Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Matthew
Chapter 26: Not as I Will, but as Thou Wilt
Matthew 26 enters the shadow of the cross. The rulers plot to take Jesus by subtlety, and Judas sells Him for thirty pieces of silver, while a woman pours out precious ointment in extravagant love, anointing Him for burial. In the upper room He keeps the Passover and gives the new covenant meal: 'this is my body... this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.' In Gethsemane He falls on His face in agony, 'O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt,' and surrenders to the Father's will. He is betrayed with a kiss, forsaken by all, and led to the high priest, where He confesses under oath that He is the Christ, the Son of God, who will come in the clouds of heaven, and is condemned for blasphemy. And Peter, who swore he would never fall, denies his Lord three times and 'went out, and wept bitterly.' The chapter shows the Saviour going willingly to the cross, submitting to the Father, and loving to the end even those who fail Him.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Matthew chapter 26. For each section you will find the KJV text, word studies that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus is anointed for burial, gives the new covenant meal, prays in Gethsemane, is arrested and tried, and is denied by Peter. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
She Did It for My Burial
A woman's extravagant love anoints Jesus while Judas sells Him for silver.
My Blood of the New Testament
The Passover becomes the meal of the new covenant in His blood.
Not as I Will
In agony Jesus surrenders to the Father's will and drinks the cup.
The Christ, the Son of God
He confesses His deity before the council, and Peter denies Him.
She Hath Wrought a Good Work Upon Me (Matthew 26:1-16)
While rulers plot and Judas bargains, a woman's costly worship shines, anointing Jesus for the burial He is about to undergo.
For a Memorial of Her
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him."
Word Study
"waste," Greek apoleia (ἀπώλεια). The word means loss, destruction, a throwing away. The disciples, led by Judas (John 12:4-6), called the woman's outpoured ointment "waste", money destroyed. But Jesus calls it "a good work." What love pours out on Christ is never wasted; the only true "waste" is a life or a treasure withheld from Him. The very word the disciples used for her gift is elsewhere the word for perdition, and it is Judas, not the woman, who is on the road to loss. Extravagant devotion to Jesus is the wisest investment there is.
Explanation
The chapter opens with three converging streams: the leaders plotting Jesus' death, a woman pouring costly ointment on Him, and Judas selling Him for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus interprets the woman's extravagance as preparation "for my burial" -- she alone seems to grasp that He is going to die, and her worship will be told "wheresoever this gospel shall be preached." The contrast is stark: devotion that pours out everything set beside betrayal that sells the Lord for the price of a slave. Every heart, faced with Christ, moves toward one or the other.
Gospel Focus
Matthew sets three responses to Jesus side by side, and they could not be more different. The rulers plot to "take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him", cold, calculating hatred. Judas, "one of the twelve," goes to sell his Master for "thirty pieces of silver", the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32), betraying love for money. And between these dark deeds shines the woman of Bethany, who breaks open "an alabaster box of very precious ointment" and pours it on Jesus' head. Her act is lavish, costly, and, to the calculating disciples, wasteful: "To what purpose is this waste?" But Jesus defends her and lifts her deed to the highest honor: "she hath wrought a good work upon me... she did it for my burial." She may not have fully understood, but her love led her to do the fitting thing at the fitting hour, anointing the body of her Lord before His death. And Jesus gives her a memorial that has outlasted empires: "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this... be told for a memorial of her." Consider the contrast the chapter draws. Judas asked, "What will ye give me?", he came to Jesus to get. The woman asked nothing; she came to give, and gave her best. One counted the cost and sold his soul for silver; the other counted no cost and poured out her treasure in worship. This is the great dividing line of the human heart before Christ: do we come to get from Him, or to give ourselves to Him? The world, and even well-meaning religion, may call wholehearted devotion a "waste." But nothing poured out for Jesus is ever lost. Break your alabaster box; He is worthy of your best.
This Is My Blood of the New Testament (Matthew 26:17-35)
At the Passover Jesus unveils the meaning of His death, giving the bread and cup as the new covenant in His blood, shed for the remission of sins.
Shed for Many for the Remission of Sins
"Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve. And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples."
Word Study
"testament," Greek diatheke (διαθήκη). The word means a covenant, a binding arrangement, and here "the new testament", the new covenant God promised through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Every covenant was sealed with blood, and this one is sealed with the blood of Christ Himself, "shed for many for the remission of sins." The Passover, which recalled deliverance from Egypt by the blood of a lamb, now finds its fulfillment: Jesus is the true Passover Lamb, and His blood establishes the new covenant, bringing not merely deliverance from bondage but the remission of sins.
Explanation
At the Passover Jesus transforms the ancient meal into His own memorial: "this is my body... this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." The lamb of the exodus gives way to the true Lamb, and His poured-out blood inaugurates the new covenant Jeremiah promised. Even as He gives Himself, He names His betrayer and foretells that all will forsake Him and Peter will deny Him thrice. The supper is grace offered to men who are about to fail Him utterly -- the very shape of the atonement it proclaims.
