| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Matthew Chapter
Twenty-six
I.
Content of the Chapter
The King was forsaken finally
I. The prologue:
A. The Lord’s foreknowledge (v.1-2).
B. Men’s premeditation (v.3-5).
II. The evaluation of the Lord’s being
forsaken:
A. She “wasted” three hundred denarii for Him------Mary anointed the
Lord (v.6-13).
B. He “betrayed” Him for thirty pieces of silver------Judas betrayed the
Lord (v.14-16).
III. The sign of the Lord’s being forsaken:
A. The
feast of the Passover (v.17-25).
B. The
bread and the cup symbolize the body and blood of the Lord (v.26-30).
IV. The loneliness of the king when He was forsaken:
A. He
was sorrowful for “the cup” (being forsaken by God the Father) that He was
about to drink (v.31-39).
B. His
disciples were unable to watch with Him because they were weak in the flesh
(v.40-46).
V. The king was forsaken by leaders of Judaism:
A. He
was taken (v.47-56).
B. He
was judged and humiliated (v.57-68).
VI. The king was forsaken by the disciples------Peter
denied Him three times (v.69-75).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Matt. 26:1 “Now it came to pass, when
Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,”
YLT: “And it came to
pass, when Jesus finished all these words, he said to his disciples,”
Literal Meaning: “all these sayings”
indicate the prophecies that He had said to His disciples concerning His second
coming and the rewards and punishments of kingdom (See Matt. 24:3-25:51).
Matt. 26:2 “‘You
know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered
up to be crucified.’”
YLT: “`Ye have known that
after two days the passover cometh, and the Son of Man is delivered up to be
crucified.’”
The
Background: “Passover” is the
day on which God saved
Spiritual Meaning: lambs should be
delivered up and killed on the Passover originally and now the Son of Man was
delivered and crucified. This shows that Christ crucified is the lamb of the
Passover (See 1Cor. 5:7) who has been killed for us in order to take away our
sin (See John. 1:29).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) After
the Lord had talked about the reality of the kingdom, He mentioned that He
would be killed on the Passover. It shows that cross is the necessary way to
bring in the reality of kingdom.
2) The lamb of Passover is the type of Christ. And
in like manner, all ceremonies of the Old Testament are the shadow of Christ
(See Col. 2:16-17); Christ is the reality and meaning of all sacred things.
Matt. 26:3 “Then the chief priests,
the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high
priest, who was called Caiaphas,”
YLT: “Then were gathered
together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, to
the court of the chief priest who was called Caiaphas;”
Literal Meaning: “assembled at the
palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas” “Caiaphas” was the high
priest that same year (A.D. 18-36), and he was also the son-in-law to Annas who
had been high priest before (See John. 18:13).
Matt. 26:4 “and plotted to take Jesus
by trickery and kill Him.”
YLT: “and they consulted
together that they might take Jesus by guile, and kill [him],”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Unexpectedly, the high priest and the elders of
the people were utilized by Satan and they wanted to kill the Lord Jesus; Satan
utilized not only the common worldly sinners but also clergymen. It shows that
the whole world lies in the wicked (1John. 5:19).
2) Without the participation of men, the type of
the lamb of the Passover still cannot be fulfilled in the Lord. Those who
rejected the Lord were used by God to help Himself to fulfill His plan.
Matt. 26:5 “But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the
people.’”
YLT: “and they said, `Not
in the feast, that there may not be a tumult among the people.’”
Literal Meaning: “during the feast”
indicates the period which starts from the supper of the Passover and includes
the following seven days of the feast of the unleavened bread (See Exod.
12:17-18).
“Lest there be an uproar among the
people” During the period of the Passover, thousands upon thousands Jews in all
parts went to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though men had not planed to kill the Lord on
the Passover, later their plan were failed (See John. 19:14-16); God’s words
must be fulfilled.
2) The Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world (See John. 1:29) and was killed on the Passover.
3) All men’s plans that are beside the will of God
will be falsehood (See Ps. 119:118).
Matt. 26:6 “And when Jesus was in
YLT: “And Jesus having
been in
Spiritual Meaning: “
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believers in the church were originally sinners,
however, they have been cleansed by the precious blood. Therefore the Lord
likes to dwell in their places and sit at the table with them.
2) Anyone who truly knows himself as a sinner will
thank the Lord, love the Lord, open his house to the Lord, receive the Lord and
dedicate treasure to Him.
Matt. 26:7 “a woman came to Him
having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His
head as He sat at the table.”
YLT: “there came to him a
woman having an alabaster box of ointment, very precious, and she poured on his
head as he is reclining (at meat).”
The
Background: anointment of oil is
a kind of ceremony to show welcome and honor in the society at that time and
usually the oil was used to anoint the head and feet (See John. 12:3; Luke. 7:38,
46).
Literal Meaning: “a woman” this woman
is Mary (See John. 12:3).
Spiritual Meaning: “alabaster flask”
symbolizes “the outward man” of a believer; “fragrant oil” symbolizes “the
inner man” of a believer and the virtue that is manifested from the inner
heart.
Mary symbolizes all those who love the
Lord. They, seeing that Christ was crucified for us, are deeply moved and
therefore dedicate all to the Lord and pour their whole persons on the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The alabaster flask must be broken and then the
fragrant oil will be able to be poured out (See Mark. 14:3); if the outward men
were delivered unto death, the inward treasure will be manifested (See 2Cor.
4:7-16).
2) Once the fragrant oil was poured out, the whole
house was full of the fragrance; anyone dedicates all to the Lord for the sake
of loving the Lord is a witness of fragrance to others who are around him.
3) Here the Bible only mentioned “a woman” and did
not mention her name. This tells us that any believer could do what this woman
does and the problem is that whether we know the preciousness of the Lord as
her.
4) Many people need the salvation of the Lord
instead of the Lord Himself; many people value the Lord’s blessings and do not
value the Lord Himself. What do we seek? All things that are beside the Lord?
Or the Lord Himself?
Matt. 26:8 “But when His disciples
saw it, they were indignant, saying, ‘Why this waste?”
YLT: “And having seen
[it], his disciples were much displeased, saying, `To what purpose [is] this
waste?”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who truly love the Lord usually do
something which seems to be “excessive” (“why this…”) in the sight of others,
however, we should not please men and we should please the Lord (See Gal.
1:10).
2) If men lack the knowledge of the Lord the
Savior, they will think that the dedication to the Lord is a “waste”. However
we would rather let others say that we are “waste” than let the Lord say that
we are “wicked and lazy” (See Matt. 25:26).
Matt. 26:9 “For this fragrant oil
might have been sold for much and given to the poor.’”
YLT: “for this ointment
could have been sold for much, and given to the poor.’”
Literal Meaning: “this fragrant oil
might have been sold for much” The fragrant oil is worth three hundred denarii
(See John. 12:5). It is not only costly (See v.7) but also “very precious” (See
Mark. 14:3).
“Given to the poor” This is the good
thing that men should do when they return to Jerusalem to feast and indeed it
is also what believers are forward to do (See Gal. 2:10).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is a “waste” that the fragrant oil was poured
on the Lord and it is not so if it was given to the poor. In the eyes of many
believers, the Lord is not equal to “the poor”.
