For vv. 1-2, see notes in Matt. 26:2-5.

For vv. 3-9, see notes in Matt. 26:6-13.

Lit., occurred.

See note John 6:7¹.

The Lord desires that we allow Him to have the first place in all things (Col. 1:18).

Lit., What she had she did.

Or, anticipated (or, taken occasion) to anoint My body for the burial.

See note Mark 1:14^2b.

Thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15), the value of a slave (Exo. 21:32).

While one of the Slave-Savior's followers was expressing her love to Him to the uttermost, another was about to betray Him. One was treasuring Him, and at the same time another was delivering Him up.

See note Matt. 26:17^1b.

In the Jews' calendar, which was according to their Scripture, a day began with the evening (Gen. 1:5). During the evening of the last Passover day, first the Slave-Savior ate the Passover feast with His disciples and instituted His supper for them (vv. 12-25); then He went with the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mount of Olives (vv. 26-42). He was arrested there and brought to the high priest, where He was judged by the Sanhedrin late in the night (vv. 43-72). In the morning of the same day, He was delivered to Pilate to be judged by him and was sentenced to death (Mark 15:1-15). Then He was brought to Golgotha and was crucified there at 9:00 a.m., remaining on the cross until 3:00 p.m. (Mark 15:16-41), for the fulfillment of the type of the Passover (Exo. 12:6-11 see note Mark 12:37¹).

Or, householder.

The eating of the Passover feast (v. 16), not the eating of the Slave-Savior's supper, which is in vv. 22-24.

Judas Iscariot.

Some MSS add, and another, Surely not I?

After being exposed, Judas left (John 13:21-30) before the Slave-Savior's supper (Matt. 26:20-26). He did not participate in the Slave-Savior's body and blood, because he was not a real believer in Him but a son of perdition (John 17:12), considered by the Slave-Savior even a devil (John 6:70-71). Luke 22:21-23 seems to indicate that Judas left after the Lord's supper, which is mentioned in Luke 22:19-20. However, Mark's record, like Matthew's, shows that Judas was identified by the Slave-Savior as His betrayer (vv. 18-21) before He instituted His supper (vv. 22-24). Mark's record is according to historical sequence, whereas Luke's sequence is according to morality. See note Matt. 8:16¹, par. 2.

This refers to His going to die.

For vv. 22-26, see notes in Matt. 26:26-30.

This was the eating of the Slave-Savior's supper, after He and His followers had eaten the Passover feast in vv. 16-18. He initiated this new feast, which was for His believers' remembrance of Him, to replace the Passover feast, the old testament feast for the elect's remembrance of Jehovah's salvation (Exo. 12:14; 13:3). This new feast of the new testament is for the remembering of the Slave-Savior through the eating of the bread, which signifies His body given for His believers (1 Cor. 11:24), and the drinking of the cup, which signifies His blood shed for their sins (Matt. 26:28). The bread denotes life (John 6:35), the life of God, the eternal life, and the cup denotes blessing (1 Cor. 10:16), which is God Himself as the believers' portion (Psa. 16:5). As sinners, the believers should have had the cup of God's wrath as their portion (Rev. 14:10). But the Slave-Savior drank that cup for them (John 18:11), and His salvation became their portion, the cup of salvation (Psa. 116:13) that runs over (Psa. 23:5), the content of which is God as the believers' all-inclusive blessing. Such a bread and such a cup are the constituents of the Slave-Savior's supper, which is a table (1 Cor. 10:21), a feast, set up by Him that His believers may remember Him by enjoying Him as such a feast. Thus, as His believers remember Him, they display His redeeming and life-imparting death (1 Cor. 11:26 — His blood separated from His body declares His death), testifying to the entire universe of His rich and marvelous salvation.

