Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh Which lasted seven days; during which the Jews eat their bread without leaven, in commemoration of the haste in which they went out of Egypt; being such, that they had not time to leaven their dough, but took it with their kneadingtroughs along with them,…

And the chief priests and Scribes Matthew adds, “and the elders of the people”; which made up the great sanhedrim and council of the nation; these met together, not in their usual place the temple, but at the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest; see .

Then entered Satan into Judas At the same time that the sanhedrim were sitting, and consulting about the death of Christ, Satan, or the adversary, as the word signifies, the devil, who is the enemy of the Messiah, the woman’s seed, entered into Judas; not corporeally, as he did into those that were…

And he went his way From Christ, and the rest of the apostles, out of Bethany; and when it was night, about two miles from Jerusalem, whither he went directly: and communed with the chief priests and captains; that is, of the temple, as in and so the Persic version reads, “the militia of the…

And they were glad For nothing could be more opportune and agreeable to them, than that one of his disciples should meet them at this juncture, and offer to put him into their hands in the most private manner; and covenanted to give him money.

And he promised He undertook to deliver him into their hands; he laid himself under obligation to do it; he faithfully promised he would. The Arabic version renders it, he gave thanks; for the money he received, being well pleased he had made such a bargain; and so the word here used sometimes…

Then came the day of unleavened bread The first of them, the fourteenth day of the month Nisan: when the passover must be killed; that is, the passover lamb, as the Persic version renders it; and which, according to the law in was to be done between the two evenings; (See Gill on Matt. 26:17).

And he sent Peter and John That is, Jesus sent them, as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions express it; these were two favourite disciples of Christ, and were now sent by him from Bethany to Jerusalem: saying, go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat; it together; so servants used to…

And they said unto him, where wilt thou that we prepare? ] Meaning, not in what village, town, or city, for it was a fixed and determined thing, that the passover should be eaten at Jerusalem, and nowhere else; see , but in what house in Jerusalem?

And he said unto them, behold Giving them a sign, whereby they should know the very house, where he would keep the passover: when ye are entered into the city; that is, the city of Jerusalem; for Christ and his disciples were now at Bethany, from whence he sent Peter and John thither, where only…

And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house The master of it; for the man bearing the pitcher of water seems to be a servant only: the master saith unto thee: by these his two disciples, Peter and John; it looks as if the word “master”, as peculiar to Christ, and by way of eminency belonging to…

And he shall show you a large upper room furnished With all things necessary, to eat and drink out of, at the passover; there make ready. The Ethiopic version adds, “for us”, as in .

And they went From Bethany to Jerusalem: and found as he had said unto them; they met the man with the pitcher of water, and by following him, found the house Christ meant to keep the passover at; they told the master of it, what Christ ordered them, who immediately showed them a very convenient…

And when the hour was come When it was evening, the last of the two evenings, when it was dark, at least after six o’clock; (See Gill on Matt. 26:20). he sat down; or lay along on a couch, as was the custom; see the note, as before: and the twelve apostles with him; for Judas, after he had made his…

And he said unto them The twelve apostles, as they were eating the passover, it being usual to talk and converse much at such a time; (See Gill on Matt. 26:21).

For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof Of the passover, and which now, with the rest of the ceremonial law, was to be abolished: until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God; signifying, not that he should eat of it in the kingdom of God, where it would be fulfilled; seeing the passover…

And he took the cup and gave thanks There were four cups of wine drank at the passover, which the poorest man in Israel was obliged to drink; and over each of which a blessing was pronounced [[11]]: and this was one of them, and seems to be the first; for the passover was begun by mixing a cup of…

For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine That is, wine; see the blessing at the passover cup in the notes on the preceding verse: until the kingdom of God shall come; with power, as in in the resurrection of Christ from the dead; in his exaltation and session at God’s right…

And he took bread and gave thanks Or blessed it, as in . Here begins the account of the Lord’s supper after the passover was eaten; and brake it, and gave unto them; the disciples, as is expressed in saying, this is my body; (See Gill on Matt.