2) How easy it is for believers to let some holy
and spiritual reason usurp the position in our hearts that the Lord deserves to
have.
3) Today in the church, there are a group of people
who, like Mary, give all to Christ and hold that Christ is worthy of
everything. However, there are another group of people who take “pragmatism”
into consideration and hold that they should pay attention to economic benefits
in everything, otherwise it is a “waste” or ruin.
4) Few believers are attracted by the Lord’s love
and the majority of believers walk by rationality and they do not approve
things that others do by love.
5) Many times, reason comes and loves is out; the
moment economy assumes leadership the will of the Lord will bring up the rear.
6) Those who are truly touched by the Lord’s love
will only regard the Lord’s pleasure and they disregard right or wrong, gain or
loss and success or failure. Therefore they are willing to do the things that
are unprofitable in the eyes of others.
7) If we could see things from the view of loving
the Lord, nothing that is done for the Lord is unworthy and none of the money
which is spent for the Lord is waste.
8) Today many of our works are done not for
pleasing the Lord (anointing the Lord) but for the needs of works (giving to
the poor). It shows that many works in the church today seem to be for the Lord
but actually they are not.
Matt. 26:10 “But when Jesus was aware
of it, He said to them, ‘Why do you trouble the
woman? For she has done a good work for Me.”
YLT: “And Jesus having
known, said to them, `Why do ye give trouble to the woman? for a good work she
wrought for me;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s view is different from ours------men
said that it was “waste”, however, the Lord, unexpectedly, said that, “it is a
good work”.
2) We should not care about others’ views too much
in our works. What’s important is our evaluation towards the Lord: whether He
is worthy of our works.
3) Though we may be misunderstood by others for the
things that we do for the sake of loving the Lord, however, the Lord is able to
know our hearts and He Himself will clear up everything for us.
4) As long as the Lord says that, “it is a good
work”, others’ talking is unimportant. Then no matter how others “trouble” us,
we should be glad and rejoice.
Matt. 26:11 “For you have the poor
with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
YLT: “for the poor always
ye have with you, and me ye have not always;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believers should learn to discern what one has
“always” and what one does “not have always”; otherwise, we may lose chances
that we do not always have because of chances that we always have.
2) The common trouble of those who are of the Lord
is that they are too busy to get rid of things for “the poor” (for example: the
targets of glad tidings, brothers who are offended or fall, works of social
welfare, works in the church and etc.) and neglect the Lord Himself.
Matt. 26:12 “For in pouring this
fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.”
YLT: “for she having put
this ointment on my body for my burial she did [it].”
The
Background: the manner of the
ancient Jews for burial is using fragrant oil to anoint the body of the dead
and winding it in linen clothes (See Mark. 16:1; John. 19:40).
Literal Meaning: Mary must know that He was about to be
crucified (See v.2) from His words and knew that the days were not long.
Therefore she seized a chance to show her grateful thanks to His death while He
was alive.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Mary poured all her good things on the Lord
because she had received the revelation. We must have the revelation first and
then we are able to love Him with good love.
2) Mary Bethany seized a chance to anoint the Lord
before His death; Mary Magdalene wanted to anoint the Lord after His the Lord’s
death, however, she did not have the chance to do so (See Mark. 16:1-6). We
should seize chances to love and serve the Lord.
Matt. 26:13 “Assuredly, I say to you,
wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done
will also be told as a memorial to her.’”
YLT: “Verily I say to
you, Wherever this good news may be proclaimed in the whole world, what this
[one] did shall also be spoken of for a memorial of her.’”
Literal Meaning: “this gospel is
preached” indicates to preach that how the Lord Jesus loved sinners and even
poured out His life; “what this woman had done will also be told” indicates to
state how she loved the Lord Jesus and also poured her life on the Lord.
“Wherever this gospel is preached in the
whole world, also…” It means that wherever preaching the gospel, there must be
someone who is touched by the Lord’s love and thus he loves the Lord
recklessly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) For the love of Christ constrained us; because
we thus judge, that He died for all, that we who should not henceforth live
unto ourselves, but unto Him which died for us and rose again (See 2Cor.
5:14-15).
2) Preaching the gospel is to make men believe in
the Lord Jesus and it is for men’s gain. Stating what this woman has done is
the Lord’s gain. Salvation is both for men and Christ.
3) Salvation must bring in dedication; the
salvation that has not brought in dedication is not complete.
4) Gospel is that the Lord is men’s satisfaction
and rest and anointing the Lord is that men are the Lord’s satisfaction and
rest; we need the Lord and the Lord also needs us.
Matt. 26:14 “Then one of the twelve,
called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests”
YLT: “Then one of the
twelve, who is called Judas Iscariot, having gone unto the chief priests,
said,”
Literal Meaning: “then” means the
time when Mary poured the fragrant oil on the Lord Jesus, showing that Mary was
in contrast to Judas. One loved the Lord and the other betrayed Him.
Matt. 26:15 “and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?’ And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.”
YLT: “`What are ye
willing to give me, and I will deliver him up to you?` and they weighed out to
him thirty silverlings,”
Literal Meaning: “thirty pieces of silver”
Every piece of silver weighs one shekel and the whole is thirty shekel which is
equal to an evaluation of a slave (See Exod. 21:32).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Mary did not stint the fragrant oil which costs
thirty denarii because she loved the Lord; Judas sold the Lord for thirty
pieces of sliver because he loved money. Whether one acts as Mary or Judas
depends on whether he loves money or the Lord (See John. 12:4-6).
2) In the eyes of Judas and the chief priests the
Lord Jesus was like a slave who is worthy of thirty pieces of silver. If our
evaluation towards the Lord is the same with them and we regard the Lord as
usual, we may sell Him out in some circumstances (for example: someone denies
the Lord in order to save his own life and someone sells truth and witness for
status, fame and gain and etc).
3) Apparently, Judas sold the Lord out for thirty
pieces of silver; but actually, he sold out his own soul for thirty piece of
silver (See Matt. 27:3-5; Acts. 1:18).
4) Judas sold himself out to the devil for thirty
pieces of silver; Mary dedicated herself to the Lord in the fragrant oil which
is worthy of thirty denarii.
5) Judas made merchandise of Christ; anyone who
supposes that gain is godliness (1Tim. 6:5) and barters Christ’s grace for his
own gain falls in the principle of Judas.
Matt. 26:16 “So from that time he
sought opportunity to betray Him.”
YLT: “and from that time
he was seeking a convenient season to deliver him up.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Mary “seized an opportunity” to give herself to
the Lord. Judas “sought opportunity” to deliver the Lord to the power of
darkness.
2) “Seize the opportunity” is to cherish the time
(See Eph. 5:16). However, “sought opportunity” is to waste time.
Matt. 26:17 “Now on the first day of
the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the
Passover?’”
YLT: “And on the first
[day] of the unleavened food came the disciples near to Jesus, saying to him,
`Where wilt thou [that] we may prepare for thee to eat the passover?’”
