World Wide Study Bible
Study
a Bible passage
Click a verse to see commentary22. Last Supper, Betrayal, Arrest
1Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. 2And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death; for they feared the people. 3And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4And he went away, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might deliver him unto them. 5And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. 6And he consented, and sought opportunity to deliver him unto them in the absence of the multitude. 7And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover must be sacrificed. 8And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make ready for us the passover, that we may eat. 9And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we make ready? 10And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house whereinto he goeth. 11And ye shall say unto the master of the house, The Teacher saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12And he will show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 14And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the apostles with him. 15And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16for I say unto you, I shall not eat it, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for you. 21But behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. 22For the Son of man indeed goeth, as it hath been determined: but woe unto that man through whom he is betrayed! 23And they began to question among themselves, which of them it was that should do this thing. 24And there arose also a contention among them, which of them was accounted to be greatest. 25And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; and they that have authority over them are called Benefactors. 26But ye shall not be so: but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27For which is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am in the midst of you as he that serveth. 28But ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations; 29and I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me, 30that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: 32but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. 33And he said unto him, Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death. 34And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, until thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. 35And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. 36And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. 37For I say unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in me, And he was reckoned with transgressors: for that which concerneth me hath fulfilment. 38And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough. 39And he came out, and went, as his custom was, unto the mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed him. 40And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41And he was parted from them about a stone's cast; and he kneeled down and prayed, 42saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43And there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground. 45And when he rose up from his prayer, he came unto the disciples, and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46and said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. 47While he yet spake, behold, a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them; and he drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 48But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? 49And when they that were about him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? 50And a certain one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his right ear. 51But Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye them thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. 52And Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and elders, that were come against him, Are ye come out, as against a robber, with swords and staves? 53When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched not forth your hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. 54And they seized him, and led him away, and brought him into the high priest's house. But Peter followed afar off. 55And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the court, and had sat down together, Peter sat in the midst of them. 56And a certain maid seeing him as he sat in the light of the fire, and looking stedfastly upon him, said, This man also was with him. 57But he denied, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou also art one of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. 59And after the space of about one hour another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this man also was with him; for he is a Galilaean. 60But Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said unto him, Before the cock crow this day thou shalt deny me thrice. 62And he went out, and wept bitterly. 63And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and beat him. 64And they blindfolded him, and asked him, saying, Prophesy: who is he that struck thee? 65And many other things spake they against him, reviling him. 66And as soon as it was day, the assembly of the elders of the people was gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away into their council, saying, 67If thou art the Christ, tell us. But he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: 68and if I ask you, ye will not answer. 69But from henceforth shall the Son of man be seated at the right hand of the power of God. 70And they all said, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. 71And they said, What further need have we of witness? for we ourselves have heard from his own mouth.
Christ Abused and Insulted.
63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. 66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, 67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: 68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. 69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. 70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. 71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
We are here told, as before in the other gospels,
I. How our Lord Jesus was abused by the servants of the high priest. The abjects, the rude and barbarous servants, gathered themselves together against him. They that held Jesus, that had him in custody till the court sat, they mocked him, and smote him (v. 63), they would not allow him to repose himself one minute, though he had had no sleep all night, nor to compose himself, though he was hurried to his trial, and no time given him to prepare for it. They made sport with him: this sorrowful night to him shall be a merry night to them; and the blessed Jesus, like Samson, is made the fool in the play. They hood-winked him, and then, according to the common play that young people have among them, they struck him on the face, and continued to do so till he named the person that smote him (v. 64), intending hereby an affront to his prophetical office, and that knowledge of secret things which he was said to have. We are not told that he said any thing, but bore every thing; hell was let loose, and he suffered it to do its worst. A greater indignity could not be done to the blessed Jesus, yet this was but one instance of many; for many other things blasphemously spoke they against him, v. 65. They that condemned him for a blasphemer were themselves the vilest blasphemers that ever were.
II. How he was accused and condemned by the great sanhedrim, consisting of the elders of the people, the chief priests, and the scribes, who were all up betimes, and got together as soon as it was day, about five of the clock in the morning, to prosecute this matter. They were working this evil upon their beds, and, as soon as ever the morning was light, practised it, Mic. ii. 1. They would not have been up so early for any good work. It is but a short account that we have here of his trial in the ecclesiastical court.
1. They ask him, Art thou the Christ? He was generally believed by his followers to be the Christ, but they could not prove it upon him that he had ever said so totidem verbis—in so many words, and therefore urge him to own it to them, v. 67. If they had asked him this question with a willingness to admit that he was the Christ, and to receive him accordingly if he could give sufficient proof of his being so, it had been well, and might have been for ever well with them; but they asked it with a resolution not to believe him, but a design to ensnare him.
2. He justly complained of their unfair and unjust usage of him, v. 67, 68. They all, as Jews, professed to expect the Messiah, and to expect him at this time. No other appeared, or had appeared, that pretended to be the Messiah. He had no competitor, nor was he likely to have any. He had given amazing proofs of a divine power going along with him, which made his claims very well worthy of a free and impartial enquiry. It had been but just for these leaders of the people to have taken him into their council, and examined him there as a candidate for the messiahship, not at the bar as a criminal. "But," saith he, (1.) "If I tell you that I am the Christ, and give you ever such convincing proofs of it, you are resolved that you will not believe. Why should the cause be brought on before you who have already prejudged it, and are resolved, right or wrong, to run it down, and to condemn it?" (2.) "If I ask you what you have to object against the proofs I produce, you will not answer me." Here he refers to their silence when he put a question to them, which would have led them to own his authority, ch. xx. 5-7. They were neither fair judges, nor fair disputants; but, when they were pinched with an argument, would rather be silent than own their conviction: "You will neither answer me nor let me go; if I be not the Christ, you ought to answer the arguments with which I prove that I am; if I be, you ought to let me go; but you will do neither."
3. He referred them to his second coming, for the full proof of his being the Christ, to their confusion, since they would not now admit the proof of it, to their conviction (v. 69): "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit, and be seen to sit, on the right hand of the power of God, and then you will not need to ask whether he be the Christ or no."
4. Hence they inferred that he set up himself as the Son of God, and asked him whether he were so or no (v. 70): Art thou then the Son of God? He called himself the Son of man, referring to Daniel's vision of the Son of man that came near before the Ancient of days, Dan. vii. 13, 14. But they understood so much as to know that if he was that Son of man, he was also the Son of God. And art thou so? By this it appears to have been the faith of the Jewish church that the Messiah should be both Son of man and Son of God.
5. He owns himself to be the Son of God: Ye say that I am; that is, "I am, as ye say." Compare Mark xiv. 62. Jesus said, I am. This confirms Christ's testimony concerning himself, that he was the Son of God, that he stood to it, when he knew he should suffer for standing to it.
6. Upon this they ground his condemnation (v. 71): What need we any further witness? It was true, they needed not any further witness to prove that he said he was the Son of God, they had it from his own mouth; but did they not need proof that he was not so, before they condemned him as a blasphemer for saying that he was so? Had they no apprehension that it was possible he might be so, and then what horrid guilt they should bring upon themselves in putting him to death? No, they know not, neither will they understand. They cannot think it possible that he should be the Messiah, though ever so evidently clothed with divine power and grace, if he appear not, as they expect, in worldly pomp and grandeur. Their eyes being blinded with the admiration of that, they rush on in this dangerous prosecution, as the horse into the battle.