Matthew 26 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Matthew) Free Bible Online

Matthew 26

1 - When Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples,

2 - "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, 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 were gathered together in the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.

4 - They took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit, and kill him.

5 - But they said, "Not during the feast, lest a riot occur among the people."

6 - Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

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7 - a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.

There came unto him a woman having an alabaster BOX of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.

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8 - But when his disciples saw this, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?

9 - For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor."

10 - However, knowing this, Jesus said to them,"Why do you trouble the woman? Because she has done a good work for me.

11 - For you always have the poor with you; but you don't always have me.

12 - For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

13 - Most certainly I tell you, wherever this Good News is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of as a memorial of her."

14 - Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,

15 - and said, "What are you willing to give me, that I should deliver him to you?" They weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.

16 - From that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

17 - Now on the first day 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 - He said,"Go into the city to a certain person, and tell him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples."'"

19 - The disciples did as Jesus commanded them, and they prepared the Passover.

20 - Now when evening had come, he was reclining at the table with the twelve disciples.

21 - As they were eating, he said,"Most certainly I tell you that one of you will betray me."

22 - They were exceedingly sorrowful, and each began to ask him, "It isn't me, is it, Lord?"

23 - He answered,"He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me.

He answered,"He who dipped his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me.

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24 - The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born."

25 - Judas, who betrayed him, answered, "It isn't me, is it, Rabbi?"He said to him,"You said it."

26 - As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said,"Take, eat; this is my body."

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said,"Take, eat; this is my body."

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27 - He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying,"All of you drink it,

28 - for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.

29 - But I tell you that 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."

30 - 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 tonight, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'Zechariah 13:7

32 - But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee."

33 - But Peter answered him, "Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble."

34 - Jesus said to him,"Most certainly I tell you that tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."

35 - Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you." All of the disciples also said likewise.

36 - Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples,"Sit here, while I go there and pray."

37 - He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled.

38 - Then he said to them,"My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me."

39 - He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying,"My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire."

40 - He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter,"What, couldn't you watch with me for one hour?

41 - Watch and pray, that you don't enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

42 - Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying,"My Father, if this cup can't pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done."

43 - He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

44 - He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words.

45 - Then he came to his disciples, and said to them,"Sleep on now, and take your rest. Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 - Arise, let's be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand."

47 - While he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 - Now he who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, "Whoever I kiss, he is the one. Seize him."

49 - Immediately he came to Jesus, and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

50 - Jesus said to him,"Friend, why are you here?" Then they came and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

51 - Behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear.

52 - Then Jesus said to him,"Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.

53 - Or do you think that I couldn't ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels?

54 - How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?"

55 - In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes,"Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and you didn't arrest me.

56 - But all this has happened, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."Then all the disciples left him, and fled.

57 - Those who had taken Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.

58 - But Peter followed him from a distance, to the court of the high priest, and entered in and sat with the officers, to see the end.

59 - Now the chief priests, the elders, and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus, that they might put him to death;

60 - and they found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward,

61 - and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.'"

62 - The high priest stood up, and said to him, "Have you no answer? What is this that these testify against you?"

63 - But Jesus held his peace. The high priest answered him, "I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."

64 - Jesus said to him,"You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky."

65 - Then the high priest tore his clothing, saying, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Behold, now you have heard his blasphemy.

66 - What do you think?"They answered, "He is worthy of death!"

67 - Then they spit in his face and beat him with their fists, and some slapped him,

68 - saying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who hit you?"

69 - Now Peter was sitting outside in the court, and a maid came to him, saying, "You were also with Jesus, the Galilean!"

70 - But he denied it before them all, saying, "I don't know what you are talking about."

71 - When he had gone out onto the porch, someone else saw him, and said to those who were there, "This man also was with Jesus of Nazareth."

72 - Again he denied it with an oath, "I don't know the man."

73 - After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, "Surely you are also one of them, for your speech makes you known."

74 - Then he began to curse and to swear, "I don't know the man!"Immediately the rooster crowed.

75 - Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said to him,"Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." He went out and wept bitterly.

The Book of Matthew

Matthew 2:2 - Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 18:3 - And Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of St. Matthew with Angel by Rembrandt

The Word Gospel. The first book of the English Bible that most of us read from is the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is the first of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of the Book of Matthew

Brief Summary. Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the long awaited Messiah King of he Jews as foretold by the ancient Jewish prophets. He came to reveal how to enter the "Kingdom of Heaven."