The
Background: there are seven days
in the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. It starts from the sunset of the
fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar (the month Nisan) to
the sunset of the twenty-first day. “The first day of the Feast of the
Unleavened Bread” indicates the night of the fourteenth day of the first month
(Thursday) to six o’clock in the next evening, i.e. the Passover (See Exod.
12:15-20).
“The Feast of the Passover” The Jews
started to kill the lamb of the Passover in the afternoon of the fourteenth day
of the first month and at nightfall each family ate the Feast of the Passover
together.
Spiritual Meaning: “the Unleavened
Bread” typifies that Christ is the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth and
He makes those who believe in Him be a new lump and live a holy life (See 1Cor.
5:7-8); “the Feast of the Unleavened Bread” typifies that Christ is our
enjoyment of life which gives us strength to walk on the heavenly way (See
Exod. 12:8-11).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) On one hand, we must cleanse ourselves (“the
first day of the Unleavened Bread”) and then we are able to come to the Lord
(See Heb. 12:14) and enjoy Him as the provision of our life.
2) On the other, we must enjoy the Lord as the
provision of our life (“where…to eat the Passover”) and then we are able to
live a holy life before God (“the Unleavened Bread” extends for seven days).
Matt. 26:18 “And He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, ‘My
time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.’”
YLT: “and he said, `Go
away to the city, unto such a one, and say to him, The Teacher saith, My time
is nigh; near thee I keep the passover, with my disciples;’”
Literal Meaning: “go to a certain
man” According to the research of Bible scholars, “a certain man” may be the
father or mother of Mark (the author of the Gospel of Mark) (See Mark.
14:12-16); however, the Bible did not directly show us who it was, indicating
that we should know that everything is arranged by God and God Himself has
prepared the feast of the Passover.
“My time is at hand.” It indicates that
the time that the Lord Jesus was crucified was about to come (See John. 7:6, 8,
30; 8:20).
“I will keep the Passover at your
house.” “Your house” may be the house where one hundred and twenty disciples
gathered together and prayed before the Pentecost (See Luke. 22:12; Acts.
1:13-15) and men in later ages called the house as “the house of Mark”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord is the lord of all and He is able to
dominate everything to work for Him (See Matt. 17:27; 21:2-3).
2) The Lord had left for Himself many people who
loved and served Him (See
Matt. 26:19 “So the disciples did as
Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.”
YLT: “and the disciples
did as Jesus appointed them, and prepared the passover.”
Enlightenment in the Word: as long as we listen to the Lord’s “direction”, we
will enjoy Him as “the Passover”------the provision of spiritual life.
Matt. 26:20 “When evening had come, He
sat down with the twelve.”
YLT: “And evening having
come, he was reclining (at meat) with the twelve,”
Spiritual Meaning: the Lord “sat down”
with the disciples, symbolizing that the Lord has fellowship with the disciples
and shares Himself to them (See 1Cor. 10:16-22).
Matt. 26:21 “Now as they were eating,
He said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you,
one of you will betray Me.’”
YLT: “and while they are
eating, he said, `Verily I say to you, that one of you shall deliver me up.’”
Literal Meaning: the purpose of the Lord’s
word is to hope that Judas could pull back before it is too late and He did not
want to see him perish. Actually, the council would also arrest Jesus without
the help of Judas and they only wanted to find an “opportunity” when the
multitudes were absent.
Matt. 26:22 “And they were exceedingly
sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, ‘Lord,
is it I?’”
YLT: “And being grieved
exceedingly, they began to say to him, each of them, `Is it I, Sir?’”
Enlightenment in the Word: selling out the Lord------supposing gain is
godliness------is the thing that makes those who are of the Lord exceedingly
sorrowful.
Matt. 26:23 “He answered and said, ‘He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray
Me.”
YLT: “And he answering
said, `He who did dip with me the hand in the dish, he will deliver me up;”
The
Background: “he who dipped his
hand with Me” On the Passover of the Jews, every one was reunited and they
shared mutton, bread, bitter herbs and other food together; during the dinner,
there was a plate of sauce which is boiled by fruits, vinegar and etc. Everyone
took a small piece of bread (or meat sandwich) and dipped into the sauce in the
plate.
According to customs at that time, when
someone had dinner with others, it meant to state that, “you are my friend and
I will never do something that hurts you.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord obviously knew that Judas was about to
betray Him. But He still dipped His hand with him, showing that how tolerant
and merciful He is.
2) Today in the church, those with whom we have the
closest fellowship may become the drastic opposers.
Matt. 26:24 “The Son of Man indeed
goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man
is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.’”
YLT: “the Son of Man doth
indeed go, as it hath been written concerning him, but wo to that man through
whom the Son of Man is delivered up! good it were for him if that man had not
been born.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God is able to use positive man to fulfill His
will and He is also able to use negative man (Judas) to facilitate His will;
however, we would rather be “vessels” which were made by firewood than the
firewood which were used to make vessels.
2) What the Lord takes care about is not His own
safety but the soul of the one who betrayed Him.
Matt. 26:25 “Then Judas, who was
betraying Him, answered and said, ‘Rabbi, is it I?’ He said to him, ‘You
have said it.’”
YLT: “And Judas he who
delivered him up answering said, `Is it I, Rabbi?’ He saith to him, `Thou hast
said.’”
Literal Meaning: “Rabbi, is it I?”
“Rabbi” is the common wording used by students to call teachers; please note
that Judas never called Jesus the Lord.
“You have said it” is alse “what you
said is right”.
Matt. 26:26 “And as they were eating,
Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’”
YLT: “And while they were
eating, Jesus having taken the bread, and having blessed, did brake, and was
giving to the disciples, and said, `Take, eat, this is my body;’”
The
Background: in the Feast of the
Passover, usually the householder was responsible to break the bread. When
breaking the bread, the householder took the bread in his hand and said, “This
is the bread of suffering that our ancestors had eaten in
Literal Meaning: “this is My body.”
“This is” indicates that this represents or this means.
Spiritual Meaning: “bread” symbolizes
the body of the Lord Jesus; “broke it” symbolizes that His body was rent for us
on the cross; “eat” symbolizes to share the being of Christ.
According to other records in the Bible,
at this time, Judas who had betrayed the Lord had gone out and He was not
present (See John. 13:26-30). From that time, the Lord set His desk (the New
Testament) to replace the Feast of the Passover (the Old Testament), directly
indicating that He is our true Passover (See 1Cor. 5:7).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christ was “broken” for us and gave His holy
life to us so that we are able to share His life (“Take, eat.”) by this and we
will become a mysterious body (See 1Cor. 12:17, 27).
2) The Lord gives Himself to us and what do we give
to Him?
3) Since it is the communion of the blood of Christ
and the body of Christ (See 1Cor. 10:16-17) and therefore we should be bound up
with each other and take care of each other (See 1Cor. 12:12-27).
Matt. 26:27 “Then He took the cup, and
gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink
from it, all of you.”
