Matthew 26:1-19 ▼

1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, He told His disciples,

2 “You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

3 At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.

5 “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,

7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste?

9 This perfume could have been sold at a high price, and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.

11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.

12 By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial.

13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

14 Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

16 So from then on Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

18 He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’”

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.