Matthew 26:1-5 1And it happened that when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4and plotted together in order that they might arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
This chapter marks the beginning of what is called the “Passion Narrative,” the story of Jesus’ suffering. These verses are the transition from the long teaching section to the high point of the Matthew’s account. Chapters 24-25 provide strong motivation for living out the two great commandments of loving God through faithful living and loving one’s neighbor through acts of charity and compassion. The disciples needed both a clear vision of what to do, a realistic view of what they should do, and motivation for living righteously. Chapter 26 shifts focus from preparing the disciples for Jesus’ future second coming to the immediate challenges that lay before them. Although Jesus did not know the “day or hour” of his return, he did know what was coming in the next few days. This saying was midweek with the Passover only two days away. Jerusalem was full of people from all over the Mediterranean region who had come for the celebration.
Jesus is very specific about what will happen to him in the coming days. All of the four Gospels climax with the arrest, trial, suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. There is no doubt of the historicity of these events. The Romans had regular crucifixions as forms of deterrents and punishment for criminals and insurrectionists. The tension was high in Jerusalem with so many people present. With rumors circulating about the coming of the messianic king, people may have had anticipation of events. Prudent leaders would have the troops on high alert. The Passover was one of the most significant holidays for Jews, and so the city was swollen with pilgrims. There was great excitement and anticipation in the air.
The religious leaders had been in conflict with Jesus for some time, and this had reached a climax in the previous days upon his arrival in the city. They were looking for ways to arrest him and get rid of him. They plotted behind closed doors at Caiaphas’ house how to arrest Jesus, but they had to do this carefully because of the rumors circulating about Jesus. They may have thought they controlled the situation, but Jesus went willingly to the cross in fulfillment of the Father’s plan of salvation.
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