YLT: “and having taken
the cup, and having given thanks, he gave to them, saying, `Drink ye of it
all;”
The
Background: according to the
manner of eating the supper of the Passover of the Jews, they eat bitter herbs
before eating the unleavened bread and also give the cup to each other and this
cup symbolizes “the cup of pain”; when they eat the unleavened bread and
mutton, they give the cup to each other again and this cup symbolizes “the cup
of blessing”.
Spiritual Meaning: “cup” symbolizes the
“portion” that we deserve before God. In Adam, what a sinner deserves is “the
cup of God’s wrath” (See Rev. 14:10). However, the Lord Jesus had drunk the cup
(See John. 18:11). Therefore the nature of the cup has changed from “the cup of
pain” to “the cup of blessing” (See 1Cor. 10:16; Ps. 23:5). The blood of the
Lord shed on the cross made the sins of those who believe in Him be remitted
and from then on all blessing of God and even Himself become the portion of our
cup (See Ps. 16:5). Therefore it is called “the cup of salvation” (See Ps.
116:13).
Believers share the cup of salvation,
showing that it is the communion of the blood of Christ (See 1Cor. 10:16), i.e.
partaking in the fellowship of the blood of Christ.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The curse endured He, the blessing enjoy we.”
He bore the punishment of sins for us and made us enjoy the good blessing.
2) “He took the cup and gave thanks.” The Lord
received the cross with thanksgiving, unlike our usual complaints in similar
situations.
Matt. 26:28 “For this is My blood of
the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
YLT: “for this is my
blood of the new covenant, that for many is being poured out to remission of sins;”
Literal Meaning: “this is My blood of
the new covenant.” “Covenant” indicates contract or will.
“Which is shed for many” “Many” indicate
“all men” according to the Jewish common usage (See Matt. 20:28; Is. 53:12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The body of the Lord is broken for us and His
blood is shed for us and becomes the proof of the new covenant------the
crucified Christ is the foundation of all blessing of the New Testament.
2) Believers break the bread and drink the cup to
announce the death of the Lord; we do so in remembrance of Him (See 1Cor.
11:24-26).
Matt. 26:29 “But I say to you, I will
not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it
new with you in My Father's kingdom.’”
YLT: “and I say to you,
that I may not drink henceforth on this produce of the vine, till that day when
I may drink it with you new in the reign of my Father.’”
Literal Meaning: “I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine from now on.” “The fruit of the vine” includes the juice
of grape, grape wine and etc.
“That day when I drink it new with you”
indicates the day when overcomers sit with the Lord in the kingdom of a
thousand years (See Matt. 25:10).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Though the Lord no longer drinks with us in the
flesh, He will share the unlimited and abundant blessing with us in the eternal
life. Therefore we break the bread, drink the cup today and these are only the
foretaste of “the day when we drink it new”. The blessing (cup) that we have
lasts forever.
2) The hope of our breaking of bread and drinking
of cup is to drink new with the Lord in the kingdom of God the Father; the way
to enter into the kingdom and enjoy blessing forever for believers is to have
frequent fellowship with Christ’s death of the cross today------through many
tribulations, we must enter into the kingdom of God (Acts. 14:22).
Matt. 26:30 “And when they had sung a
hymn, they went out to the
YLT: “And having sung a
hymn, they went forth to the mount of the Olives;”
The Background:
“they had sung a hymn” The Jews sang the
psalm of “Hallel” during the dinner of the Passover. It includes the Ps. 104 to
Ps. 105, Ps. 113 to Ps. 118. During the dinner, they sang the first part of
Hallel, i.e. from Ps. 104 to Ps. 105, from Ps. 113 to Ps. 114; after dinner,
they sang the second part of Hallel, i.e. from Ps. 115 to Ps. 118.
Enlightenment in the Word: every time after we have broken the bread, the Lord
Himself will lead us to sing songs to praise (See Heb. 2:12) and worship God the
Father.
Matt. 26:31 “Then Jesus said to them, ‘All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this
night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'”
YLT: “then saith Jesus to
them, `All ye shall be stumbled at me this night; for it hath been written, I
will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad;”
Literal Meaning: “be made to stumble”
indicates that the disciples forsake Him and fled (See v.56) and Peter denied the
Lord (See v.69-75).
“I will strike the Shepherd, And the
sheep of the flock will be scattered.” This sentence is quoted from the
prophecy in Zech. 13:7. Usually the flock follows the shepherd. Now the
shepherd is gone and the sheep of the flock will flee because they do not know
the voice of strangers (See John. 10:4-5).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The reason why many believers are made to
stumble is that the Lord, seeming to be a common person, has not shown
miraculous works before them to deliver them from danger. However, the Lord’s
“doing nothing” has His own goodwill.
2) “I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of
the flock will be scattered.” If Christ is struck, the church must be broken
up; if we want to keep the true oneness of the church, we have to hold high
Christ and let Him receive the position that He deserves.
3) The Lord is the element of the oneness of
believers. If someone in the church holds high men and lets the position of the
Lord suffer loss, this will lead to division.
Matt. 26:32 “But after I have been
raised, I will go before you to
YLT: “but, after my
having risen, I will go before you to
Literal Meaning: “I will go before
you to Galilee” could be translated as “I will lead you to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord reveals not only His death but also His
resurrection; we should know both Christ’s death for the remission of sins and
Christ’s life of resurrection.
2) The promise of the Lord’s resurrection gives us
unlimited encouragement and death will be swallowed up in victory (See 1Cor.
15:54). Therefore we should not dare death because we have the hope of
resurrection.
3) The Lord reveals that the sheep of the flock
will be scattered (v.31) and the sheep of the flock will be gathered together;
we should never stay in the condition of the negative darkness and we should
move on to light positively.
4) The Lord goes before us and we all follow Him
(See John. 10:4, 27).
Matt. 26:33 “Peter answered and said
to Him, ‘Even if all are made to
stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.’”
YLT: “And Peter answering
said to him, `Even if all shall be stumbled at thee, I will never be
stumbled.’”
Literal Meaning: “are made to
stumble” in the original means to give up because of disappointment.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who do not know themselves always think
that they are stronger and love the Lord more than others and consequently
those who think themselves as strong are usually made to stumble the most
seriously.
2) Each should esteem other better than themselves
(Pill. 2:3).
3) Wherefore let him that thinks that he stands
take heed lest he fall (1Cor. 10:12).
Matt. 26:34 “Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the
rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’”
YLT: “Jesus said to him,
`Verily I say to thee, that, this night, before cock-crowing, thrice thou wilt
deny me.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Environment is the best tool of God to manifest
our “selves”; sometimes the Lord arranges for us some dark environment (“this
night, before the rooster crows”) and permits us to experience frustrations and
stumble (“you will deny Me three times”) in order to make us know ourselves.
2) The experience of failure is still advantageous
to us------it makes us no longer trust in ourselves but fully in Him (See 2Cor.
1:9).
Matt. 26:35 “Peter said to Him, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ And so said all the disciples.”
YLT: “Peter saith to him,
`Even if it may be necessary for me to die with thee, I will not deny thee;’ in
like manner also said all the disciples.”
