. I tell you this: I will not drink of this fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

The promises in the Old Testament were built on the idea that if the Jews would do what God asked them to do and see be set-apart to walk with the Lord then He would walk with them.

The Jews did not follow this way of life and even changed God’s Laws to their own ideas. Jesus was now making a new agreement that if men would agree that His body was given to pay for their sins on the cross, then He would forgive them and they would be with Him in heaven.

30 – 33

They sang a hymn. Then they went out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus told the followers, “Tonight you will lose your faith because of me.

It is written in the Scriptures: I will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter.’ But after I rise from death, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Zechariah said that this would happen (Zechariah 11:13).

33 – 34

Peter said, “All the other followers may lose their faith because of you. But I will never lose my faith.” Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. Tonight you will say you don’t know me. You will say this three times before the rooster crows.”

The devil has big plans for you to do something you never thought you would do! Stay close to the Lord in His Word and He will protect you from these plans!

35. But Peter said, “I will never say that I do not know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.

Before we look down on Peter, we all need to someday see the evil that we are capable of. The devil will tell us that we can never find our way back. Peter is going to find out that we cannot live this kind of love in our own strength.

Satan has asked permission to sift each of you like wheat. Luke 22:31

36 – 38

 Then Jesus went with his followers to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him.

Then Jesus began to be very sad and troubled. He said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, “My heart is full of sorrow and breaking with sadness. Stay here with me and watch.”

Jesus took on Himself the body of a man so that He could show us how life can be lived. He shows us here that the reason He could stand the torture of the cross the next day was because of the war in the spiritual world the night before.

39 – 41

Then Jesus walked a little farther away from them. He fell to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”

Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. Jesus said to Peter, “You men could not stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right. But your body is weak.”

The original language says that Jesus kept on standing and kneeling.

42 – 44

Then Jesus went away a second time. He prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this painful thing to be taken from me, and if I must do it, then I pray that what you want will be done.”

Then Jesus went back to the followers. Again he found them asleep, because their eyes were heavy. So Jesus left them and went away one more time and prayed. This third time he prayed, he said the same thing.

The war is won by prayer. When you have prayed then God makes a way for you to stand on the next day!

45 – 46

Then Jesus went back to the followers and said, “You are still sleeping and resting? The time has come for the Son of Man to be given to sinful people. Get up. We must go. Here comes the man who has turned against me.”

Jesus was watching over them because they were not watching with Him.

47 – 49

While Jesus was still speaking, Judas came up. Judas was one of the 12 followers. He had many people with him. They had been sent from the leading priests and the elders of the people. They carried swords and clubs. Judas had planned to give them a signal. He had said, “The man I kiss is Jesus. Arrest him.” At once Judas went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Teacher!” Then Judas kissed him.

The original language shows that Judas kissed Jesus with a strong kiss. This was making fun of Jesus and showing the Jewish leaders that Judas was not following Jesus anymore. There is no place in the Bible where Judas called Jesus his Lord.

50 – 51

Jesus answered, “Friend, do the thing you came to do.” Then the men came and grabbed Jesus and arrested him. When that happened, one of Jesus’ followers [Peter] reached for his sword and pulled it out. The follower struck the servant of the high priest with the sword and cut off his ear.

We think about the stupid things that Peter did, but we forget that he was so brave that he was ready to fight the Roman army by himself to protect Jesus.

52 – 54

Jesus said to the man, “Put your sword back in its place. All who use swords will be killed with swords. Surely you know I could ask my Father, and he would give me more than 12 armies of angels. But this thing must happen this way so that it will be as the Scriptures say.”

We use God’s spiritual weapons, not worldly weapons. 2 Corinthians 10:4

55 – 56

Then Jesus said to the crowd, “You came to get me with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal. Every day I sat in the Temple teaching. You did not arrest me there. But all these things have happened so that it will be as the prophets wrote.” Then all of Jesus’ followers left him and ran away.

The disciples ran away. Do we also run away when it is time to stand with Jesus? Would the devil try to make big trouble for you and make all of your friends run away from you?

57 – 58

Those men who arrested Jesus led him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest. The teachers of the law and the Jewish elders were gathered there. Peter followed Jesus but did not go near him. He followed Jesus to the courtyard of the high priest’s house. He sat down with the guards to see what would happen to Jesus.

Annas was the high priest, but he retired. Caiaphas paid the Romans money to become High Priest. Together these men controlled the money tables in the temple. This is why they hated Jesus. When Jesus came to the house of Annas, it was 2 o’clock in the morning. John 11:49

59 – 61

The leading priests and the Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so that they could kill him. Many people came and told lies about him.

But the council could find no real reason to kill Jesus. Then two people came and said, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the Temple of God and build it again in three days.’”

Men will take what you say and twist it into a lie. They knew that Jesus was talking about His own body and not the Temple.

62. Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? Do you not have something to say about their charges against you?” But Jesus said nothing.

He was treated badly, but He never said a word. He was led like a lamb to be killed. As a sheep is quiet before the shearers, He did not open His mouth. Isaiah 53:7

63 – 64

Again the high priest said to Jesus, “You must swear to this. I command you by the power of the living God to tell us the truth. Tell us, are you the Christ, the Son of God?”

Jesus answered, “Yes, I am. But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One. And you will see him coming in clouds in the sky.”

Some false teachers say that Jesus never said He was God. These men have not been reading their Bibles.

65 – 66

When the high priest heard this, he was very angry. He tore his clothes and said, “This man has said things that are against God! We do not need any more witnesses. You all heard him say these things against God. What do you think?” The people answered, “He is guilty, and he must die.”

The Jews did not want Gamaliel and Nicodemus to find out about this night trial which was against the law, so they wanted this to be over with quickly.

67 – 68

Then the people there spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. Others slapped Jesus. They said, “Prove to us that you are a prophet, you Christ! Tell us who hit you!”

They beat Him so bad that He no longer looked like a man. His face was so beaten that he did not look like a human, and from His face, one would not know He was a man. Isaiah 52:14

69 – 72

At that time, Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A servant girl came to him and said, “You were with Jesus, that man from Galilee.”

But Peter said that he was never with Jesus. He said this to all the people there. Peter said, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

Then he left the courtyard. At the gate, another girl saw him. She said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

Again, Peter said that he was never with Jesus. Peter said, “I swear that I do not know this man Jesus!”

Maybe it has not happened yet, but a day may come when you do something that you thought you would never do. You will have to make a decision to start over.

Tell the Lord, “I cannot believe I did that. Please forgive me and rebuild a right spirit inside of me. I will not let the devil hold this over my head. My sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. Here is where I stand, there is nothing else I can do.” Psalm 51:10, Proverbs 24:16

73 – 75

A short time later, some people standing there went to Peter. They said, “We know you are one of those men who followed Jesus. We know this because of the way you talk.”

Then Peter began to curse. He said, “May a curse fall on me if I’m not telling the truth. I do not know the man.” After Peter said this, a rooster crowed. Then he remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried painfully.

Stories have been handed down that after this men made fun of Peter by making rooster noises when they saw him.