Gospel Focus
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus keeps the Passover with the twelve, and transforms it. First He unmasks the betrayer with sorrowing love, "one of you shall betray me", and the disciples, in humble self-distrust, each ask, "Lord, is it I?" Judas asks too, and hears his own guilt confirmed. Then Jesus takes the bread and the cup and gives them a new and everlasting meaning: "Take, eat; this is my body... this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Here, at the table, He explains the cross before He bears it. His body would be broken and His blood poured out, not as a tragedy but as a sacrifice, the once-for-all offering that seals the new covenant and secures "the remission of sins." The bread and the cup, which believers still take in remembrance of Him, preach His death: that our forgiveness cost the very lifeblood of God come in flesh. Notice the words "for many" and "for the remission of sins", His death is substitutionary and its purpose is to take away sin. This is the heart of the gospel. But the section also holds a solemn word about human weakness. Jesus warns that all will be "offended" that very night, quoting Zechariah, "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad." Peter protests with hot confidence, "yet will I never be offended... Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee," and all the disciples say the same. They meant it; yet within hours they would all flee, and Peter would deny Him thrice. How little we know our own hearts. The remedy for our weakness is not self-confidence but the blood of the covenant and the grace of the risen Lord who says, even as He foretells their failure, "after I am risen again, I will go before you." He knows we will fail Him, and He goes before us still.
O My Father, Let This Cup Pass from Me (Matthew 26:36-56)
In the garden Jesus wrestles in prayer and surrenders to the Father's will, then gives Himself up to betrayal and arrest.
Thy Will Be Done
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled."
Word Study
"cup," Greek poterion (ποτήριον). In Scripture the "cup" is often the cup of God's judgment and wrath against sin (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17). This is the cup Jesus shrinks from in the garden, not merely physical death, but bearing the full weight of the world's sin and the righteous wrath it deserved. His agony was so real that His "soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." Yet He prays, "not as I will, but as thou wilt," and takes the cup. He drank to the dregs the judgment we deserved, that we might never taste it.
Explanation
In Gethsemane the incarnate Lord, in a real and sinless human will, shrinks from the cup of wrath -- "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" -- and then yields, "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." This is no conflict between two divine persons but the genuine human will of God-manifest-in-flesh bowing to the divine purpose; the Man prays, and God answers within Him. His agony is real, His obedience free, and He goes to the betrayer's kiss and the soldiers' hands as one who could summon "twelve legions of angels" yet will not, "that the scriptures might be fulfilled." The submission of the garden is the strength that carries Him to the cross.
Gospel Focus
Gethsemane opens a window into the true cost of our salvation. Here we see that the cross was no easy thing even for the sinless Son. "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," He says, and He "fell on his face" in prayer. The anguish was real: to bear the sin of the world and the cup of divine wrath was a horror from which His holy soul recoiled. Three times He prays, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me," and three times He bows to the Father's will: "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt... thy will be done." This is the great victory of Gethsemane, won before Calvary, the perfect surrender of the human will to the will of God. Where the first Adam said in a garden, "my will," the Lord says, "thy will be done," and by that obedience He would save us. Notice too His tender realism about His disciples, who could not "watch with me one hour": "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." He understands our frailty even as He calls us to watch and pray. When the arrest comes, everything is under His control though He appears the victim. Judas betrays Him with the sign of love, a kiss, and Jesus answers with aching grace, "Friend, wherefore art thou come?" When Peter draws a sword, Jesus stops him, "all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword", and reveals His true power: He could summon "more than twelve legions of angels." He is not seized; He surrenders. He goes to the cross not because He cannot escape but because "the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled," and because it is the Father's will to save us. "Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." He would tread the winepress alone. The One who surrendered His will in the garden is the God who loved us enough to drink our cup.
Thou Hast Said (Matthew 26:57-75)
Before the council Jesus confesses that He is the Christ, the Son of God, while outside Peter denies he ever knew Him.
He Went Out, and Wept Bitterly
"And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly."
Word Study
"deny," Greek aparneomai (ἀπαρνέομαι). The word means to disown, to renounce, to refuse to acknowledge someone as one's own. It is the very word Jesus used when He called disciples to "deny himself" (16:24), and the word of His warning, "thou shalt deny me thrice." The tragedy is that Peter, who would not deny himself and take up his cross, ended by denying his Lord instead. Yet the same word carries hope: the Peter who here disowns Christ would soon be restored, and the sound of the cock and the memory of Jesus' word broke his heart to bitter, saving tears.
Explanation
Before Caiaphas the charge that condemns Jesus is His own confession: asked if He is "the Christ, the Son of God," He answers yes and adds that they will see the Son of man "sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" -- claiming Daniel's divine throne. The high priest tears his robe and cries blasphemy, precisely because Jesus has claimed to be God. Outside, Peter fulfills the prediction, denying his Lord three times before the cock crows and then weeping bitterly. The truth that damns Jesus in that court is the truth that saves the world: He is the Son of God.
