Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Matthew
Book: Matthew
Chapter: 26
Overview:
The rulers conspire against
Christ.
(1-5) Christ anointed at
Bethany.
(6-13) Judas bargains to betray
Christ.
(14-16) The
Passover.
(17-25) Christ institutes his holy
Supper.
(26-30) He
warns his disciples.
(31-35) His
Agony in the garden.
(36-46) He
is betrayed.
(47-56) Christ before
Caiaphas.
(57-68) Peter
denies him.
(69-75)
1-5 Our
Lord had often told of his sufferings as at a distance,
now he speaks of them as at
Hand. At the same time the Jewish
Council consulted how they might
Put him to
Death secretly. But
it pleased
God to defeat their intention.
Jesus, the true
paschal
Lamb, was to be sacrificed for us at that very time, and
his
Death and resurrection rendered public.
6-13 The pouring
Ointment upon the head of
Christ was a token
of the highest respect. Where there is true
Love in the
Heart to
Jesus Christ, nothing will be thought too good to bestow upon
him. The more
Christ's servants and their services are cavilled
at, the more he manifests his acceptance. This act of
Faith and
Love was
So remarkable, that it would be reported, as a memorial
of
Mary's
Faith and
Love, to all future ages, and in all places
where the
Gospel should be preached. This
Prophecy is fulfilled.
14-16 There were but twelve called apostles, and one of them
was like a
Devil; surely we must never expect any society to be
quite pure
On this side
Heaven. The greater profession men make
of religion, the greater opportunity they have of doing
mischief, if their hearts be not right with
God. Observe, that
Christ's own
Disciple, who knew
So Well his doctrine and manner
of his
Life, and was false to him, could not charge him with any
thing criminal, though it would have served to justify his
treachery. What did
Judas want? Was not he welcome wherever his
Master was? Did he not fare as
Christ fared? It is not the lack,
but the
Love of
Money, that is the root of all evil. After he
had made that wicked bargain,
Judas had time to repent, and to
revoke it; but when lesser
Acts of dishonesty have hardened the
Conscience men do without hesitation that which is more
shameful.
17-25 Observe, the place for their
Eating the
Passover was
pointed out
By Christ to the disciples. He knows those hidden
ones who favour his cause, and will graciously visit all who are
willing to receive him. The disciples did as
Jesus had
appointed. Those who would have
Christ's presence in the
Gospel
Passover, must do what he says. It
Well becomes the disciples of
Christ always to be jealous over themselves, especially in
trying times. We know not how strongly we may be tempted, nor
how far
God may leave us to ourselves, therefore we have reason
not to be high-minded, but to fear.
Heart-searching examination
and fervent
Prayer are especially proper before the
Lord's
Supper, that, as
Christ our
Passover is now sacrificed for us,
we may keep this
Feast, renewing our
Repentance, our
Faith in
his
Blood, and surrendering ourselves to his service.
26-30 This ordinance of the
Lord's
Supper is to us the
Passover
Supper,
By which we commemorate a much greater deliverance than
that of
Israel out of
Egypt. Take, eat; accept of
Christ as he
is offered to you; receive the
Atonement, approve of it, submit
to his
Grace and his government. Meat looked upon, be the
Dish
ever
So Well garnished, will not nourish; it must be fed upon:
So must the doctrine of
Christ. This is my body; that is,
spiritually, it signifies and represents his body. We partake of
the
Sun, not
By having the
Sun Put into our hands, but the beams
of it darted down upon us;
So we partake of
Christ By partaking
of his
Grace, and the blessed fruits of the breaking of his
body. The
Blood of
Christ is signified and represented
By the
Wine. He gave thanks, to teach us to look to
God in every part
of the ordinance. This
Cup he gave to the disciples with a
command,
Drink ye all of it. The
Pardon of
Sin is that great
blessing which is, in the
Lord's
Supper, conferred
On all true
believers; it is the foundation of all other blessings. He takes
leave of such
Communion; and assures them of a happy meeting
again at last; "Until that
Day when I
Drink it new with you", may
be understood of the joys and glories of the future state, which
the saints shall partake with the
Lord Jesus. That will be the
kingdom of his
Father; the
Wine of consolation will there be
always new. While we look at the outward signs of
Christ's body
broken and his
Blood shed for the remission of our sins, let us
recollect that the
Feast cost him as much as though he had
literally given his
Flesh to be eaten and his
Blood for us to
Drink.
31-35 Improper self-confidence, like that of
Peter, is the
first step to a fall. There is a proneness in all of us to be
over-confident. But those fall soonest and foulest, who are the
most confident in themselves. Those are least safe, who think
themselves most secure.
Satan is active to lead such astray;
they are most off their
Guard:
God leaves them to themselves, to
humble them.
36-46 He who made
Atonement for the sins of mankind, submitted
himself in a garden of suffering, to the will of
God, from which
Man had revolted in a garden of pleasure.
Christ took with him
into that part of the garden where he suffered his
Agony, only
those who had witnessed his
Glory in his
Transfiguration. Those
are best prepared to suffer with
Christ, who have
By Faith
beheld his
Glory. The words used denote the most entire
dejection, amazement, anguish, and horror of mind; the state of
one surrounded with sorrows, overwhelmed with miseries, and
almost swallowed up with terror and dismay. He now began to be
sorrowful, and never ceased to be
So till he said, It is
finished. He prayed that, if possible, the
Cup might pass from
him. But he also showed his perfect readiness to
Bear the load
of his sufferings; he was willing to submit to all for our
Redemption and
Salvation. According to this
Example of
Christ,
we must
Drink of the bitterest
Cup which
God puts into our
hands; though nature struggle, it must submit. It should be more
our care to get troubles sanctified, and our hearts satisfied
under them, than to get them taken away. It is
Well for us that
our
Salvation is in the
Hand of One who neither slumbers nor
sleeps. All are tempted, but we should be much afraid of
entering into
Temptation. To be secured from this, we should
watch and pray, and continually look unto the
Lord to
Hold us up
that we may be safe. Doubtless our
Lord had a clear and full
view of the sufferings he was to endure, yet he spoke with the
greatest calmness till this time.
Christ was a
Surety, who
undertook to be answerable for our sins. Accordingly he was made
Sin for us, and suffered for our sins, the Just for the unjust;
and
Scripture ascribes his heaviest sufferings to the
Hand of
God. He had full knowledge of the infinite evil of
Sin, and of
the immense extent of that guilt for which he was to atone; with
awful views of the Divine
Justice and
Holiness, and the
Punishment deserved
By the sins of men, such as
No tongue can
express, or mind conceive. At the same time,
Christ suffered
being tempted; probably horrible thoughts were suggested
By
Satan that tended to gloom and every dreadful conclusion: these
would be the more hard to
Bear from his perfect
Holiness. And
did the load of imputed guilt
So weigh down the soul of Him of
whom it is said, He upholdeth all things
By the
Word of his
power? into what misery then must those sink whose sins are left
upon their own heads! How will those escape who neglect
So great
Salvation?
47-56 No enemies are
So much to be abhorred as those professed
disciples that betray
Christ with a
Kiss.
God has
No need of our
services, much less of our sins, to bring about his purposes.
Though
Christ was crucified through weakness, it was voluntary
weakness; he submitted to
Death. If he had not been willing to
suffer, they could not conquer him. It was a great
Sin for those
who had left all to follow
Jesus; now to leave him for they knew
not what. What folly, for fear of
Death to flee from Him, whom
they knew and acknowledged to be the
Fountain of
Life!
57-68 Jesus was hurried into
Jerusalem. It looks ill, and bodes
worse, when those who are willing to be
Christ's disciples, are
not willing to be known to be
So. Here began
Peter's denying
him: for to follow
Christ afar off, is to begin to go back from
him. It is more our concern to prepare for the
End, whatever it
may be, than curiously to ask what the
End will be. The event is
God's, but the duty is ours. Now the Scriptures were fulfilled,
which said, False witnesses are risen up against me.
Christ was
accused, that we might not be condemned; and if at any time we
suffer thus, let us remember we cannot expect to fare better
than our Master. When
Christ was made
Sin for us, he was silent,
and left it to his
Blood to speak. Hitherto
Jesus had seldom
professed expressly to be the
Christ, the
Son of God; the tenor
of his doctrine spoke it, and his miracles proved it; but now he
would not omit to make an open
Confession of it. It would have
looked like declining his sufferings. He thus confessed, as an
Example and encouragement to his followers, to confess him
before men, whatever hazard they ran. Disdain, cruel mocking,
and abhorrence, are the sure portion of the
Disciple as they
were of the Master, from such as would buffet and deride the
Lord of
Glory. These things were exactly foretold in the
fiftieth
Chapter of
Isaiah. Let us confess
Christ's name, and
Bear the reproach, and he will confess us before his
Father's
Throne.
69-75 Peter's
Sin is truly related, for the Scriptures
Deal
faithfully. Bad company leads to
Sin: those who needlessly
thrust themselves into it, may expect to be tempted and
ensnared, as
Peter. They scarcely can come out of such company
without guilt or grief, or both. It is a great fault to be shy
of
Christ; and to dissemble our knowledge of him, when we are
called to own him, is, in effect, to deny him.
Peter's
Sin was
aggravated; but he fell into the
Sin By surprise, not as
Judas,
with design. But
Conscience should be to us as the crowing of
the cock, to
Put us in mind of the sins we had forgotten.
Peter
was thus left to fall, to abate his self-confidence, and render
him more modest, humble, compassionate, and useful to others.
The event has taught believers many things ever since, and if
infidels,
Pharisees, and hypocrites stumble at it or abuse it,
it is at their peril. Little do we know how we should act in
very difficult situations, if we were left to ourselves. Let
him, therefore, that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he
fall; let us all distrust our own hearts, and rely wholly
On the
Lord.
Peter wept bitterly. Sorrow for
Sin must not be slight,
but great and
Deep.
Peter, who wept
So bitterly for denying
Christ, never denied him again, but confessed him often in the
Face of danger. True
Repentance for any
Sin will be shown
By the
contrary
Grace and duty; that is a sign of our sorrowing not
only bitterly, but sincerely.