Purpose. It is very obvious that the Gospel of Matthew was written for the purpose of revealing that the man Jesus of Nazareth was actually the King of the Jews, the long awaited Messiah, the sovereign Lord Jehovah who came from heaven to this world revealing to mankind the "kingdom of heaven". The King of the Jews, the Messiah Jesus fulfilled every prophecy that was spoken about Him in the ancient Jewish Scriptures, in the Old Testament. The prophecies that spoke of the "Kingdom" that the Messiah would bring would be a spiritual Kingdom that would never be destroyed.

Audience. When reading the book of Matthew it becomes clear that the writer was speaking to a Jewish audience. One of the obvious reasons is that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is mentioned over 30 times and never the Kingdom of God. This is because the Jews do not speak the name of God and this could be the very reason that Matthew used this phrase. There are many times while reading the book that an event happens and a prophecy is cited. The event is mentioned as the direct fulfillment of a promise made to the Jews by one of their Jewish prophets, and the fulfillment of the prophecy was happening before their very eyes. It is clear that the audience of people are the Jews, they were awaiting their King, and Matthew records that the King had come and they rejected their King.

Authorship. Early Christian writings and traditions have attributed the authorship of the Gospel of Matthew to the apostle Matthew. Many scholars question whether or not Matthew was the true author of the first Gospel, but there is no way at this current time to be absolutely positive based on historical evidence. Most agree that Matthew was the author. The Bible reveals that Matthew, or Levi, as he was sometimes called, collected taxes for the Romans. One day Jesus passed by and called Matthew to come and follow him, and Matthew did so. The Bible also records that Matthew held a banquet at his house with several of his tax collector friends and Jesus being invited to the banquet was the guest of honor (Mark 2:14-15). The Bible also provides a list of the 12 apostles and Matthew was named among them.

Date. There is no way to determine with absolute certainty the date that the book of Matthew was written. Most scholars agree that the book of Matthew was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., this is because Jesus spoke of many events as though they had not happened yet. A large number of scholars do not believe in the miracle of prophecy and therefore insist that the Gospel of Matthew was written after the fall of Jerusalem because of the accuracy of the predicted events.

Language. There are many references among the books in the history of the early church that state that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written by Matthew in the biblical Hebrew language, and he was writing to an audience of  Jews throughout the world who had become followers of Jesus. Unfortunately there is no evidence whatsoever of a Hebrew or Aramaic manuscript, so many scholars have agreed that the Gospel of Matthew is not actually a translation from Hebrew into Greek, but was actually written in Greek. The whole subject of the Gospel of Matthew being written in Hebrew must remain speculation rather than fact.

Outline of the Book of Matthew

The King Comes and His Kingdom is Rejected - Matthew 1-12
The Rejection of the King's Teaching and Ministry - Matthew 13-25
The King's Trial and Crucifixion - Matthew 26-27
The King's Victory and Resurrection - Matthew 28
The King's Commissioning of His Apostles - Matthew 28

Matthew - Interesting Notes

Matthew mentions four women in his genealogy which is not typical for Jewish genealogical records: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba who were all associated with some sort of immorality. Tamar (incest), Rahab (harlotry), Ruth (a descendant of Moab who committed incest) and Bathsheba (adultery). Christ's greatness was in Himself not his genealogy.

There are many intimations for the word "King" in Matthew if one takes the time to look. For example in chapter one there is a royal genealogy mentioning king David at the start. Chapter two reveals the kingly gifts of the Magi. Chapter three calls John the Baptist a "herald" which is a cultural term that represents a herald for a king. Etc. 

There are similarities with the number four. The four colors in the veil of the Temple were purple, scarlet, white, and blue. The four faces of the cherubim are the lion, ox, man, eagle. The four Gospel accounts are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. 

Quick Reference Maps - Matthew

Israel in New Testament Times

The Kingdom of Herod the Great

The Divisions of Herod's Kingdom

The Flight into Egypt

The Baptism of Jesus

The Beginning of Christ's Ministry

Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee

Jesus Ministers in Galilee

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem

Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

Jesus Journeys from Nazareth to Jerusalem

The Final Journey of Jesus to Jerusalem

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Matthew Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire