Matthew 26:1–29

The Plot to Kill Jesus—Mark 14:1–2; Luke 22:1–6; John 11:45–57

¹When Jesus finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, ²“You know that the Passover will take place in two days. At that time the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” 

³Then the chief priests and the leaders of the people gathered in the palace of the chief priest Caiaphas. ⁴They made plans to arrest Jesus in an underhanded way and to kill him. ⁵But they said, “We shouldn’t arrest him during the festival, or else there may be a riot among the people.” 

A Woman Prepares Jesus’ Body for the Tomb—Mark 14:3–9; John 12:1–8

⁶Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon, a man who had suffered from a skin disease. ⁷While Jesus was sitting there, a woman went to him with a bottle of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head. 

⁸The disciples were irritated when they saw this. They asked, “Why did she waste it like this? ⁹It could have been sold for a high price, and the money could have been given to the poor.” 

¹⁰Since Jesus knew what was going on, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. ¹¹You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you. ¹²She poured this perfume on my body before it is placed in a tomb. ¹³I can guarantee this truth: Wherever this Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 

Judas Plans to Betray Jesus—Mark 14:10–11; Luke 22:3–6

¹⁴Then one of the twelve apostles, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. ¹⁵He asked, “What will you pay me if I hand him over to you?” 

They offered him 30 silver coins. ¹⁶From then on, he looked for a chance to betray Jesus. 

Preparations for the Passover—Mark 14:12–17; Luke 22:7–17

¹⁷On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples went to Jesus. They asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?” 

¹⁸He said, “Go to a certain man in the city, and tell him that the teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ” 

¹⁹The disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 

²⁰When evening came, Jesus was at the table with the twelve apostles. 

Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him—Mark 14:18–21; Luke 22:21–23; John 13:21–30

²¹While they were eating, he said, “I can guarantee this truth: One of you is going to betray me.” 

²²Feeling deeply hurt, they asked him one by one, “You don’t mean me, do you, Lord?” 

²³Jesus answered, “Someone who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man is going to die as the Scriptures say he will. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays the Son of Man. It would have been better for that person if he had never been born.” 

²⁵Then Judas, who betrayed him, asked, “You don’t mean me, do you, Rabbi?” 

“Yes, I do,” Jesus replied. 

The Lord’s Supper—Mark 14:22–26; Luke 22:19–20

²⁶While they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take this, and eat it. This is my body.” 

²⁷Then he took a cup and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸This is my blood, the blood of the promise.^aIt is poured out for many people so that sins are forgiven. 

²⁹“I can guarantee that I won’t drink this wine again until that day when I drink new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”