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Matthew 26:31
ESV Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
NIV Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: " ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
NASB Then Jesus *said to them, 'You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I WILL STRIKE THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK WILL BE SCATTERED.’
CSB Then Jesus said to them, "Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.
NLT On the way, Jesus told them, 'Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
KJV Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
NKJV 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.’

What does Matthew 26:31 mean?

The Passover meal has ended (Matthew 26:17–29). Jesus and 11 of His disciples (John 13:29–30) are walking in the night toward the Mount of Olives. Jesus has told them several difficult things during the evening. He has said that one of them would betray Him, causing each man to doubt his own loyalty. Now Jesus says that all of them will fall away because of Him this night.

Jesus is describing something different from betrayal, though the disciples might not yet understand that. Jesus knew Judas was the one who would act as an active traitor (Matthew 26:14–16), turning Jesus over to be killed (John 11:57). The rest of the twelve would not betray Him, but Jesus declares that they will "fall away." They will leave Him alone and run to save themselves (Matthew 26:56).

Christ adds that this event will be a fulfillment of written prophecy; it is part of God's sovereign plan for what is about to happen. He quotes from Zechariah 13:7 to make the point, noting how the flock of sheep will scatter when the shepherd is struck.

The connection between this moment and what is happening in the context of Zechariah 13 is complicated. Jesus' primary point is that He is the shepherd. His sheep—the disciples and His other followers—will scatter this night when He is "struck" by God the Father through what is about to happen.
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Context Summary
Matthew 26:17–35 begins with locating the room which will be used for the Passover meal. While they are eating, Jesus announces that one of His closest disciples will become a traitor. Judas discovers that Jesus knows it is him. Jesus introduces the concept of bread and wine as symbols of His sacrificial body and blood. After the meal, Jesus tells the disciples they will fall away that night and that Peter will deny Him three times. They insist that will not happen. Mark 14:10–31, Luke 22:3–23, Luke 22:31–34, and John 13:21–38 feature these events, as well.
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Chapter Summary
The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.
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What is the Gospel?
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