Mat 26:4-16 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 4. By subtilty . By guile, deceit, or in some secret manner, so that the people would not know it. Jesus was regarded by the people as a distinguished prophet, and by most of them probably, as the Messiah; and the sanhedrim did not dare to take him away openly, lest the people should rise and rescue him. They were probably aware that he had gone out to Bethany, or to some of the places adjacent to the city; and as he passed his nights there, and not in the city, there was need of guile to ascertain the place where he remained, and to take him. (v) "And consulted"

Matthew 26:4-16

Verse 4. By subtilty. By guile, deceit, or in some secret manner, so that the people would not know it. Jesus was regarded by the people as a distinguished prophet, and by most of them probably, as the Messiah; and the sanhedrim did not dare to take him away openly, lest the people should rise and rescue him. They were probably aware that he had gone out to Bethany, or to some of the places adjacent to the city; and as he passed his nights there, and not in the city, there was need of guile to ascertain the place where he remained, and to take him.

(v) "And consulted" Ps 2:2 Verse 5. Not on the feast day. Not during the feast. The feast lasted seven days. A vast multitude attended from all parts of Judea. Jerusalem is said to have contained at such times three millions of people. Amidst such a multitude there were frequent tumults and seditions; and the sanhedrim was justly apprehensive there would be now, if in open day, and in the temple, they took away a teacher so popular as Jesus, and put him to death. They therefore sought how they might do it secretly, and by guile. Verse 6. In Bethany. Mt 21:1.

Simon the leper Simon who had been a leper.

Leper. Mt 8:2. It was unlawful to eat with persons that had the leprosy; and it is more than probable, therefore, that this Simon had been healed--perhaps by our Lord himself. Mt 12:1 says, that this was the house where Lazarus was, who had been raised from the dead. Probably Lazarus was a relative of Simon's, and was living with him. He farther says that they made Jesus a supper, and that Martha served. John says that this was six days before the passover. From the order in which Matthew and Mark mention it, it would have been supposed that it was but two days before the passover, and after the cleansing of the temple. But it is to be observed,

(1.) that Matthew and Mark often neglect the exact order of the events that they record.

(2.) That they do not affirm at what time this was. They leave it indefinite, saying that while Jesus was in Bethany he was anointed by Mary.

(3.) That Matthew introduced it here for the purpose of giving a connected account of the conduct of Judas. Judas murmured at the waste of the ointment, Jn 12;4 and one of the effects of his indignation, it seems, was to betray his Lord. Verse 7. There came unto him a woman. This woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, Jn 12:3.

Having an alabaster box. The alabaster is a species of marble, distinguished for being light, and of a beautiful white colour, almost transparent. It was much used by the ancients for the purpose of preserving various kinds of ointment in.

Of very precious ointment. That is, of ointment of much value; that was rare, and difficult to be obtained. Mark (Mk 14:3) and John (Jn 12:3) say, that it was ointment of spikenard. In the original it is nard. It was procured from an herb growing in the Indies, chiefly obtained from the root--though sometimes also from the bark. It was liquid, so as easily to flow when the box or phial was open, and was distinguished particularly for an agreeable smell. See Song 1:12. The ancients were much in the habit of anointing or perfuming their bodies, and the nard was esteemed one of the most precious perfumes. John says there was a pound of this, (Jn 12:3.) The pound in use among them was the Roman, of twelve ounces, answering to our Troy weight. That there was a large quantity is farther evident from the fact that Judas says it might have been sold for three hundred pence, (forty dollars,) [or �9,] and that the house was filled with the odour of the ointment, (John.)

And poured it on his head. They were accustomed chiefly to anoint the head, or hair. John says (Jn 12:3) that she poured it on the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with her hair. There is, however, no contradiction. She probably poured it both on his head and his feet. Matthew and Mark having recorded the former, John, who wrote his gospel in part to record events omitted by them, relates that the ointment was also poured on the feet of the Saviour. To pour ointment on the head was common. To pour it on the feet was an act of distinguished humility and attachment to the Saviour, and therefore deserved to be particularly recorded.

As he sat at meat. That is, at supper. In the original, as he reclined at supper. The ancients did not sit at their meals, but reclined at length on couches. Mt 23:6. She came up, therefore, behind him, as he lay reclined at the table; and bending down over the couch, poured the ointment on his head and his feet; and probably kneeling at his feet, wiped them with her hair.

(t) "Then came" Jn 11:1,2, 12:3 Verse 8. They had indignation. John says that Judas expressed indignation. Probably some of the others felt indignation, but Judas only gave vent to his feelings. The reason why Judas was indignant was that he had the bag, (Jn 12:6;) i.e., the purse, or repository of articles given to the disciples and to the Saviour. He was a thief; and was in the habit, it seems, of taking out and putting to his own use what was put in for them in common. The leading trait of Judas' character was avarice; and no opportunity was suffered to pass without attempting by base and wicked means, to make money. In his example, an avaricious man may learn the true nature and the effect of that grovelling and wicked passion. It led him to commit the enormous crime of betraying his Lord to death; and it will always lead its possessor to guilt. No small part of the sins of the men of the world can be traced to avarice; and many and many a time since the days of Judas has the Lord Jesus been betrayed among his professed friends by the same base propensity.