Gospel Focus
Two trials run side by side in this scene, and they illuminate each other. Inside, Jesus stands before the council; outside, Peter stands before a servant girl. The council, having already decided to kill Him, "sought false witness against Jesus," but their case collapsed, "though many false witnesses came, yet found they none." So the high priest puts Him under solemn oath: "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God." Jesus, who had held His peace under false accusation, now speaks, for this is the truth He came to bear witness to: "Thou hast said", yes. And He adds the claim that seals His condemnation and reveals His glory: "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." He is the divine figure of Daniel's vision, the Son of man who shares the throne of God and comes in glory; He is the Christ, the Son of God. The high priest understood exactly what He claimed, and "rent his clothes," crying "blasphemy", for Jesus was claiming to be God. They judged Him "guilty of death," then spat in His face and mocked Him. Here is the astonishing heart of the gospel: the One they spat upon and struck is the Lord of glory, God come in flesh, who could have called twelve legions of angels, receiving the blows in silence for us. Meanwhile, outside, Peter fails. Confronted three times, he denies Christ, first evasively, then "with an oath," then with cursing and swearing, "I know not the man." Then "the cock crew," and the Lord's word came back to him, and "he went out, and wept bitterly." Note the difference between Peter and Judas: both failed grievously, but Judas went to despair, while Peter's bitter tears were the tears of a broken heart that would be restored. Peter's fall is a warning to all our self-confidence, "though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee." And Peter's tears are a comfort to all who have failed: the way back is not despair but repentance. Even as Peter denied Him, Jesus was on the way to the cross to purchase Peter's forgiveness, and ours.
Chapter 26 in Review
Matthew 26 brings Jesus to the threshold of the cross, and reveals His heart at every step. As rulers plot and Judas sells Him for "thirty pieces of silver," a woman pours out precious ointment in worship, and Jesus honors her love: "she did it for my burial." At the Passover He gives the new covenant meal, "this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins," explaining His death as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. In Gethsemane He wrestles in agony and surrenders, "not as I will, but as thou wilt... thy will be done," then gives Himself up to betrayal and arrest, though He could have summoned "twelve legions of angels." Before Caiaphas He confesses that He is "the Christ, the Son of God," who will come "in the clouds of heaven," and is condemned for blasphemy and mocked. And Peter, who swore he would never fall, denies his Lord three times and "went out, and wept bitterly."
For the Apostolic reader the chapter is a portrait of the willing Saviour and the God who loves to the end. He is the true Passover Lamb, whose blood seals the new covenant and secures the remission of sins, the very forgiveness offered in the Apostolic gospel. He is the man of Gethsemane, whose perfect surrender of His will teaches us to pray "thy will be done" in our own dark hours. He is the prisoner who is really the King, arrested only because He surrenders, forsaken by all yet loving still. And He is the One who confesses His deity under oath, the Son of man of Daniel's vision, God come in flesh, receiving the spittle and the blows in silence for our sake. Around Him the human heart is laid bare: Judas' cold betrayal, the woman's lavish love, the disciples' fearful flight, Peter's bitter fall. And the difference between Judas and Peter is the difference between despair and repentance. If you have failed your Lord, do not go the way of Judas; weep the bitter tears of Peter and return, for the Saviour going to the cross in this chapter went there to buy back failing sinners like Peter, and like us.
- Nothing poured out in love for Christ is ever wasted (26:10, 13).
- Jesus is the true Passover Lamb; His blood seals the new covenant for the remission of sins (26:28).
- Gethsemane's victory is perfect surrender: "not as I will, but as thou wilt" (26:39).
- Jesus is not seized but surrenders; He could have called twelve legions of angels (26:53).
- He confesses His deity: the Christ, the Son of God, coming in the clouds (26:63-64).
- Peter's bitter tears are repentance, not despair; the way back is to return (26:75).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you come to Christ to get, like Judas, or to give yourself, like the woman of Bethany?
- What does the cup of Gethsemane teach you about the cost of your salvation?
- Can you pray "thy will be done" in your own hard place, as Jesus did?
- When you fail, do you go the way of Judas' despair or Peter's repentant tears?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The new covenant in Christ's blood: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 9:11-15; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Christ our Passover: Exodus 12; 1 Corinthians 5:7. The smitten shepherd: Zechariah 13:7. The cup of God's wrath: Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17. The Son of man at God's right hand: Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 110:1. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The plot, the anointing at Bethany, and Judas' bargain: Matthew 26:1-16; Mark 14:1-11; John 12:1-8.
- The Last Supper and the new covenant: Matthew 26:17-35; Mark 14:12-31; Luke 22:7-38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Jeremiah 31:31-34.
- Gethsemane and the arrest: Matthew 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-52; Luke 22:39-53; John 18:1-11.
- The trial before Caiaphas and Peter's denial: Matthew 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-71; John 18:12-27; Daniel 7:13-14.