Matthew 26:1-27

Devotionals, Articles, and Bible Study Resources on Matthew 26:1-27

1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, He told His disciples,
2“You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
4and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.
5“But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,
7a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table.
8When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste?
9This perfume could have been sold at a high price, and the money given to the poor.”
10Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.
11The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.
12By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial.
13Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
14Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.
16So from then on Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
17On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
18He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’”
19So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20When evening came, Jesus was reclining with the twelve disciples.
21And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
22They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
23Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me.
24The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
25Then Judas, who would betray Him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself.”
26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”
27Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
— Matthew 26:1-27

Related Resources from Heartlight

Mutiny!
Illustration of Matthew 26:17-21 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:17-21 NLT -- On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the followers came to Jesus. The followers said, "We will prepare everything for you to eat the Passover meal. Where do you want us to have the meal?" Jesus answered, "Go into the city. Go to a man I know. Tell him that the teacher says, 'The chosen time is near. I will have the Passover meal with my followers at your house.'" The followers obeyed and did the thing Jesus told them to do. They prepared the Passover meal. In the evening Jesus was at the table with the twelve followers. They were all eating. Then Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. One of you twelve here will soon give me to my enemies."

This Scheme Will Go Wrong!
Illustration of Matthew 26:1-5 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:1-5 NLT -- After Jesus finished saying all these things, he said to his followers, "You know that the day after tomorrow is Passover. On that day the Son of Man will be given {to his enemies} to be killed on a cross." Then the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders had a meeting at the palace where the high priest lived. The high priest's name was Caiaphas. In the meeting, they tried to find a way to arrest Jesus without the people seeing it. They planned to arrest Jesus and kill him. The men in the meeting said, "We cannot arrest Jesus during Passover. We don't want the people to become angry and cause a riot."

A Time for Extravagance
Illustration of Matthew 26:6-9 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:6-9 NLT -- Jesus was in Bethany. He was at the house of Simon the leper. While Jesus was there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume. The woman poured this perfume on Jesus' head while Jesus was eating. The followers saw the woman do this and became upset at the woman. The followers asked, "Why waste that perfume? That perfume could be sold for much money and the money could be given to poor people."

Extravagant Because of Grace
Illustration of Matthew 26:10-13 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:10-13 NLT -- [The disciples said that the expensive perfume the woman used to anoint Jesus should have been sold and the money given to the poor.] But Jesus, aware of this, replied, "Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed."

Teacher or Lord?
Illustration of Matthew 26:22-25 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:22-25 NLT -- The followers were very sad to hear this. Each follower said to Jesus, "Lord, surely I am not the one!" Jesus answered, "The man that has dipped his hand into the same bowl with me is the person that will be against me. The Son of Man will go {and die}. The Scriptures say this will happen. But it will be very bad for the person that gives the Son of Man {to be killed}. It would be better for that person if he were never born." Then Judas said to Jesus, "Teacher, surely I will not be against you!" (Judas is the one that would give Jesus to his enemies.) Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

Infamy
Illustration of Matthew 26:14-16 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:14-16 NLT -- Then one of the twelve followers went to talk to the leading priests. This was the follower named Judas Iscariot. Judas said, "I will give you Jesus. What will you pay me for doing this?" The priests gave Judas 30 silver coins. After that time Judas waited for the best time to give Jesus to the priests.

Cross References for Matthew 26:1-27

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.