Mat 26:1-16 | PNT | STEP | The Preparation for the Lord's Death SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 26: The Declaration to the Disciples That the Time Was at Hand. The Wicked Counsel of the Rulers. The Anointing at Bethany. The Alabaster Box. Judas Sells His Lord. The Feast of the Passover. The Traitor Revealed. The Lord's Supper. The Agony in the Garden. The Seizure of Jesus. The Trial before Caiaphas. When Jesus had finished all these sayings . The discourses recorded in the three preceding chapters. The time was Tuesday night, after the Jewish Wednesday began; that is, after sunset. Compare .

Matthew 26:1-16

The Preparation for the Lord's Death SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 26: The Declaration to the Disciples That the Time Was at Hand. The Wicked Counsel of the Rulers. The Anointing at Bethany. The Alabaster Box. Judas Sells His Lord. The Feast of the Passover. The Traitor Revealed. The Lord's Supper. The Agony in the Garden. The Seizure of Jesus. The Trial before Caiaphas.

When Jesus had finished all these sayings. The discourses recorded in the three preceding chapters. The time was Tuesday night, after the Jewish Wednesday began; that is, after sunset. Compare Mr 14:1-11 Lu 22:1-6 Joh 12:1-8. After two days. After Wednesday and Thursday. The day indicated is Friday.

The passover. For the origin of this feast, see Ex 12:1-14. It was really the Jewish emancipation day, the greatest of their feasts, and the paschal lamb was a type of the slain Christ. Then assembled. An official meeting of the Sanhedrin.

The chief priests. The high priests, Annas and Caiaphas, and the heads of the twenty-four courses.

The elders of the people. The heads of the great families, the princes of Judah.

Unto the palace of the high priest. The palace of Caiaphas. The body now about to assemble, the Sanhedrin, was the supreme court of Israel. According to Jewish accounts, it was composed of seventy-one members, the high priest being president. The "chief priests", or heads of the twenty-four courses, distinguished representatives of the "scribes", and "elders of the people", the heads of the great families, constituted the membership. It could try and condemn to death, but could not carry out capital punishment without the consent of the Roman authorities at this time. It was mostly composed of bitter, bigoted enemies of Jesus, determined at any cost to secure his death. In the trial the Jewish law was constantly violated.

Caiaphas. The reigning high priest, the son-on-law of Annas, who had been high priest, but was deposed by the Romans, but was still called a high priest. Both were Sadducees. Take Jesus by subtilty. They were afraid of the people and wished to seize Jesus secretly and deliver him to the Romans to be crucified before the people knew of their designs. See Lu 21:38. Not on the feast [day]. During the passover there were millions of Jews in Jerusalem. Josephus says that in A.D. 65, three million were present. There were often tumults at the passover, and it was feared that the arrest of Jesus would arouse one. On such occasions the Romans suppressed the disturbance without mercy. Now when Jesus was in Bethany. On the Saturday before. Matthew goes back to an event that occurred at Bethany before the Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, because he is about to relate the treachery of Judas, and it was brought to a crisis by that event.

In the house of Simon the leper. Supposed to have been healed by Christ, and a relative of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Compare the parallel accounts, Mr 14:3 Joh 12:1-2. It is not known certainly who he was. A woman. Mary, the sister of Lazarus. See Joh 12:3.

An alabaster box. A vase.

Of very precious ointment. Of spikenard, very costly and precious. It was worth 300 pence, or denarii, equivalent, when we consider the change in money values, to $300 now.

Poured it on his head. She broke the vase and emptied it. See Mr 14:3-9. They had indignation. John shows that it was Judas who voiced the indignation (Joh 12:4).

This waste. Judas thought that 300 pence had been squandered. Sordid men still often think what is spent for the Savior is wasted. This ointment might have been sold for much. Mark and John say, "three hundred denarii" (Mr 14:5 Joh 12:5). Pliny says a pound, the amount in the vase, was worth 400 denarii.

Given to the poor. A pretense. Judas wanted to get the money into his bag. Why trouble ye the woman? By your murmurs, as if she had done a sinful thing.

She hath wrought a good work. What is done for Christ from love of Christ is always a good work. Ye have the poor always. Always opportunities to do good to them, but what was done for Christ in the flesh must be done at once. For my burial. It was customary to anoint the dead and lay the body in spices. See Joh 19:40 Lu 23:56 2Ch 16:14. Mary was probably impelled only her love of the Lord and desire to do him honor; but Jesus, about to die and be buried, declares the anointing a fit preparation. This gospel. The gospel of a crucified Savior.

In the whole world. A prophecy that its preaching will be world-wide.

A memorial of her. Mary's loving deed has never been forgotten, but is today told in every quarter of the earth. Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests. A comparison of all the accounts will show that when his avarice was thus disappointed, he went, at the first opportunity, to the priests. His Master was about to be crucified, he had not been permitted to enrich himself, there was now no probability that he would become the treasurer of Christ as an earthly king. What will ye give me? He had deliberately decided. He probably knew of their wish to seize Jesus secretly, and that they would pay for a guide that would lead them where he rested at night.

Thirty pieces of silver. The price was agreed upon and paid. The pieces were silver shekels, temple money. The whole would contain about the amount of silver in twenty dollars, perhaps equal in value to $120 now. It was a fulfillment of Zec 11:12. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver (Ge 37:28). From that time. The time of the bargain with the priests. No one can tell certainly what day the bargain was completed.