Likewise also the cup after supper Both after the passover, and the Lord’s supper; that is, he took the cup after they had eaten the bread, and gave thanks over it, and gave it to his disciples, bidding them drink of it, as in , (See Gill on Matt.

But behold the hand of him that betrayeth me By the “hand” is meant, not figuratively the counsel, contrivance, and conspiracy of Judas to betray him, as the word is used in but literally the hand of Judas, which was then dipping in the dish with Christ, and it follows here, is with me on the…

And truly the son of man goeth That is, dies, which is going the way of all the earth, as it was determined; in the counsels and purposes of God, and agreed to by Christ in the covenant of grace; see the death of Christ, the manner of it, and the means by which it was brought about, were all…

And they began to inquire among themselves Two days before, at the supper in Bethany, when the same thing was hinted to them, they looked at one another, as persons in the utmost surprise and consternation, not being able, for a while, either to speak to Christ, or one another; but now they…

And there was also a strife among them The Persic version reads, “at a certain time there was a contention among the apostles”; and some think, that this refers to the time when the mother of Zebedee’s two sons asked the favour of Christ, to set one of them at his right hand, and the other at his…

And he said unto them The disciples; that is, Jesus said to them, as the Syriac and Persic versions express: the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; by which our Lord would dissuade his disciples from seeking to introduce a superiority over one another, since this was the practice of…

But ye shall not be so (See Gill on Matt. 20:26) but he that is greatest among you; in age or gifts, or would be thought to be the greatest, who is most ambitious of grandeur and authority, which perhaps might be Peter’s case, who was the oldest man: let him be as the younger; as John, the beloved…

For whether is greater Christ appeals to themselves, and puts a case that is plain and obvious to any one, who is the greater, and more honourable person; he that sitteth at meat; that sits, or lies down at table, and another waits on him: or he that serveth? that stands behind, observes orders,…

Ye are they which have continued with me From the beginning of his ministry, to that very time, they abode by him, and never departed from him, when others withdrew and walked no more with him: in my temptations: not in the wilderness by Satan; for they were not with him then, not being as yet…

And I appoint unto you a kingdom Not a temporal one, but a spiritual one; and either intends that they should have in the government of the church, peculiar to them, as apostles, they being set in the first, and highest place, and office, in the church; and have the keys of the kingdom of heaven,…

That ye may eat, and drink, at my table, in my kingdom, &c.] In the Gospel dispensation, or Gospel church state, in which Christ has a table, called the table of the Lord, which is the Lord’s supper, and is a table well furnished with the best of provisions, his flesh and blood, of which believers…

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon Peter is particularly, and by name, spoken to, either because he might be a principal person in the debate and contention about superiority, mentioned in the context; or because he was chiefly to suffer in the following temptation of Satan; or because he was…

But I have prayed for thee Christ prayed for all the apostles; but particularly for Peter, because he was in the greatest danger: whether the prayer Christ refers to was that in in which are many passages relating to the preservation, sanctification, final perseverance and glorification of the…

And he said unto him That is, Simon, or Simeon, said unto him, as the Syriac and Persic versions express it; he made a reply to Jesus, saying, as one fearless of danger, and confident in himself: I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and to death; he suggests, that he was not afraid of…

And he said “To him”, as all the Oriental versions add; to Peter, as what is said shows; that is, Jesus said to him, as the Syriac and Persic versions express: I tell thee, Peter; who knew him, and his heart, better than he did himself, as well as knew what was to come, and what would befall him;…

And he said unto them To the disciples, as the Persic version reads; not to Peter only, but to them all: when I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes; without the necessaries of life, without proper accommodations for a journey, without provisions, or money, to buy any with: so (ανευ…

Then said he unto them That is, Jesus said unto them, as the Persic version expresses it: but now he that hath a purse let him take it, and likewise his scrip; signifying hereby, that from this time forward, immediately after his departure from them, after his death, resurrection, and ascension,…

For I say unto you, that this that is written In must yet be accomplished; it having not been as yet; at least not so perfectly fulfilled: and he was reckoned among the transgressors.

