Matthew 26:1-25

The Plot Against Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,

2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.

5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,

7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.

9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

11 The poor you will always have with you,^[a] but you will not always have me.

12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests

15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.

16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

The Last Supper

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ”

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.

21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”

23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.

24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.”

Cross References

• 1. S Matthew 7:28
• 2. S John 11:55; John 13:1
• 3. Psalms 2:2
• 4. ver 57; Luke 3:2; John 11:47-53; John 18:13,14,24,28; Acts 4:6
• 5. S Matthew 12:14
• 6. Matthew 27:24
• 7. S Matthew 21:17
• 8. Deuteronomy 15:11
• 9. John 19:40
• 10. ver 25,47; S Matthew 10:4
• 11. Exodus 21:32; Zechariah 11:12
• 12. Exodus 12:18-20
• 13. Deuteronomy 16:5-8
• 14. Mark 14:35,41; Jn 7:6,8,30; John 8:20; John 12:23; John 13:1; John 17:1
• 15. Luke 22:21-23; John 13:21
• 16. Psalms 41:9; John 13:18
• 17. ver 31,54,56; Isaiah 53; Daniel 9:26; Mark 9:12; Lk 24:25-27,46; Acts 17:2,3; Acts 26:22,23; 1 Peter 1:10,11
• 18. S Matthew 10:4
• 19. S Matthew 23:7

Footnotes

• [a] See Deut. 15:11.