Matthew 26

The Religious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,2 You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.

Mary Anoints Jesus for Burial

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste?9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests15 and said, What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you? And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

The Passover is Prepared

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?18 And He said, Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples. 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

The Passover is Celebrated

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.21 Now as they were eating, He said, Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, Lord, is it I?23 He answered and said, He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, Rabbi, is it I? He said to him, You have said it.

The Lords Supper is Instituted

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body.27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Fathers kingdom.

Peters Denial is Predicted

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.31 Then Jesus said to them, All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd,And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.33 Peter answered and said to Him, Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.34 Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.35 Peter said to Him, Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You! And so said all the disciples.

Jesus Three Prayers

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray over there.37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.38 Then He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.

Jesus Betrayal and Arrest

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, Greetings, Rabbi! and kissed Him.50 But Jesus said to him, Friend, why have you come?51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.52 But Jesus said to him, Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

Two False Witnesses

57 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.58 But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priests courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death,60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward61 and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!64 Jesus said to him, It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!66 What do you think? They answered and said, He is deserving of death.67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,68 saying, Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?

Three Denials of Peter

69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee.70 But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you are saying.71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.72 But again he denied with an oath, I do not know the Man!73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the Man!75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. So he went out and wept bitterly.

MATTHEW 26

The Plot To Kill Jesus

(Mark 14.1,2; Luke 22.1,2; John 11.45-53)

1 When Jesus had finished teaching, he told his disciples,

2 t “You know two days from now will be Passover. This is when the Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies and nailed to a cross.”
3 At that time the chief priests and the nation's leaders were meeting at the home of Caiaphas the high priest. 4 They planned how they could sneak around and have Jesus arrested and put to death.

5 But they said, “We must not do it during Passover, because the people will riot.”

At Bethany

(Mark 14.3-9; John 12.1-8)

9 We could have sold this perfume for a lot of money and given it to the poor.”

10 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said:
Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 11 t You will always have the poor with you, but you won't always have me. 12 She has poured perfume on my body to prepare it for burial.t

13 You may be sure that wherever the good news is told all over the world, people will remember what she has done. And they will tell others.

Judas and the Chief Priests

(Mark 14.10,11; Luke 22.3-6)

16 and from then on he started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus.

Jesus Eats the Passover Meal //with His Disciples

(Mark 14.12-21; Luke 22.7-13; John 13.21-30)

17 On the first day of the Festival of Thin Bread, Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?”
18 Jesus told them to go to a certain man in the city and tell him, “Our teacher says, ‘My time has come! I want to eat the Passover meal with my disciples in your home.’ ”

19 They did as Jesus told them and prepared the meal.

20-21 When Jesus was eating with his twelve disciples that evening, he said, “One of you will surely hand me over to my enemies.”

22 The disciples were very sad, and each one said to Jesus, “Lord, you can't mean me!”
23  t He answered, “One of you men who has eaten with me from this dish will betray me.

24 The Son of Man will die, as the Scriptures say. But it's going to be terrible for the one who betrays me! That man would be better off if he had never been born.”

25 Judas said, “Teacher, you surely don't mean me!”
“That's what you say!” Jesus replied. But later, Judas did betray him.

The Lord's Supper

(Mark 14.22-26; Luke 22.14-23; 1 Corinthians 11.23-25)

26 During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it. Then he gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this and eat it. This is my body.”
27 Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this and drink it. 28 t This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven. 29 From now on I am not going to drink any wine, until I drink new wine with you in my Father's kingdom.”

30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Peter's Promise

(Mark 14.27-31; Luke 22.31-34; John 13.36-38)

31  t Jesus said to his disciples, “During this very night, all of you will reject me, as the Scriptures say,
‘I will strike down
the shepherd,
and the sheep
will be scattered.’

32  t But after I am raised to life, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

33 Peter spoke up, “Even if all the others reject you, I never will!”
34 Jesus replied, “I promise you before a rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don't know me.”

35 But Peter said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never say I don't know you.”
All the others said the same thing.

Jesus Prays

(Mark 14.32-42; Luke 22.39-46)

36 Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. When they got there, he told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37 Jesus took along Peter and the two brothers, James and John.t He was very sad and troubled,

38 and he said to them, “I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me.”

39 Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup.t But do what you want, and not what I want.”
40 He came back and found his disciples sleeping. So he said to Peter, “Can't any of you stay awake with me for just one hour?

41 Stay awake and pray that you won't be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak.”

42 Again Jesus went to pray and said, “My Father, if there is no other way, and I must suffer, I will still do what you want.”
43 Jesus came back and found them sleeping again. They simply could not keep their eyes open.

44 He left them and prayed the same prayer once more.
45 Finally, Jesus returned to his disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting?t The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.

46 Get up! Let's go. The one who will betray me is already here.”

Jesus Is Arrested

(Mark 14.43-50; Luke 22.47-53; John 18.3-12)

48 Judas had told them ahead of time, “Arrest the man I greet with a kiss.”t

49 Judas walked right up to Jesus and said, “Hello, teacher.” Then Judas kissed him.

50 Jesus replied, “My friend, do what you came for.”t
The men grabbed Jesus and arrested him.

51 One of Jesus' followers pulled out a sword. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
52 But Jesus told him, “Put your sword away. Anyone who lives by fighting will die by fighting. 53 Don't you know that I could ask my Father, and he would at once send me more than twelve armies of angels?

54 But then, how could the words of the Scriptures come true, which say this must happen?”
55  t Jesus said to the mob, “Why do you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like a criminal? Day after day I sat and taught in the temple, and you didn't arrest me.

56 But all this happened, so that what the prophets wrote would come true.”
All Jesus' disciples left him and ran away.

Jesus Is Questioned //by the Council

(Mark 14.53-65; Luke 22.54,55,63-71; John 18.13,14,19-24)

58 But Peter followed along at a distance and came to the courtyard of the high priest's palace. He went in and sat down with the guards to see what was going to happen.
59 The chief priests and the whole council wanted to put Jesus to death. So they tried to find some people who would tell lies about him in court.t 60 But they could not find any, even though many did come and tell lies. At last, two men came forward

61 t and said, “This man claimed he could tear down God's temple and build it again in three days.”
62 The high priest stood up and asked Jesus, “Why don't you say something in your own defense? Don't you hear the charges they are making against you?”

63 But Jesus did not answer. So the high priest said, “With the living God looking on, you must tell the truth. Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”t

64  t “That is what you say!” Jesus answered. “But I tell all of you,
‘Soon you will see
the Son of Man
sitting at the right sidet
of God All-Powerful
and coming on the clouds
of heaven.’ ”
65  t The high priest then tore his robe and said, “This man claims to be God! We don't need any more witnesses! You have heard what he said.

66 What do you think?”
They answered, “He is guilty and deserves to die!” 67 t Then they spit in his face and hit him with their fists. Others slapped him

68 and said, “You think you are the Messiah! So tell us who hit you!”

Peter Says //He Doesn't Know Jesus

(Mark 14.66-72; Luke 22.56-62; John 18.15-18,25-27)

69 While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus from Galilee.”

70 But in front of everyone Peter said, “That isn't so! I don't know what you are talking about!”

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

72 Again Peter denied it, and this time he swore, “I don't even know that man!”

73 A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, “We know you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee.”

74 Peter began to curse and swear, “I don't know that man!”
Right then a rooster crowed, 75 and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times you don't know me.” Then Peter went out and cried bitterly.