Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #2 Matthew 26:3-5 – Plotting to Seize Jesus

Matthew 26:3-5 – Plotting to Seize Jesus

|| Mark 14:1b, 2; Luke 22:2

MT26:3 Now when the chief priests and [Jewish] elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the chief priest Caiaphas,[1] MT26:4 they all took counsel to arrest Jesus and kill him[2] by some shrewd trick.[3] MT26:5 But, they kept telling one another, “Not during the [Passover] festival that we do not create a riot among the people.”[4]

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[1] Caiaphas: His name occurs 9 times in the Christian Bible. He held his office during the life of Jesus (Luke 3:2). He was related by marriage to High Priest Annas (John 18:13) He is right at the center of the execution of Jesus and the persecution of the early Christians.

[2] Kill him: The responsibility for the death of Jesus is laid squarely upon the Jewish hierarchy.

[3] Shrewd trick: Or, KJV: subtlety; RSV: stealth; RIEU: stratagem; PME: trick.

[4] Among the people: Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were by now gathering to Jerusalem from all over the world. The city was packed with people. In the year 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed during this same Passover season, over one million Jews were killed.

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Preceding

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #1 Matthew 26:1-2 – Two Days Before Execution