Is this waste. This loss or destruction of property. They could see no use in it, and they therefore supposed it was lost. Verse 9. Sold for much. Mark and John say for 300 pence; that is, for about 40 dollars, [about � 9.] This, to them, was a large sum. Mark says, they murmured against her. There was also an implied murmuring against the Saviour for suffering it to be done. The murmuring was, however, without cause. It was the property of Mary. She had a right to dispose of it as she pleased, answerable not to them, but to God. They had no right over it, and no cause of complaint ff it had been wasted. So Christians now are at liberty to dispose of their property as they please, either in distributing the Bible, in supporting the gospel, in sending it to heathen nations, or in aiding the poor. The world, like Judas, esteems it to be wasted. Like Judas, they are indignant. They say it might be disposed of in a better way. Yet, like Judas, they are interfering in that which concerns them not. Like other men, Christians have a right to dispose of their property as they please, answerable only to God. And though an avaricious world esteems it to be waste, yet if their Lord commands it, it will be found to be the only way in which it was right for them to dispose of that property, and will be found not to have been in vain. Verse 10. Trouble ye the woman. That is disturb her mind by insinuations, as if she had done wrong.

A good work upon me. She has done it with a mind grateful, and full of love to me. The work was good, also, as it was preparative to his death, Mt 26:12. Verse 11. For ye have the poor, etc. Mark adds, "Whensoever ye will ye may do them good." It was right that they should regard the poor. It was a plain precept of religion, (see Ps 41:1, Prov 14:21; Prov 29:7; Gal 2:10,) and our Saviour would not prohibit it, but do all that was possible to excite his followers to the duty. But every duty should be done in its place, and the duty then incumbent was that which Mary had performed. They would afterwards have abundant occasion to show their regard for the poor.

Me ye have not always. He alludes here to his dying, and his going away to heaven. He would be their Friend and their Saviour, but he would not be bodily present with them always, so that they could show kindness in this way to him.

(u) "For ye have the poor" De 15:11 (v) "me ye have not" Jn 14:19, 17:11 Verse 12. She did it for my burial. It is not to be supposed that Mary understood clearly that he was then about to die, for the apostles, it seems, did not fully comprehend it, or that she intended it for his burial; but she had done it as an act of kindness and love, to show her regard for her Lord. He said that it was a proper preparation for his burial. Anciently, bodies were anointed and embalmed for the purpose of the sepulchre. Jesus said that this was really a preparation for that burial, as fitting him in a proper manner for the tomb. Verse 13. A memorial. Anything to produce remembrance. This should be told to her honour and credit, as a memorial of her piety and self-denial; and it is right that the good deeds of the pious should be recorded and had in recollection. Verse 14. Then one of the twelve, etc. Luke says that Satan entered into Judas. That is, Satan tempted or instigated him to do it. Probably he tempted Judas by appealing to his avarice, his ruling passion, and by suggesting that now was a favourable opportunity to make money rapidly, by selling his Lord.

Judas Iscariot. Mt 10:4.

Unto the Chief Priests. The high priest, and those who had been high priests. The ruling men of the sanhedrim. Luke adds, that he went also to the captains, (Mt 22:4.) It was necessary, on account of the great wealth deposited there, and its great sacredness, to guard the temple by night. Accordingly, men were stationed around it, whose leaders or commanders were caned captains, Acts 4:1. These men were commonly of the tribe of the Levites, were closely connected with the priests, were men of influence; and Judas went to them, therefore, as well as to the priests, to offer himself as a traitor. Probably his object was to get as much money as possible; and he might therefore have attempted to make a bargain with several of them apart from each other.

(w) "of the twelve" Mt 10:4 Verse 15. And they covenanted with him. Made a bargain with him. Agreed to give him. Mark says they promised to give him money. They did not pay it to him then, lest he should deceive them. When the deed was done, and before he was made sensible of its guilt, they paid him. See Mt 27:3, Acts 1:18.

Thirty pieces of silver. Mark and Luke do not mention the sum. They say that they promised him money--in the original, silver. In Matthew, in the original, it is thirty silvers, or silverlings. This was the price of a slave. See Ex 21:32. And it is not unlikely that this sum was fixed on by them to show their contempt of Jesus, and that they regarded him as of little value. There is no doubt, also, that they understood that such was the anxiety of Judas to obtain money, that he would betray his Lord for any sum. The money usually denoted by pieces of silver, when the precise sum is not mentioned, is a shekel --a silver Jewish coin, amounting to about fifty cents, [or 2s. 3d.] The whole sum, therefore, for which Judas committed this crime, was fifteen dollars, [or 3l 7s. 6d.]

(x) "covenanted" Zech 11:12,13, Mt 27:3 Verse 16. Sought opportunity to betray him. Luke adds, "in the absence of the multitude." This was the chief difficulty, to deliver him into the hands of the priests so as not to have it known by the people, or so as not to excite tumult. The opportunity which he sought, therefore, was one in which the multitude would not see him, or could not rescue the Saviour.

To betray him. The word means to deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or breach of trust; to do it while friendship or faithfulness is professed. All this took place in the case of Judas. But the word in the original does not necessarily imply this. It means simply to deliver up, or to give into their hands. He sought opportunity how he might deliver him up to them, agreeably to the contract.