Matthew 26:1-28

Through Suffering to Triumph (26:1-28).

Matthew's description of what follows in the next few days is very much abbreviated compared with Mark's and Luke's. While seemingly following Mark or his source in general, much of the time he abbreviates, while at the same time continually introducing new items of information, and his differences in grammar are against the idea that he simply copies Mark and occasionally changes his wording. If he is using Mark he is appropriating it and adapting it so as to make it his own. But it may simply be that both drew on the same recognised tradition.

Furthermore he in contrast gives us details of what happened through the very words of Jesus Himself, a further confirmation that he had kept a written record of what Jesus said. The suggestion that with Mark's Gospel in front of him he would simply ‘put words on Jesus' lips' must be rejected out of hand. The words of Jesus' were reverenced too deeply for that. Consider how Paul goes out of his way to emphasise the fact when he actually cites Jesus' words or His specifically stated ideas (1 Corinthians 7:10; 1 Corinthians 7:12; 1 Corinthians 7:25) in contrast with his own. Matthew thus clearly considered that he did know what Jesus Himself had said, indicating the closeness of his relationship with Jesus. The distinctive features introduced by Matthew also suggest an eyewitness.

As we come to this section we should note its context. Jesus has just made clear to His disciples (for the four, having heard His momentous words, could hardly have failed to pass on what He had said to the others) what coming history will unfold, and had climaxed it by a picture of His own coming again in glory (Chapter s 24-25). High expectations were thus in the air among His disciples who tended to see what they were looking for in His words. At this stage they were still anticipating a new earthly Kingdom of Israel, and they were looking for Jesus to introduce it (compare Acts 1:6). Like many of us, what did not fit into their preconceptions they overlooked. He was therefore about to bring them back down to earth with a bump.

This whole Section may be analysed as follows:

a Jesus tells His disciples that at the coming Passover the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified (Matthew 26:1).

b The Chief Priests and Elders conspire to have Him put to death (Matthew 26:3).

c The woman with the flask of perfumed oil anoints Him in preparation for His burial (Matthew 26:6).

d Unfaithful Judas negotiates to betray Jesus for money (Matthew 26:14)

e Jesus arranges with His disciples for the preparation of the Passover meal which will spectacularly act out what He will accomplish on the cross (Matthew 26:17).

f This is followed by the Passover meal in which Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper which speaks of the covenant in His blood made for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:20).

g Jesus declares that they will all fall away because of Him that very night. Peter, who will basically temporarily wash his hands of Jesus, denies it and is informed that he will in fact deny Jesus three times (Matthew 20:31).

h Jesus offers Himself up to His Father in Gethsemane. His fate is in the hands of Another (Matthew 26:36).

i Jesus is arrested, the disciples all flee and He is put on trial and tried before Caiaphas. He declares Himself the Christ of God (Matthew 26:47).

j Peter follows Jesus at a distance and finally denies Jesus three times. He weeps bitterly (Matthew 26:69).

k Jesus is condemned by the full Sanhedrin and handed over to Pilate (Matthew 27:1).

j Judas the betrayer protests Jesus' innocence, returns the money and then hangs himself (Matthew 27:3).

i Jesus is tried before Pilate as the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11).

h Pilate offers up Jesus to the crowds as an alternative to Barabbas, and they ask for Barabbas and call for Jesus' crucifixion. His fate is in the hands of another (Matthew 27:15).

g Pilate washes his hands of Jesus and the soldiers treat Him with mockery (Matthew 27:24).

f Jesus is crucified as the King of the Jews and bears the unique agony that is His alone as He dies in order to seal the covenant in His blood (Matthew 27:32).

e God arranges a spectacular demonstration of Jesus' victory through the cross (Matthew 27:51).

d The women faithfully watch from afar over their Master's body and Joseph of Arimathea openly buries Jesus while the women keep watch. The tomb is sealed (Matthew 27:55).

c The women come to the tomb (to anoint Jesus' body) and learn that He has risen from the dead. They meet Jesus on the way as they go to tell His disciples (Matthew 28:1).

b The Chief Priests and Elders plot to cover up what has happened (Matthew 28:11).

a Jesus appears in triumph to His disciples as the One Who has been given all authority in Heaven and earth and promises His presence with them into the future as they go out to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16).

In ‘a' Jesus speaks of His coming deliverance up to DEATH and in the parallel reveals Himself as the One Who through RESURRECTION has defeated death and has been enthroned in Heaven. In ‘b' The Chief Priests and elders plot Jesus' DEATH, and in the parallel they seek to prevent the truth of His RESURRECTION being known. In ‘c' a woman prepares Jesus for His DEATH, and in the parallel women receive news of His RESURRECTION and see the risen Christ. In ‘d' Judas is unfaithful and arranges to betray Jesus for money, and in the parallel the women remain faithful and Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, is also faithful and freely identifies himself with Jesus and gives his own tomb to receive Jesus' body. In ‘e' Jesus sends His disciples to prepare for the Passover so as to act out the giving of Himself to DEATH, and in the parallel God acts out His approval of His Son and something of what His death has accomplished through the signs which accompany His RESURRECTION. In ‘f' Jesus inaugurates the Lord's Supper as a symbol of the sealing of the new covenant in His blood, and in the parallel Jesus is offered up on the cross, shedding His blood in order to seal that covenant. In ‘g' Jesus declares that His disciples will all fall away because of Him that very night. Peter denies it and is then informed that he will in fact deny Jesus three times (temporarily washing his hands of Him), and in the parallel Pilate washes his hands of Him, and the soldiers mock Him. In ‘h' Jesus offers Himself to His Father in Gethsemane and is accepted, leaving His fate in His Father's hands, and in the parallel he is offered by Pilate to the crowds and is rejected. His fate is in the hands of men. In ‘i' Jesus is tried before Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, and in the parallel He is tried before Pilate, the Gentile governor. In ‘j' Peter denies Jesus and goes out and weeps bitterly, and in the parallel Judas who has betrayed Jesus is filled with remorse and goes out and hangs himself. Centrally in ‘k' Jesus is seen as rejected by the central Jewish authority, the official Sanhedrin, and is handed over to the Gentile Pilate. Thus Matthew commences by emphasising the coming death of Jesus, and he ends by emphasising the resurrection, and centrally he emphasises Jesus' betrayal by His own people and especially by their leadership. Note how these three aspects parallel the contents of Jesus' earlier predictions (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22; Matthew 20:18; compare Luke 24:7).

Having thus surveyed the whole we must now divide it into subsections.