Literal Meaning: Peter and all the
disciples indeed have the will to die with the Lord. Simply they do not know
their own weakness and they said the irresponsible words.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Many times, the spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak. Therefore we should watch and pray (See v.41).
2) “One is unable to do what he wants very much to
do.”------one still cannot do something if he only has willingness and does not
have power; believers should never work by the flesh.
Matt. 26:36 “Then Jesus came with them
to a place called
YLT: “Then come with them
doth Jesus to a place called
Meaning of Words: “
Literal Meaning: “called
Spiritual Meaning: the prayer of the
Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane typifies that He was pressed and
tortured alone there and spread the oil (which typifies the Holy Spirit) to be
our Comforter (See John. 7:39; 16:7).
Matt. 26:37 “And He took with Him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply
distressed.”
YLT: “And having taken
Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful, and to be very
heavy;”
Literal Meaning: “the two sons of
Zebedee” indicate Jacob and John (See Matt. 10:2; 20:20).
“He began to be sorrowful and deeply
distressed.” The Lord Jesus is both God and man. In His humanity, He was a man
subject to like passions as we are (See James. 5:17) and therefore He would
weep and be troubled (See John. 11:33, 35). However, the reason why the Lord
was distressed is that He feared to be forsaken by God because of bearing our
sins instead of death (See Matt. 27:46).
Enlightenment in the Word: the Lord Himself has suffered being tempted and
therefore He is able to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities (See
Heb. 2:18; 4:15).
Matt. 26:38 “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay
here and watch with Me.’”
YLT: “then saith he to
them, `Exceedingly sorrowful is my soul unto death; abide ye here, and watch
with me.’”
Enlightenment in the Word: “watch with Me” shows that even the Lord Jesus also
needs others’ support. Furthermore, believers should care about each other (See
1Cor. 12:25; Heb. 10:24).
Matt. 26:39 “He went a little farther
and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O
My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I
will, but as You will.’”
YLT: “And having gone
forward a little, he fell on his face, praying, and saying, `My Father, if it
be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as
Thou.’”
Spiritual Meaning: “let this cup pass
from Me” “cup” means suffering and death (See Matt. 20:22). “This cup” is the
cup of God’s wrath (See Rev. 14:10) and originally it is the portion that we
deserve. However, God sent the Lord Jesus to the earth to let Him replace us to
drink this cup, i.e. letting Him bear sins and die on the cross. Therefore the
cup indicates the death of the cross.
The Lord there touched the heart of God
the Father in order to make sure whether there is another way besides “the
death of the cross” to fulfill God’s will.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “My Father” The Lord’s shout shows that all our
environments and misfortune are measured to us by God the Father and He never
treats us badly without reason.
2) “Not as I will, but as You will.” The key for
the Lord to overcome is to fully obey the will of God the Father.
3) If there is not the obedience in the
4) The true experience of the cross is to make
one’s soul suffer pain in order to obey the will of God (See v.37-38).
5) God’s will to believers is letting us deny
ourselves, take up our crosses and follow the Lord (See Matt. 16:24).
Matt. 26:40 “Then He came to the
disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘What!
Could you not watch with Me one hour?”
YLT: “And he cometh unto
the disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and he saith to Peter, `So! ye were
not able one hour to watch with me!”
Enlightenment in the Word: Peter was willing to die with the Lord (See v.35),
however, he was unable to watch one hour with the Lord; those who are unable to
watch one hour will be unable to face death.
Matt. 26:41 “Watch and pray, lest you
enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’”
YLT: “watch, and pray,
that ye may not enter into temptation: the spirit indeed is forward, but the
flesh weak.’”
Literal Meaning: “temptation” here
indicates to give chance to the enemy to take advantage of the crack to enter
in.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The only way to avoid the temptation of Satan is
to “watch and pray”.
2) The condition of men’s “body” usually cannot catch
up with men’s “willingness” and therefore we have to exercise our bodies until
we could keep under our bodies and bring them into subjection (1Cor. 9:27).
Matt. 26:42 “Again, a second time, He
went away and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if this cup cannot
pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.’”
YLT: “Again, a second
time, having gone away, he prayed, saying, `My Father, if this cup cannot pass
away from me except I drink it, Thy will be done;’”
Matt. 26:43 “And He came and found them
asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.”
YLT: “and having come, he
findeth them again sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.”
Meaning of Words: “heavy”: burden,
tired.
Enlightenment in the Word: if our spiritual eyes are blurred and “heavy”,
these will bring in a deep sleep of spirit and even death (See Acts. 20:9).
Matt. 26:44 “So He left them, went
away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.”
YLT: “And having left
them, having gone away again, he prayed a third time, saying the same word;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus prayed God three times and the
words of His prayers were the same. It reveals us a principle of prayer: prayer
must be sufficient, thorough and to the point and we should keep praying until
we receive God’s answer.
2) There is no doubt that we should not use vain
repetitions when praying (See Matt. 6:7), however, when we pray and seek the
will of God for one thing, we should ask Him again and again until we clearly
understand the will of God.
Matt. 26:45 “Then He came to His
disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and
resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into
the hands of sinners.”
YLT: “then cometh he unto
his disciples, and saith to them, `Sleep on henceforth, and rest! lo, the hour
hath come nigh, and the Son of Man is delivered up to the hands of sinners.”
Literal Meaning: “Are you still
sleeping and resting?” in the original is “sleep on now and take your rest.” It
means that the thing was settled finally and the time to watch and pray has
passed by.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Every time when the Lord had finished the
prayer, He returned to the disciples. At this time He was tortured and the most
painful, however, He was still concerned about the disciples. What the bowels
of Christ!
2) The Lord’s disciples were unable to watch with
Him and share the suffering because of their weakness. However, the Lord did
not force them to pray with Him and He departed from them and prayed alone.
This shows that though the corporate prayer is important, sometimes the
individual prayer, on the contrary, touches the feeling of God more.
Matt. 26:46 “Rise, let us be going.
See, My betrayer is at hand.’”
YLT: “Rise, let us go;
lo, he hath come nigh who is delivering me up.’”
Literal Meaning: “rise, let us be
going.” It is not escape but to face that group of forces.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) After we clear know the will of God through
prayer, we should rise and observe the will of God (“rise, let us be going”).
2) The Lord likes us to rise, walk on the way of
the cross with Him, follow the steps of the Lamb and have fellowship with His
sufferings.
Matt. 26:47 “And while He was still
speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords
and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.”
YLT: “And while he is yet
speaking, lo, Judas, one of the twelve did come, and with him a great
multitude, with swords and sticks, from the chief priests and elders of the
people.”
Literal Meaning: “Judas, one of the
twelve”; the Bible uses “one of the twelve” to call Judas (See v.14).
“The chief priests and elders of the
people” were main members to make up the Sanhedrin.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The way of the world is “a great multitude” and
“with swords and clubs”, however, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood
(See Eph. 6:12). Therefore those who rely on the strength of many people and
fleshly weapons will fall under the fleshly principle. Maybe men think that they
win a victory but actually they suffer a crushing defeat.