And they said, Lord, behold here are two swords That is, the disciples said so, as the Persic version expresses it; for they understood Christ’s words literally; and two swords being among them, and which they might bring with them from Galilee, to defend themselves from thieves, and robbers, which…

And he came out That is, “Christ”, as the Persic version; or the “Lord Jesus”, as the Ethiopic version expresses; he came out of the guestchamber, or upper room, and out of the house where he had been keeping the passover with his disciples; and he came out of the city of Jerusalem, to begin his…

And when he was at the place In the garden, at Gethsemane, which was at the foot of the Mount of Olives; he said unto them; to the disciples, as the Persic version reads; pray that ye enter not into temptation.

And he was withdrawn from them That is, from the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, whom he took along with him, leaving the rest at some further distance; and from these he removed, about a stone’s cast; fifty, or sixty feet from the place where they were: and kneeled down and prayed; the…

Saying, Father, if thou be willing If it be consistent with thy will of saving sinners, and which thou hast declared to me, and I have undertook to perform: the other evangelists say, “if it be possible”; (See Gill on Matt.

And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven Whether this was Michael the archangel, as some have conjectured, or Gabriel, or what particular angel, is not for us to know, nor is it of any importance: it is certain, it was a good angel: “an angel of God”, as the Ethiopic version reads; since he…

And being in an agony Or in a conflict, and combat; that is, with thee devil, who now appeared visibly to him, in an horrible form: after his temptations in the wilderness Satan left him for a season, till another opportunity should offer; and now it did; now the prince of this world came to him;…

And when he rose from prayer The Syriac version reads, “from his prayer”, having finished it; and the Persic and Ethiopic versions read, “from the place of prayer”, or where he prayed: and was come to his disciples; to the three, which he had left about the distance of a stone’s cast: he found them…

And said unto them, why sleep ye? &c.] The Arabic version prefaces this with these words, “and he awaked them”; and then rebuked them for sleeping, adding, rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation; together with words recorded in (Matt. 26:45, Matt. 26:46) .

And while he yet spake The above words to his disciples, behold a multitude. The Persic version adds, “of Jews, with arrows, swords, and spears”; but the multitude consisted partly of Roman soldiers, and partly of the officers of the chief priests: and he that was called Judas: and sometimes…

But Jesus said unto him, Judas Calling him by his name, that he might know he knew him, and to aggravate his sin; what, Judas, my apostle, my friend, my familiar friend, in whom I trusted, or with whom I trusted all my worldly affairs, betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss! who assumed human…

When they which were about him That is, the eleven disciples that were about Christ, and with him in the garden: saw what would follow; that their Lord and master was about to be betrayed by Judas, and would be seized, and carried away by the multitude, that were with him: they said unto him, Lord,…

And one of them smote the servant of the high priest The person that drew his sword, and performed this daring action, not waiting for an answer from Christ, was Peter, and the high priest’s servant, that he smote, was Malchus; both which we learn from and cut off his right ear; he aimed, no doubt,…

And Jesus answered and said Not to the question of the disciples, but either to Peter, who had done this rash action; and so the Persic and Ethiopic versions add, “to him”; or else to the multitude, suffer ye thus far; or to them both, to Peter to stop his hand, to proceed no further, but put up…

Then Jesus said unto the chief priests After he had wrought this miracle, and had quieted the mob, and restrained them from falling upon the apostles, and cutting them to pieces, which in all likelihood they would otherwise have done; he addressed himself to “the chief priests”, who were members of…

When I was daily with you in the temple As he had been for some days past, teaching the people, and disputing with them, the chief priests ye stretched forth no hands against me; to lay hold upon him, and kill him; the reason was, because his time was not come, and they had no licence or permission…

Then took they him, and led him The band of soldiers, the captain, and the officers of the Jews, laid hold on Jesus, and bound him, and led him out of the garden; notwithstanding the miracle he had wrought, and the humanity he had shown in healing the servant’s ear; and notwithstanding his moving…

And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, &c.] It being cold in the night time, though it was at the passover, and the beginning of harvest, the servants and officers of the high priest made a fire in the middle of the hall, whilst Jesus was examining before the sanhedrim, at the…

But a certain maid beheld him Looked upon him, and took notice of him, and observed his countenance and gesture: as he sat by the fire; or light; (See Gill on Mark 14:54).

