Matthew 26:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

NIV: Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

NASB: At that time the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the courtyard of the high priest named Caiaphas;

CSB: Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,

NLT: At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest,

KJV: Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

NKJV: Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

Matthew's change of focus shows that Jesus' declaration in the previous verse—that He would soon be captured and crucified (Matthew 26:1–2)—was not an empty prediction. Elsewhere in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the people have gathered to discuss the very same thing.

The Jewish religious leaders have wanted Jesus gone for quite a while now. Matthew described their eagerness to destroy Jesus back in chapter 12 (Matthew 12:14). Various earlier plots to arrest Jesus stalled out because many of the people clearly respected Him and thought of Him as a prophet of God (Matthew 21:45–56).

Still, Jesus had so thoroughly and publicly condemned and humiliated the religious leaders that they felt the need to do something soon. This gathering at the home of the high priest does not likely include the entire ruling body known as the Sanhedrin. Matthew reveals it does include the chief priests and some of the lay leaders known as the elders, in addition to the high priest himself.

Matthew and John (John 11:49) name the Jewish high priest at this moment as Caiaphas. Luke mentions Annas (Luke 3:2). It is likely that both men were thought of as high priest during this time. Annas, Caiaphas' father-in-law, had been removed from the office by secular authorities in A.D. 15. Israel's law, though, said the high priest's term could only end in death, meaning that many Jewish people may have continued to recognize Annas as the "real" high priest, as well.

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.