2) The principle of the Lamb is that who, when he
was reviled, did not revile again; when he suffered, he did not threaten (1Pet.
2:23).
3) When the church hears the voice of the Lord,
revives and is willing to work with the Lord, the enemy comes and wants to hold
back the church from going forth.
Matt. 26:48 “Now His betrayer had
given them a sign, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the
One; seize Him.’”
YLT: “And he who did
deliver him up did give them a sign, saying, `Whomsoever I will kiss, it is he:
lay hold on him;’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) According to the customs of the Jews, “kiss” is
an expression of intimacy and honor. Unexpectedly, it is used as a secret sign
to betray the Lord; many intimate expressions and sweat words are horrible and
may even “betray” us.
2) Some leaders of the church like to be flattered
by praise of his followers, however, they will be harmed seriously by adulators
sooner or later.
Matt. 26:49 “Immediately he went up to
Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him.”
YLT: “and immediately,
having come to Jesus, he said, `Hail, Rabbi,’ and kissed him;”
Literal Meaning: “and kissed Him”
“Kiss” is a way of greeting from disciples to teachers (rabbi) in the Jewish
society. Therefore after he had said, “greetings, Rabbi!”, it is common to kiss
Him. However, the “kissed” in this verse is different from the “kiss” in
previous verse in the original. The tone of emphasis in this verse shows the
very intimate act (See Luke. 15:20; Acts. 20:37). From this Judas’s pretense
and affectation are more obviously shown.
Matt. 26:50 “But Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, why have you come?’
Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.”
YLT: “and Jesus said to
him, `Comrade, for what art thou present?’ Then having come near, they laid
hands on Jesus, and took hold on him.”
Meaning of Words: “friend”: companion.
Literal Meaning: “friend” is usually
used to call those whose names are unknown (See Matt.20:13; 22:12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Even under this condition, the Lord still called
Judas “friend”. Bitter words cannot be found out of the mouth of the Lord.
2) Let no bitter, hateful, indignant, noisy,
slanderous and corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which
is good to the use of edifying (See Eph. 4:29, 31).
Matt. 26:51 “And suddenly, one of
those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the
servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.”
YLT: “And lo, one of
those with Jesus, having stretched forth the hand, drew his sword, and having
struck the servant of the chief priest, he took off his ear.”
Literal Meaning: “one of those who
were with Jesus” The one is Peter (See John. 18:10).
Spiritual Meaning: “sword” symbolizes
fleshly warfare (See 2Cor. 10:4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who do not know the meaning of the cross
always stretches out his “hand” of flesh and draws the “sword” of flesh,
tempting to protect the Lord and things that are of the Lord. It is of no
effect and contrarily it is harmful.
2) The fleshly warfare could cut off men’s “ear” at
most and contrarily let men not listen to the words of God.
Matt. 26:52 “But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword
will perish by the sword.”
YLT: “Then saith Jesus to
him, `Turn back thy sword to its place; for all who did take the sword, by the
sword shall perish;”
Spiritual Meaning: “put your sword in
its place” means that do not wrestle by the flesh and blood.
“For all who take the sword will perish
by the sword” indicates that those who want to do things by the flesh will fall
into spiritual death (See
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The good aim must be achieved by good means; even
if we have achieved the best aim through wrong means, we won’t be praised by
the Lord.
2) Any spiritual motive or aim should never be
facilitated by natural power.
Matt. 26:53 “Or do you think that I
cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve
legions of angels?”
YLT: “dost thou think
that I am not able now to call upon my Father, and He will place beside me more
than twelve legions of messengers?”
Meaning of Words: “provide”: stand
beside, present.
Literal Meaning: “He will provide Me
with more than twelve legions of angels” “Legion” is the common military word
in
Spiritual Meaning: in this verse the
Lord meant that if He wanted to avoid drinking this cup (the bitterness of the
cross), He has heavenly way to keep Himself and there is no need for men to do
something for Him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord is not “unable” to save Himself. He is
“unwilling” to disobey the will of God and force God to preserve Him.
2) Though the Lord has good way to save Himself, He
would rather not use the way in order to achieve the fulfillment of the will of
God; it shows that what’s important is not the safety or smoothness of things
but whether things are fulfilled according to the will of God.
Matt. 26:54 “How then could the
Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?’”
YLT: “how then may the
Writings be fulfilled, that thus it behoveth to happen?’”
Enlightenment in the Word: the Lord would rather not use any mean to preserve
Himself in order to make the will of God be fulfilled.
Matt. 26:55 “In that hour Jesus said
to the multitudes, ‘Have you come out, as
against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you,
teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.”
YLT: “In that hour said
Jesus to the multitudes, ‘As against a robber ye did come forth, with swords
and sticks, to take me! daily with you I was sitting teaching in the temple,
and ye did not lay hold on me;”
Literal Meaning: the words of the
Lord exposed the unrighteousness of religious believers on one hand, on the
other He also pointed out that He will be crucified with “robbers” (See Matt.
27:38). This word that “He was numbered with the transgressors” is fulfilled
(See Is. 53:12).
Matt. 26:56 “But all this was done
that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.’
Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.”
YLT: “but all this hath
come to pass, that the Writings of the prophets may be fulfilled;’ then all the
disciples, having left him, fled.”
Literal Meaning: “all the disciples
forsook Him and fled.” The words of disciples that they pledged to die with Him
(See v.35) are still ringing in our ears. Now when the trial comes, men’s
actual states are revealed.
Enlightenment in the Word: when the trial came, all the disciples failed;
however, all spiritual virtue must be tried and then will be much precious (See
1Pet. 1:7; 1Cor. 3:13).
Matt. 26:57 “And those who had laid
hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and
the elders were assembled.”
YLT: “And those laying
hold on Jesus led [him] away unto Caiaphas the chief priest, where the scribes
and the elders were gathered together,”
Spiritual Meaning: this is to fulfill
that the Lord Himself is the Lamb of the Passover and before He was killed, He
must be sent to the priests to look on and identify that He is the one without
blemish and then He could be sacrifice unto God (See Exod. 12:5; Deut. 17:1).
Enlightenment in the Word: the Lord Jesus did not know sin and was made be sin
for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (See 2Cor. 5:21).
Matt. 26:58 “But Peter followed Him at
a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the
servants to see the end.”
YLT: “and Peter was
following him afar off, unto the court of the chief priest, and having gone in
within, he was sitting with the officers, to see the end.”
Literal Meaning: “the high priest’s
courtyard” “courtyard” indicates the outdoor yard around which there are
buildings.
“He sat with the servants” “Servants”
indicate the servants of the high priest or they may be security guarders who
maintain the order of the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Anyone who follows the Lord by natural strength
all “follows Him at a distance” and finally he will show the real situation
when forced by environment.
2) Today many believers seem to follow the Lord
apparently. But actually they “follow Jesus at a distance”, keep a distance,
look on the situation and get ready to abandon the Lord to flee at any time.
