Matthew 26:

Suffering in the Garden

Jesus reminds his Apostles that in two days time the feast of the Passover will occur and some will come to betray him. Those who are against Jesus meet at the house of the high priest, Caiaphas, but decide not to act during Passover, for fear of an uproar by the people. Instead they decide to take Jesus “…by subtilty [by treachery], and kill him.” (Matthew 26:4)

While Jesus was in the house of Simon the leper, a woman comes to anoint Jesus with expensive oil. When the Apostles complain about the waste of the oil, and the money that could have gone to the poor, Jesus replies; “…ye have the poor always; but me ye have no always.” (Matthew 26:11) After this occurred, Judas Iscariot goes to the chief priests and agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

During the Passover meal, Jesus says to His Apostles; “…Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me… Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.” (Matthew 26:21-23,25)

Jesus breaks bread and blesses it and gave it to his disciples, representing His body. Then he has them partake of wine (or water) and tells them that it represents His blood that will be shed for the remission of sins. Jesus explains that after he is gone, that the sheep shall be scattered. Jesus tells Peter that he will deny Him 3 times that same night. Jesus goes up to Gethsemane and asks His disciples to take watch, while he goes and prays. At Gethsemane, Jesus prays for the cup to pass from him. “…O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39) Jesus tells His Father that he will do what He is commanded, regardless of what He will have to go through.

Jesus comes back from praying about an hour later to find Peter sleeping, he scolds Peter; “…What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41) Judas comes with a small group of men to take away Jesus; Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is brought to Caiaphas to be “tried” before the elders, high priests and scribes. A false witness comes forward to say that Jesus claimed to be able to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days (which Jesus did say, but this is being used out of context). Jesus keeps silent, and then tells Caiaphas that he is indeed the Christ, and that Caiaphas will see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the Father, and coming in glory. Caiaphas rents [tears] his clothes. The group of high priests decides that Jesus is guilty of death. Jesus is beaten, mocked, and spit on. The people around him say: “… Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?” (Matthew 26:68)

The council tries to identify others who were with Jesus, and ask Peter if he was with Jesus. Peter, however, denies Jesus three times, then the cock crows. Peter remembers that Jesus had said unto him, “…Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75)