Matthew 26:46 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

NIV: Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!'

NASB: Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!'

CSB: Get up; let's go. See, my betrayer is near."

NLT: Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!'

KJV: Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

NKJV: Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

As He wakes Peter, James, and John from their naps, Jesus seems composed and resolved. He had asked them to watch and pray. They could not stay awake. Jesus has told them to sleep later. The betrayal is happening right now. Now He adds that it is time for them to go because His betrayer is at hand (Matthew 26:36–45).

The betrayer, of course, is Judas, one of the twelve disciples who has followed Jesus for the previous three years. Judas approaches through the dark, leading a group of Roman soldiers, Jewish temple officers, and others. They are carrying clubs and swords and torches, casting shadows around the olive orchard. It is late, perhaps midnight by this time.

Jesus knows exactly why they have come and what they will do with Him after arresting them (Matthew 16:21). This time, though, He will not disappear into the night or miraculously evade them (John 7:30, 44; 10:39). The moment has come (Mark 14:41).

Matthew 26:36–46 follows Jesus and the disciples into a place called Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives. He takes Peter, James, and John aside from the main group, then prays to God the Father in indescribably intense anguish. He prays a sincere wish that what's about to happen would not be necessary, but entirely submits to the will of God the Father. The disciples cannot stay awake, despite being roused more than once by Christ. Jesus prays three times, before pointing out Judas, the betrayer, who is coming with a crowd to arrest Him. These events are also depicted in Mark 14:32–42 and Luke 22:39–46.

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 5/4/2024 8:05:35 PM