Matt. 26:59 “Now the chief priests,
the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him
to death,”
YLT: “And the chief
priests, and the elders, and all the council, were seeking false witness
against Jesus, that they might put him to death,”
The
Background: “all the council”
The Jewish Sanhedrin is the supreme governing office of the Jews and the high
priest is the chairman. In the age of Jesus, the Sanhedrin was the council of
seventy-one members which was made up of the high priest, the elders and
scribes. Twenty-three is the effective and legal number of people.
Matt. 26:60 “but found none. Even
though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two
false witnesses came forward”
YLT: “and they did not
find; and many false witnesses having come near, they did not find; and at last
two false witnesses having come near,”
The
Background: according to the
regulations of the Law of Moses, judgment should be done when there is witness
of “two” at least.
Enlightenment in the Word: Religious believers had used up all lies (“false
witnesses”) and still cannot condemn the Lord; the Lord is indeed the lamb
without blemish and without spot (See 1Pet. 1:19; Heb. 9:14).
Matt. 26:61 “and said, ‘This fellow said, ‘I
am able to destroy the
YLT: “said, ‘This one
said, I am able to throw down the sanctuary of God, and after three days to
build it.’”
The
Background: the
Literal Meaning: the accusation in
this verse purposely distorted the words of the Lord (See John. 2:19).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Religious believers did not care that they had
made the
2) Today sins are brought into the church by many
believers and they are greatly fervent for the mere name of the church.
Matt. 26:62 “And the high priest arose
and said to Him, ‘Do You answer nothing? What
is it these men testify against You?’”
YLT: “And the chief
priest having stood up, said to him, `Nothing thou dost answer! what do these
witness against thee?”
Literal Meaning: the Lord did not
defend Himself before the council and this fulfills the words that “as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so He did not open His mouth” (Is. 53:7).
Matt. 26:63 “But Jesus kept silent.
And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I
put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of
God!’”
YLT: “and Jesus was
silent. And the chief priest answering said to him, `I adjure thee, by the
living God, that thou mayest say to us, if thou art the Christ the Son of
God.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “But Jesus kept silent.” There is no need for us
to pay attention to the unfaithful accusation from the enemy.
2) Christ is “the Son of God” and it is the pivotal
witness of Christians and we should never make a concession to this witness. If
we make a concession, all truth will become vain.
Matt. 26:64 “Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter
you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming
on the clouds of heaven.’”
YLT: “Jesus saith to him,
`Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of
Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the
heaven.’”
Literal Meaning: “you will see the
Son of Man” “The Son of Man” is the Lord’s position and identity through
incarnation. The high priest asked Him whether He is the Son of God. The Lord’s
answer presented Himself as the Son of Man because He suffered pain in Humanity,
and He also overcame standing on the position of the Son of Man (See Matt.
4:4), arose from the dead (See v.2; Matt. 20:18-19), was carried up into heaven
(See Acts. 7:56) and will come again.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When men bring false charge against Him, He kept
silent. Only when He was asked whether He is the Son of God, He cannot but
declare His identity because He came into the world with the aim of bearing
witness to Christ (See Matt. 16:15-17).
2) To other things, we should hold the tolerant and
yielding attitude. However, we should never make a concession on the witness of
Jesus Christ and contrarily we should be strong and of a good courage and we
should not make a compromise at all.
3) We should learn from Paul the apostle who determined
not to know any thing, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1Cor. 2:2).
Matt. 26:65 “Then the high priest tore
his clothes, saying, ‘He has spoken blasphemy!
What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His
blasphemy!”
YLT: “Then the chief
priest rent his garments, saying, `He hath spoken evil; what need have we yet
of witnesses? lo, now ye heard his evil speaking;”
Literal Meaning: “the high priest
tore his clothes” “Tearing one’s clothes” originally is an expression of the
Jews when they are grievous and indignant, except that the high priest cannot
tear his clothes even when his family members were dead (See Lev. 10:6; 21:10)
and only when he hears blasphemy could he tear his clothes.
“Blasphemy” means evil speaking and
profanation.
Matt. 26:66 “What do you think?’ They answered and said, ‘He
is deserving of death.’”
YLT: “what think ye?’ and
they answering said, `He is worthy of death.’”
Literal Meaning: “what do you think?”
means that, “how do you judge?”
“He is deserving of death” The Jews,
under the dominion of the
Note that the high priest and others
condemned the Lord Jesus not for the reason that He “is” the Son of God but
that He “testified” that He is the Son of God. They did not want to prove
whether He is the Son of God at all. They only wanted to find an excuse for
condemnation.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Religious believers haggle over words and names
(See Acts. 18:15; 2Tim. 2:14) and neglect the spiritual reality, that the Son
of God was condemned for death by them.
2) The members of the council purposed to take away
Jesus not because they cared about the things of God but the words and deeds of
Jesus strictly threatened the rights and interests of the council. Today, if
any person or group put their own interest higher than the will of God, they
will play the role of those who kill the Lord.
3) Who condemns the Lord the very first is not the
political power of the Gentiles but men of Judaism------God’s people; if
believers do not have the revelation of God, even those who are fervent may do
things that hurt the Lord greatly.
Matt. 26:67 “Then they spat in His
face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands,”
YLT: “Then did they spit
in his face and buffet him, and others did slap,”
Enlightenment in the Word: these words and deeds of religious believers
completely expose their base, low, unreasonable and evil nature. At the same
time, we could see that the Lord was actually willing to be humiliated in order
to save us. Shall we not be moved and go forth therefore unto Him without the camp,
bearing His reproach (See Heb. 13:13).
Matt. 26:68 “saying, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?’”
YLT: “saying, `Declare to
us, O Christ, who he is that struck thee?’”
Literal Meaning: this verse is the
mock.
Matt. 26:69 “Now Peter sat outside in
the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, ‘You
also were with Jesus of Galilee.’”
YLT: “And Peter without
was sitting in the court, and there came near to him a certain maid, saying,
‘And thou wast with Jesus of Galilee!’”
Literal Meaning: “a servant girl”
indicates one of the maids in the house of the high priest (See Mark. 14:66).
Matt. 26:70 “But he denied it before
them all, saying, ‘I do not know what you are
saying.’”
YLT: “And he denied
before all, saying, `I have not known what thou sayest.’”
Literal Meaning: “I do not know what
you are saying” means that “I do not know the meaning of your words.”
Enlightenment in the Word: Peter thought that he was strong and loved the Lord
could not bear a sentence of a weak servant girl unexpectedly. Wherefore let
him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (See 1Cor. 10:12).
Matt. 26:71 “And when he had gone out
to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, ‘This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.’”
YLT: “And he having gone
forth to the porch, another female saw him, and saith to those there, `And this
one was with Jesus of Nazareth;’”
Matt. 26:72 “But again he denied with
an oath, ‘I do not know the Man!’”
YLT: “and again did he
deny with an oath `I have not known the man.’”
Meaning of Words: “with an oath” It is
the common oath (it is not as serious as “swear” in v.74).
Enlightenment in the Word: Peter only said that “I do not know what you are
saying” earlier (See v.70) and now he said with an oath that “I do not know the
Man!” The beginning of men’s fall is always very small and unconscious.
However, a small failure will bring in greater and more serious failure. How
should we not be alert?
