And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. (Matt. 26:57)
Welcome to this weekly study of Matthew's Gospel, a collaboration between Mary Barmore and Alice C. Linsley. To prepare, read Matthew chapter 26. When you have finished, answer the 8 questions. Scroll to the bottom to check your answers.
Introduction
Matthew 26 details the events leading to Jesus' crucifixion, including the plot against him, his anointing at Bethany, the Last Supper, his agonizing prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, his betrayal by Judas for 30 pieces of silver, and his arrest. Peter declares his unswerving loyalty to Jesus, but Jesus tells him that on that same day Peter would deny him three times. After Jesus was arrested, he was brought for trial before a council under the authority of Caiaphas, the high priest.Questions
1. What is the significance of Jesus' visit to the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany?
2. What is known about the woman who anointed Jesus' head?
3. What arrangements were made for Jesus and his disciples to eat the Passover together?
4. Jesus knew the identity of his betrayer. What did he say about that man?
5. When Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him, what was their reaction?
6.What actions and words of Jesus are essential to the proper observation of Holy Communion (also called the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist)?
7. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. What do his prayers reveal about his relationship to God?
8. In what way do the kiss and the sword convey the tension of Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane?
9. In what ways did the trial before Caiaphas violate Jewish law?
10. What was happening to Jesus while Peter was outside in the courtyard?
Answers
1. Jesus stayed in the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany. Bethany is where Lazarus lived with his sisters Mary and Martha. It is likely that Simon was one of their friends who also believed in Jesus Messiah. Some scholars believe that Simon was the leper who Jesus cured in Matthew 8:1-5. While in the home of a man who was once declared unclean, a woman poured expensive ointment over Jesus' head and Jesus explained that this was in preparation for his burial.
2. The woman who anointed Jesus' head while he was at the house of Simon the Leper is not named in Matthew or in the similar account in Mark 14:3-9. John 12:1-8 reports that Mary, the sister of Martha, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. That anointing happened 6 days before the Passover. However, the woman in Matthew's account, which happened 2 days before the Passover, does not appear to be Mary. Whoever the woman was, Jesus declared that what she did was a "beautiful thing" and that it would be told in memory of her. That woman remains unnamed to emphasize her act of profound devotion rather than her identity.
3. Jesus sent some of his disciples into Jerusalem to the household of an unnamed family, requesting that they be offer a place to eat the Passover. Matthew's Gospel refers to the head of this household simply as "a certain man" (v. 18) to protect the individual. Some scholars suggest the household is not identified to keep the location secret from the religious authorities.
4. Jesus knew that Judas would betray him. He said it was better for him not to have been born. The Gospel accounts vary as to the order of events. John 13:30 indicates that Judas left immediately after receiving the "sop" to which Jesus refers in Matthew 26:23. Sop refers to the bread dipped into the wine. When Judas left the Passover meal is not clear in the accounts of Matthew and Mark.
5. When the disciples heard that one of them would betray Jesus, they were sorrowful and began to question among themselves. One after the other asked Jesus, "Is it I, Lord?"
6. Jesus began by taking bread and a cup of wine and setting them apart for a holy purpose. This bread and wine were no longer ordinary bread and wine. Then Jesus gave thanks to God (the Greek word is eucharistia) and then he blessed (the Greek word is hagiazo, meaning to consecrate or make holy) the bread and wine. Jesus then broke the bread as a symbol of how his body would be broken. He offered it to his followers, saying, "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you". Then he offered the cup, saying, "Drink from it, all of you... This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins". Finally, Jesus commanded his followers to "Do this in remembrance of me".
7. Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane reveal his intimacy with his Father ("Abba") and his desire to please the Father in all things. His plea to take the cup away displays his humanity. His submission to the divine plan reveals the depth of his love for sinful humanity.
8. The kiss highlights the betrayal of Jesus by one of his disciples. What is meant as a sign of affection became a signal for Jesus' capture. The sword represents the violence surrounding Jesus' arrest. The kiss and the sword highlight the betrayal of the Son of God and Jesus' refusal to endorse violence. Jesus’ response to both acts emphasizes the tension: he calls Judas a "friend" and immediately orders his disciple to put away the sword. He then heals the wounded servant.
9. The trial of Jesus before Caiaphas was illegal according to the Jewish legal system. Violations included holding the proceedings secretly at night, failing to have a proper indictment, lacking credible witnesses, and convening on a religious holiday. Passover begins at sunset on the evening before the first full day of the holiday, so the religious leaders were convening to condemn Jesus on the Passover. Originally, the priests and elders said that they would not act against Jesus during the Passover (v. 5) because they were afraid of the reaction of the people who regarded Jesus as a great prophet.
Caiaphas was a Sadducee. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. However, Caiaphas' ossuary had the merkaba image, a 6-prong solar symbol that represented the hope for life after death or the rising with the sun. Below is a photo of the bone box (ossuary) of the high priest Joseph Caiaphas.
Jews practiced secondary burial. After the flesh was gone, they collected the bones and placed them in ossuaries.
In 1990 Joseph Caiaphas' limestone ossuary was discovered in a Jerusalem tomb. The ossuary was inscribed with the Aramaic name Yosef bar Qayyafa, the name given by Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews (18:63). Note that Joseph Caiaphas had a son named Yeshua or Jesus. He also had a granddaughter named Miriam or Mary. Those names ran in the family of the high priest.
10. While Peter was outside in the courtyard denying that he was one of Jesus' disciples, the religious leaders spat in Jesus' face, struck him and slapped him.
Why the Name Jesus?
Matthew Chapter 1: A Closer Look
Matthew Chapter 2: The Magi Worship the Christ and Defy Herod
Matthew Chapter 3: Jesus and John Fulfill Righteousness
Matthew Chapter 4: Jesus Exposes the Devil's Tactics
Matthew Chapter 5: Jesus Teaches with Superior Authority
Matthew Chapter 6: True Kingdom Seekers
Matthew Chapter 7: Entering by the Narrow Gate
Matthew Chapter 8: The Uniqueness of Jesus
Matthew Chapter 9: Christ the Compassionate Lord
Matthew Chapter 10: The Apostles' High Calling
Matthew Chapter 11: The Messiah Brings Relief
Matthew Chapter 12: Greater Glory Resides in Jesus
Matthew Chapter 13: Perceive His Kingdom Coming
Matthew Chapter 14: Christ Rules Over Nature
Matthew Chapter 15: The Power of Persistent Faith
Matthew Chapter 16: Preparing for the End
Matthew Chapter 17: Behold the Glory of the Son of God!
Matthew Chapter 18: Living as a Child of God
Matthew Chapter 19: The Demands and Rewards of Righteousness
Matthew Chapter 20: The Parable of the Laborers
Matthew Chapter 21: The Corner Stone Rejected
Matthew Chapter 22: The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Matthew Chapter 23: Woe to False Religious Leaders!
Matthew Chapter 24: Learning to Read the Signs
Matthew Chapter 25: Working While We Wait for Christ's Return
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