And he denied him, saying, woman, I know him not. ] Startled at the maid’s positive assertion, and knowing not how to clear himself any other way, roundly, and at once, denied that Jesus was his master; or that he was a disciple of his; or that he knew any thing of him, or had any acquaintance with…

And after a little while A quarter, or half an hour after, within an hour at least: another saw him; not another maid, but another man, as appears from the answer; though the Syriac and Persic versions leave out the word man, it may be because Matthew and Mark represent the person, on account of…

And about the space of one hour after After the first assault, or rather after the second: another confidently affirmed; who was one of them that stood by the fireside, and heard what had passed; and not only so, but was a kinsman to him, whose ear Peter had cut off, and who had seen him in the…

And Peter said, man, I know not what thou sayest Suggesting, that he was so far from being a follower of Jesus, or a disciple of his, and from having any personal acquaintance with him, that he did not know what he was talking of, or at least could not understand what he meant by this harangue, or…

And the Lord turned Himself, his back being to Peter, whilst he was examining before the high priest; but he knew full well what was doing, what had been said to Peter, and how often he had denied him: and looked upon Peter; with his bodily eyes, with great earnestness, expressing in his looks…

And Peter went out and wept bitterly. ] (See Gill on Matt. 26:75).

And the men that held Jesus Whilst he was before the sanhedrim; and were either the Roman soldiers, or the servants of the high priest, who kept hold of him all the while, lest he should get away; though there was no reason for it; his time was come, nor would he escape out of their hands, though…

And when they had blindfolded him Or put a veil, or linen cloth over his eyes, as children do at play, to make themselves some sport with him: they struck him on the face; on that part of it which was not covered, either with their hands, or with rods: and asked him, saying, prophesy, who is it…

And many other things blasphemously spake they As denying and ridiculing his deity, and divine sonship; mocking at, and burlesquing his offices, of prophet, priest, and king; asserting him to be a mere man, and a very wicked one; a profane sinner, a glutton, and a winebibber; a sabbath breaker, a…

And as soon as it was day (See Gill on Matt. 27:1). The elders of the people; or “the presbytery of the people”, that were chosen from among the people to sit in the sanhedrim; the Israelites, as distinct from priests and Levites, and the doctors: and the chief priests and the Scribes came…

Saying, art thou the Christ The Messiah, promised and prophesied of by Moses, and all the prophets, and long expected by us: “tell us”. The Ethiopic version adds, openly; tell us frankly, freely, plainly, as in . And he said unto them, if I tell you, you will not believe.

And if I also ask you Or enter into a discourse on this subject, and require an answer to the arguments, proving me to be the Messiah, or desire to know what objections can be made thereunto: you will not answer me: fairly and directly, or go into a serious and sober conversation on this head: nor…

Hereafter shall the son of man Meaning himself, who was truly man, and then in a low and mean form, and thought by the Jews to be a mere man; though this character was known by them to belong to the Messiah, especially what follows; as that he should sit on the right hand of the power of God: as he…

Then said they all The whole sanhedrim, with one voice, being greedy to lay hold on, and improve these words, that they might have something to lay to his charge: art thou the Son of God? for they knew that the Messiah, or the son of man, that was to sit at the right hand of God, and come in the…

And they said That is, the council, as the Persic version reads; some of the members of the sanhedrim, or the whole body of them: what need we any further witness? or give any further trouble in getting witnesses, and hearing them: for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth: his blasphemy, and…