In Exo. 24:3-8 God made a covenant with redeemed Israel (Heb. 9:18-21), which became the old testament, as a base from which He could deal with His redeemed people in the dispensation of law. The Slave-Savior came to accomplish God's eternal redemption for God's chosen people by His death, according to God's will (Heb. 10:7, 9-10), and with His blood He instituted a new covenant, a better covenant (Heb. 8:6-13), which after His resurrection became the new testament (Heb. 9:16-17), as a base from which God can be one with His redeemed and regenerated people in the dispensation of grace. This new covenant replaced the old covenant and at the same time changed God's old dispensation to His new dispensation. The Slave-Savior wanted His followers to know this and to live a life based on this and according to this after His resurrection.

This refers to the juice of the grape.

The verb (a compound) in Greek means utterly deny. So in v. 31 and v. 72.

For vv. 32-42, see notes in Matt. 26:36-46.

"Being in the grip of a shuddering horror in the face of the dreadful prospect before Him" (Cranfield).

The Slave-Savior's sorrow and His prayer here are the same as in John 12:27. There He said that He had come for this hour; that is, He knew that the Father's will was that He should die on the cross for the fulfillment of God's eternal plan.

The Triune God determined in His divine plan in eternity past that the Second of the Divine Trinity should be incarnated and die on the cross to accomplish His eternal redemption for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose (Eph. 1:7-9). Hence, before the foundation of the world, that is, in eternity past (1 Pet. 1:19-20), the Second of the Divine Trinity was ordained to be the Lamb of God (John 1:29); and in the eyes of God He was slain as the Lamb of God from the foundation of the world, that is, from the creation of God's creatures, who became fallen (Rev. 13:8). From the time of man's fall, lambs, sheep, calves, and bulls were used as types for God's chosen people (Gen. 3:21; 4:4; 8:20; 22:13; Exo. 12:3-8; Lev. 1:2), pointing to Him who was to come as the real Lamb foreordained by God. In the fullness of time the Triune God sent the Second of the Divine Trinity, the Son of God, to come in incarnation to take a human body (Heb. 10:5) that He might be offered to God on the cross (Heb. 9:14; 10:12) to do the will of the Triune God (Heb. 10:7), that is, to replace the sacrifices and offerings, which were types, with Himself in His humanity as the unique sacrifice and offering for the sanctification of God's chosen people (Heb. 10:9-10). In His prayer here, immediately before His crucifixion, He prepared Himself to take the cup of the cross (Matt. 26:39, 42), being willing to do this unique will of the Father for the accomplishing of the eternal plan of the Triune God.

This was Peter (John 18:10, 26).

The God-forsaking and God-offending opposers, afraid of the people who warmly welcomed the Slave-Savior (Mark 11:7-11) and were gladdened by His speaking (Mark 12:37), dared not arrest Him in the daytime or in a public place such as the temple. Instead, they arrested Him subtly, deep in the night (v. 1), as though arresting a robber (v. 48).

See note Mark 1:21².

For vv. 53-65, see notes in Matt. 26:57-68.

The Slave-Savior was arrested as a robber (v. 48) and brought to the slaughter as a lamb (Isa. 53:7).

See note Matt. 5:22^6c.

Lit., through.

The befuddled high priest of the traditional, God-forsaking and God-forsaken religion called God "the Blessed" in order to show how much he revered and honored God.

Concerning His behavior the Slave-Savior would not answer His faultfinders' false accusation, yet concerning His divine person, His deity, He was not silent but answered strongly and definitely, affirming His deity in His humanity by stating that as the Son of Man He would sit at the right hand of God.

Lit., tunics. Because the Greek word is plural, garments is a more suitable rendering here.

The blind opposers condemned the Slave-Savior for being blasphemous in affirming His deity, not realizing that actually it was they who were blaspheming God, who was the very One whom they were slandering and mocking at that moment.

This was the Jews' despising and rejecting of the Slave-Savior to the uttermost, as prophesied in Isa. 53:3.

This was a mocking and ridiculing word.

Lit., with slaps, took Him.

For vv. 66-72, see notes in Matt. 26:69-75.

Some MSS add, and your speech is similar.

I.e., to put himself under a curse.