Matthew 26:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

NIV: "But not during the festival," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."

NASB: But they were saying, 'Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur among the people.'

CSB: "Not during the festival," they said, "so there won’t be rioting among the people."

NLT: But not during the Passover celebration,' they agreed, 'or the people may riot.'

KJV: But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

NKJV: But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

The moment is coming when Jesus will be arrested by Israel's religious leaders. He knows this (Mark 10:33; Matthew 16:21–23). He knows He will be tried, condemned, and turned over to the Romans to be crucified. In fact, this is central to His mission on earth as the Son of God.

The high priest of Israel, along with the chief priests and elders, are actively working toward that exact goal now, as well. They want Jesus dead (John 11:53). They hope to accomplish it as lawfully as possible, but they're willing to cut corners. Even meeting to condemn Jesus in this way is a violation of the law (Deuteronomy 17:6; Leviticus 19:15–18).

They know they must be careful, though. Jesus is a popular healer of the sick and demon oppressed. Great crowds of people have followed Him around Israel to hear Him preach and see His miracles. Many people think of Him as a true prophet of God and some have started to believe He could be the Messiah (Matthew 21:9–11). The religious leaders cannot afford to let Jesus' power and popularity grow, but they also do not want to provoke the people to riot by arresting Jesus during the Passover celebration.

The Passover could be an especially dangerous time in Jerusalem. For one thing, as many as five times as many people crowded into Jerusalem as normal. The crowds brought with them a restless energy. For another thing, they were celebrating God's miraculous and powerful rescue of their people under the oppression of Egypt. Why couldn't God do the same for them again with the Romans? Why couldn't God do it right now? Why couldn't the Savior, the Messiah, be among them to raise up and overthrow the Romans at this very moment?

Israel's religious leaders wanted to avoid riots and uprisings. It would be best to wait for the Passover to end before arresting Jesus. Soon, though, a man named Judas would change their minds about waiting any longer (Matthew 26:14).

Matthew 26:1–5 shows that Jesus knows exactly what is going to happen to Him in the next few days. He tells the disciples He will be handed over for crucifixion at Passover. Meanwhile, the high priest, chief priests, and elders are plotting to arrest Jesus secretly and have Him killed. They decide to wait until after the Passover feast so as not to provoke the crowds to riot in defense of Jesus.

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.

After a long series of teaching (Matthew 24—25), Matthew 26 begins with Jesus saying He will be delivered up for death. Christ is anointed at a dinner in Bethany and Judas agrees to turn Him over to the chief priests. Jesus holds a Passover meal with the disciples, predicts an act of treachery, and introduces the sacrament of communion. He tells the disciples they will run in fear and that Peter will deny Him, which happens just as prophesied. Christ prays in great sorrow in a garden and is then arrested and taken away and unfairly sentenced to death. After this, Jesus will be taken to the Roman governor, where Jewish leadership will press for Him to be executed as an insurgent.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.