Matthew 26:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

NIV: So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

NASB: The disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

CSB: So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

NLT: So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.

KJV: And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.

NKJV: So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

Jesus has given the disciples directions for finding the place where they will observe the Last Supper. It is not clear whether He had made prior arrangements. He may have been relying on the Spirit to prepare the owner of the house to be ready for Jesus and the disciples to meet there. It may be that there was a level of secrecy involved since Jesus understood the Jewish religious leaders wanted to arrest and kill Him. That would happen later in the evening (Matthew 26:47), but not before He had completed His time with the disciples.

Some Bible scholars speculate that the house with the upper room was owned by the father of John Mark, though there is no hard evidence for this. In any case, the room was provided, and the disciples prepared for the Passover meal in keeping with the Jewish Scriptures. They would eat it together after sundown, as the first day of the Passover week officially began.

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.

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.

Accessed 5/6/2024 12:37:07 AM