Matt. 26:73 “And a little later those
who stood by came up and said to Peter, ‘Surely
you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.’”
YLT: “And after a little
those standing near having come, said to Peter, ‘Truly thou also art of them,
for even thy speech doth make thee manifest.’”
The
Background: Galilean spoke
Aramaic and they had a broad accent of Galilean which was notably different
from that of men in the
Spiritual Meaning: “speech” represents
the feature which is organized by the Holy Spirit in a believer in his life and
experience.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) There is no need to debate that the Lord is
true; however, it is debated again and again that Peter is false. Concerning
the true things, it is clear without any debate; concerning the false things, the
more it is debated, the more obviously the “speech” is shown.
2) One’s accumulative habits, words and deeds of
many years will naturally show his inner and actual state. And it is hard to
disguise himself.
3) God arranges our environment and makes us be
tried again and again. The trial becomes hasher and harsher until we fully
realize our weakness so that we no longer rely on ourselves.
Matt. 26:74 “Then he began to curse
and swear, saying, ‘I do not know the Man!’ Immediately a rooster crowed.”
YLT: “Then began he to
anathematise, and to swear `I have not known the man;’ and immediately did a
cock crow,”
Meaning of Words: “swear”: declare on
oath (“swear” is more serious than “with an oath” in v.72)
Literal Meaning: “curse and swear”
“Swear” is different from “with an oath” in v.72 and its nature is more
serious, showing that he used up the ways of oath to defend himself.
When Peter denied the Lord the first
time, he only said something to deny Him (See v.70); the second time, he use
“an oath” to support his words (See v.72); the third time, he cursed and swore
in order to support his words. It becomes more and more serious time by time.
Enlightenment in the Word: when men accused the Lord, He did not defend
Himself at all. The truth will be manifested naturally. However, the more Peter
defended himself, the easier it is to give the show away. When men
misunderstand us, the best way is not defending ourselves but praying.
Matt. 26:75 “And Peter remembered the
word of Jesus who had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows,
you will deny Me three times.’ So he went out and wept
bitterly.”
YLT: “and Peter
remembered the saying of Jesus, he having said to him `Before cock-crowing,
thrice thou wilt deny me;’ and having gone without, he did weep bitterly.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord, through crows of the rooster, reminded
Peter that he owed Him; we should take care that whether the Lord had spoken to
us in order to remind us that we owe Him or are unfaithful to Him through our
misfortune or environment around.
2) It is unavoidably that believers may fail or be
offended and what’s the most important is that we should know the word of the
Lord (“remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him”) in the failing
experience or and environment (“crows of the rooster”) and be touched by the
word of the Lord and feel broken and contrite from heart (“he went out and wept
bitterly”). In this way, we could continue to go forth in the Lord.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Suffering of the King
I. The Lord Jesus was found as the Lamb of the
Passover:
A. The
Lord predicted that He would be crucified (v.1-2).
B. Men
premeditated to kill Him (v.3-5).
II. Men’s evaluation towards the Lamb of the
Passover:
A. He
is worthy to be anointed with fragrant oil which costs three hundred denarii
(v.6-13).
B.
Judas betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver (v.14-16).
III. The sign of the King’s suffering:
A. The
Feast of the Passover (v.17-25).
B. The
desk of the Lord (v.26-30).
IV. The Lord Jesus suffered alone:
A. The
sheep of the flock were scattered because the shepherd was struck (v.31-35).
B. The
Lord was tortured in the
V. The Lamb of the Passover was looked on by the
priest:
A. He
was brought as a lamb to the slaughter (v.47-56).
B. He
was looked on and manifested as the lamb without blemish (v.57-68).
VI. The extreme of suffering------the Lord was
denied by His close disciple (v.69-75).
The Death of the
Lord Jesus
I. The Lord’s own description towards His
death (v.1-2):
A. His death was related to the Passover------“after two days is the
Passover”.
B. His death was the death of the flesh------“the Son of Man”.
C. His death was due to the betrayal of
men------“be delivered up”.
D. His death was by the cross------“to be crucified”.
II. The death was due to scheme of religious
believers (v.3-5):
A. His death was the result of the plot of religious leaders.
B. His death was caused by “trickery”.
C. His death was not planed to be executed during the feast.
A Good Work
I. She poured the costly fragrant oil on the
Lord’s head (v.7)------she knew the preciousness of the Lord.
II. As He sat at the table (v.7)------she
seized the opportunity to love the Lord.
III. It caused others’ criticism and blame
(v.8-9)------she disregarded others’ opinions.
IV. It was done for the Lord (v.10)------she
only pleased the Lord.
V. It was praised by the Lord as a good work
(v.10)------she knew the will of the Lord.
VI. She loved the Lord more than the poor
(v.11)------she loved the Lord more than everything.
VII. It was done for the Lord’s burial
(v.12)------she knew the meaning of the cross was
united to the death of the Lord.
VIII. Wherever this gospel is preached, what
this woman has done will also be told (v.13)------this good work is the aim of
the gospel.
Mary Anointed the
Lord
I. It was done at the house of Simon the
leper (v.6).
II. It was a behavior of love and faith
towards the Lord (v.7).
III. It was the dedication which seemed to
be “waste” and exceeded conventions (v.8-9).
IV. It was a good work done by seizing the
opportunity (v.10-11).
V. It was done for the burial of the Lord
(v.12).
VI. It was worthy to be told as a memorial
all over the world (v.13).
The Lord’s Desk
(i.e. the so-called Eucharist)
I. Its typification in narrow sense:
A. The bread------the body of the Lord was broken for us (v.26).
B. The cup------the blood of the Lord was shed for us (v.27).
II. Its typification in broad sense (See
1Cor. 10:16-17):
A. The bread------all believers partake in the body of Christ through
“eating” the bread.
B. The cup------all believers partake in the blessing of Christ through
“drinking” the cup.
The Prayer of the
Lord in the
I. The Lord Jesus was sorrowful
alone------the disciples did not understand the suffering of the cross (the
cup).
II. The Lord Jesus prayed alone------the
disciples were unable to watch and pray with Him because of their weakness.
III. The Lord Jesus asked the relation
between the cup and the will of God------He only sought the fulfillment of the
will of God the Father.
IV. The Lord Jesus prayed three
times------until He clearly understood the will of God the Father.
V. The Lord Jesus faced what was going to
happen calmly and composedly------because He clearly knew the will of God the
Father.
The Spirit Indeed is
Willing, but the Flesh is Weak
I. They were willing to die with the Lord in
their hearts (v.35).
II. The weak conditions of their flesh:
A. Their eyes were heavy and they were asleep (v.43).
B. They all forsook Him and fled (v.56).
C. Peter followed the Lord at a distance (v.58).
D. Peter denied the Lord three times (v.69-75).
III. The way to make it up:
A. The example of the Lord------not as I will, but as you will (v.39).
B. The teaching of the Lord------watch and pray, lest you enter into
temptation (v.41).
IV. Warning------one should never rely on
the strength of the flesh (v.51-52).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible Commentary
Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren