Matthew 26 - Heartlight

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.
          28This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
          29I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

³⁰And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

³¹Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

³²But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

³³Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”

³⁴“Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

³⁵Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.

³⁶At that time Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

³⁷He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

³⁸Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

³⁹Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

⁴⁰Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.

⁴¹“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

⁴²A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

⁴³And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping — for their eyes were heavy.

          44So He left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing.
          45Then He returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
          46Rise, let us go! See, My betrayer is approaching!”

⁴⁷While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and elders of the people.

⁴⁸Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.”

⁴⁹Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

⁵⁰“Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him.

⁵¹At this, one of Jesus’ companions drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

          52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
          53Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
          54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”

⁵⁵At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me.

⁵⁶But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

⁵⁷Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered.

⁵⁸But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

⁵⁹Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.

⁶⁰But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward

⁶¹and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

⁶²So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?”

⁶³But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.

⁶⁶What do you think?” “He deserves to die,” they answered.

⁶⁷Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him

⁶⁸and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”

⁶⁹Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.

⁷⁰But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”

⁷¹When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷²And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!”

⁷³After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.”

⁷⁴At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.

⁷⁵Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

— Matthew 26

(BSB)

Related Resources from Heartlight

There are 16 resources related to this passage:

From the Beginning

Illustration of Matthew 26:57-68 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:57-68 NLT -- The men that arrested Jesus led him to the house of Caiaphas the high priest. The teachers of the law and the older Jewish leaders were gathered there. Peter followed Jesus, but he did not come near Jesus. Peter followed Jesus to the yard of the high priest's house. He went in and sat with the guards. Peter wanted to see what would happen to Jesus. The leading priests and the Jewish council tried to find something against Jesus so that they could kill him. They tried to find people to lie and say that Jesus had done wrong. Many people came and told false things about Jesus. But the council could find no real reason to kill Jesus. Then two people came and said, "This man (Jesus) said, 'I can destroy the temple of God and build it again in three days.'" Then the high priest stood and said to Jesus, "These people have said things against you. Do you have something to say about these charges against you? Are these people telling the truth?" But Jesus said nothing. Again the high priest said to Jesus, "You are now under oath. 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 side of God. And you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven." 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 don't need any more witnesses. You all heard him say these things against God. What do you think?" The Jewish leaders answered, "He is guilty, and he must die." Then they spit in Jesus' face. And they hit him with their fists. Other people slapped Jesus. They said, "Show us that you are a prophet, Christ! Tell us who hit you!"

Betrayal in the Mirror

Illustration of Matthew 26:69-75 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:69-75 NLT -- At that time, Peter was sitting in the yard. A servant girl came to Peter. The girl 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 don't know what you are talking about." Then Peter left the yard. At the gate, another girl saw him. The girl said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." Again, Peter said that he was never with Jesus. Peter said, "I promise to God that I don't know this man Jesus!" A short time later, some people standing there went to Peter and said, "We know you are one of those men that followed Jesus. We know this because of the way you talk." Then Peter began to curse. He said strongly, "I promise to God that I don't know this man Jesus!" After Peter said this, a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: "Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me." Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.

The Father's Will

Illustration of Matthew 26:39-44 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:39-44 NLT -- Then Jesus walked a little farther away from them. Jesus fell to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't give me this cup {of suffering}. But do what you want, not what I want." Then Jesus went back to his followers. Jesus found his followers sleeping. 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." Then Jesus went away a second time and 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 Jesus found them sleeping. Their eyes were very tired. So Jesus left them and went away one more time and prayed. This third time he prayed, he said the same thing.

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."

Never say

Illustration of Matthew 26:31-35 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:31-35 NLT -- 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 run away.' But {after I die}, I will rise from death. Then I will go into Galilee. I will be there before you go there." Peter answered, "All the other followers may lose their faith because of you. But I will never lose my faith." Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth. Tonight you will say you don't know me. You will say this three times before the rooster crows." But Peter answered, "I will never say that I don't know you! I will even die with you!" And all the other followers said the same thing.

Not a Victim

Illustration of Matthew 26:50-54 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:50-54 NLT -- 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 the followers with Jesus grabbed his sword and pulled it out. This follower hit the servant of the high priest with the sword and cut off his ear. Jesus said to the man, "Put your sword back in its place. People that use swords will be killed with swords. Surely you know I could ask my Father and he would give me more than twelve armies of angels. But this thing must happen this way so that it will be like the Scriptures said."

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."

With a Kiss!

Illustration of Matthew 26:47-50 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:47-50 NLT -- While Jesus was still speaking, Judas came there. Judas was one of the twelve followers. Judas had many people with him. These people were sent from the leading priests and the older leaders of the people. These people with Judas had swords and clubs. Judas planned to do something to show the people which man was Jesus. Judas said, "The man I kiss is Jesus. Arrest him." So Judas went to Jesus and said, "Hello, teacher!" Then Judas kissed Jesus. Jesus answered, "Friend, do the thing you came to do." Then the men came and grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

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.

The Company of Friends

Illustration of Matthew 26:36-38 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:36-38 NLT -- Then Jesus went with his followers to a place called Gethsemane. Jesus said to his followers, "Sit here while I go there and pray." Jesus told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him. Then Jesus began to be very sad and troubled. Jesus said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, "My soul is full of sorrow. My heart is breaking with sadness. Stay awake here with me and wait."

God Can Use Angels to Protect You

Illustration of Matthew 26:52-53 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:52-53 NLT -- 'Put away your sword,' Jesus told him. 'Those who use the sword will die by the sword. Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?'

The Prophets Frame It All

Illustration of Matthew 26:55-56 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:55-56 NLT -- Then Jesus said to all the people, "You came to get me with swords and clubs like I am a criminal. Every day I sat in the temple area teaching. You did not arrest me there. But all these things have happened so that it will be like the prophets wrote." Then all of Jesus' followers left him and ran away.

We Must Go

Illustration of Matthew 26:45-46 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 26:45-46 NLT -- 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. Stand up! We must go. Here comes the man that is giving me {to my enemies}."

Cross References for Matthew 26

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

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