Matthew 26:1-5, The Plot to Kill Jesus

1 When Jesus had finished all these sayings, 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 and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Comments

Jesus’ teaching comes to an end as Matthew inserts “all” into his transition formula of “when Jesus had finished these sayings” that divides his book into five sections that reflect the five books of the Pentateuch.

Jesus purposely chose Passover for the timing of his death by crucifixion. To understand the chronology of events, “Passover day” was Nisan 14 with the slaughtering of the lambs in the temple in the late afternoon. Because the Jewish day began at sunset, the Passover meal was served on Nisan 15. The day Jesus speaks is either Nisan 12 or 13.

The chief priest and elders formed a sub-committee of the Sanhedrin, who plan to arrest Jesus away from the crowds and not publicly. Of interest, they leave out the scribes and Pharisees. Historic records show Caiaphas to be High Priest from AD 18 to 36.

Prayer

Merciful God, creator of all the peoples of the earth and lover of souls: Have compassion on all who do not know you as you are revealed in your Son Jesus Christ; let your Gospel be preached with grace and power to those who have not heard it; turn the hearts of those who resist it; and bring home to your fold those who have gone astray; that there may be one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(BCP, p. 280)