Matthew 26:4 Kommentar

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings,.... Meaning either all that are recorded by this evangelist, all the sermons and discourses of Christ, delivered both to the people of the Jews, and to his disciples; his conversation with the former, and his divine instructions and prudent advice to the latter, together with all his excellent parables, which are largely related in this book; or else what is said in the two preceding chapters, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the world, the state of the church, and conduct of his servants to the end of time, expressed in the parables of the virgins and talents, and concerning the last judgment and final state of all men: he said unto his disciples; who now were alone with him: having finished his prophetic, and being about to enter on his priestly office, he gives his disciples some intimations of its near approach.

And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety,.... The Jews had often attempted his life, but he escaped out of their hands; they had sent officers to apprehend him, but to no purpose; they therefore meet and consult together, to form some scheme, and make use of some stratagem, that they might lay hold on him, and keep him; they were for doing this in the most private manner they could: and kill him; not with their own hands, nor privately; but their scheme was to apprehend him privately, by some secret artifice, and then deliver him to the Roman governor; to put him to death according to law, publicly, for crimes they had to charge him with; hereby Psa 2:2, had its accomplishment, at least in part.

Not true Priests and elders, but Priests and elders of what seemed the people of God, but was indeed the people of Gomorrah; these, not knowing God's High Priest, laid a plot against Him, not recognising the firstborn of the whole creation, (Col. 1:15.) yea, even against Him that was elder than them all, did they take counsel.

The words of the prophet, "And the rulers took counsel together against the Lord and his anointed," were fulfilled when "the chief priests and elders of the people gathered in the court of the high priest" and took counsel together "against the Lord and his anointed." They were not true priests but "of the people" and "elders." They only seemed to be the people of God but were after all the people of Gomorrah. It was they who would say, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" and "Away from the earth with such a one!" Furthermore, what Isaiah said, "Hear the word of the Lord, O leaders of Sodom; pay heed to God's law, O people of Gomorrah," applies to the Jewish leaders who lived at the time of Christ. And what Ezekiel said to Jerusalem, "It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you," can be said more rightly of Jeru-salem, over which the Lord wept, than of the time of the prophet. The chief priests sinned more greatly than Sodom. They did not recognize God's high priest but plotted against him. The elders of the people, not knowing the "firstborn of every creature" and the one who is older than all creatures, took counsel against him. Jerusalem was forsaken at that so-called court where "they took counsel together how they might seize Jesus by stealth." Unfortunately this was the city that first killed the prophets and then the Lord of the prophets. That city took action against the founder of the whole world.

What did they consult together? That they might seize Him secretly, or that they might put Him to death? Both; for they feared the people. Wherefore also they waited for the feast to be past; for "they said, Not on the feast day." For the devil, lest he should make the passion conspicuous, was not willing it should take place at the passover; but they, lest there should be an uproar. Mark them then ever fearing, not the ills from God, neither lest any greater pollution should arise to them from the season, but in every case the ills from men.

(Ver. 3 and following) Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus by trickery and kill him. But they said, 'Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.' Now those who were supposed to prepare the Passover sacrifices, cleanse the walls of the temple, sweep the floors, purify the vessels, and be ritually purified according to the Law in order to be worthy to eat the Passover lamb, were gathered together to devise a plan on how to kill the Lord, not fearing rebellion, as the simple words show; but careful that they were not hindered by the help of the people.

(Serm. 58, 1.) We recognise here a providential arrangement whereby the chief men of the Jews, who had often sought occasion of effecting their cruel purposes against Christ, could never yet succeed till the days of the paschal celebration. For it behoved that the things which had long been promised in symbol and mystery should be accomplished in manifest reality, that the typical lamb should be displaced by the true, and one sacrifice embrace the whole catalogue of the varied victims. That shadows should give way to substance, and copies to the presence of the original; victim is commuted for victim, blood is abolished by blood, and the festival of the Law is at once fulfilled and changed.

This, then, is to be referred to the preceding words, and means before the Feast of the Passover. They are condemned both because they were gathered together, and because they were the Chief Priests; for the more the numbers, and the higher the rank and station of those who band together for any villany, the greater the enormity of what they do, and the heavier the punishment stored up for them. To show the Lord's innocence and openness, the Evangelist adds, that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.

The law commanded that there be one high priest for life, but they, contrary to the law, had then the practice of making a new high priest each year, so that there were many. So they approached the high priest of that year to deliberate a murder with him whose duty it was to punish murderers. "The high priests" are those who had already fulfilled their year of service.

Likewise, that about which they took counsel is touched upon: that by subtilty they might apprehend Jesus. And it was foolish of them to think they could take by subtilty one who knew all things; Jeremiah 9:8: their tongue is a wounding arrow, it hath spoken deceit.

GLORIOUS ANGELIC ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, THAT CHRIST IS RISEN--HIS APPEARANCE TO THE WOMEN--THE GUARDS BRIBED TO GIVE A FALSE ACCOUNT OF THE RESURRECTION. ( = Mar 16:1-8; Luk 24:1-8; Joh 20:1). (Mat 28:1-15) In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn--after the Sabbath, as it grew toward daylight. toward the first day of the week--Luke (Luk 24:1) has it, "very early in the morning"--properly, "at the first appearance of daybreak"; and corresponding with this, John (Joh 20:1) says, "when it was yet dark." See on Mar 16:2. Not an hour, it would seem, was lost by those dear lovers of the Lord Jesus. came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary--"the mother of James and Joses" (see on Mat 27:56; Mat 27:61). to see the sepulchre--with a view to the anointing of the body, for which they had made all their preparations. (See on Mar 16:1-2). And, behold, there was--that is, there had been, before the arrival of the women. a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, &c.--And this was the state of things when the women drew near. Some judicious critics think all this was transacted while the women were approaching; but the view we have given, which is the prevalent one, seems the more natural. All this august preparation--recorded by Matthew alone--bespoke the grandeur of the exit which was to follow. The angel sat upon the huge stone, to overawe, with the lightning--luster that darted from him, the Roman guard, and do honor to his rising Lord.