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Matthew 26 General Notes
Structure and Formatting
Some translations indent each line of poetry to make it easier to read. The ULB does this with the poetry in 26:31, which is quoted from the OT.
Special concepts in this chapter
Sheep
This is a common image used in Scripture to refer to the people of Israel. In Matthew 26:31, however, "the sheep" refers to Jesus' disciples, who ran away when he was arrested.
Passover
Jesus' death occurs in connection with the Passover Festival because he is the fulfillment of the Passover lamb. It is his sacrificial death that frees us from God's condemnation.
The eating of the body and blood
This ceremony, often called "the Lord's Supper," the "Eucharist", or "Holy Communion," is practiced in nearly all churches to this day in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice for the sins of humanity. It is done in obedience to Jesus' instructions to his disciples in Matthew 26:26-28.
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Shame and cowardice
Throughout this chapter, the actions of the Jewish leaders are shameful and cowardly. The were afraid of the people whom they were to lead. The subtleness of their shameful and cowardly actions may be difficult to express in translation.
Judas' kiss for Jesus
Judas is recorded in Matthew 26:49 as kissing Jesus in order to signal to the soldiers which man to arrest. Among the Jews, kissing was a common way to greet someone. They had different kinds of kisses for people of different levels of status. Since Jesus was Judas' teacher, Judas probably kissed his hand as a sign of respect and submission.
"Destroy the temple of God"
In Matthew 26:61, two men accuse Jesus of wishing for the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed so he can rebuild it "in three days." They were probably accusing Jesus of insulting the temple and therefore, indirectly, of insulting God. Matthew does not actually record Jesus as saying this, but the words appear in John 2:19.
The expression "in three days" should be understood in the Jewish way as "within three days," not "after three days."