Matthew 26:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This alone should have been sufficient to bring them comfort, which is why He refrains from reiterating His resurrection, deeming it unnecessary after having previously spoken of it at length. Moreover, by recalling the historical blessings associated with the Passover that had been bestowed upon the Jews in Egypt, He emphasizes, as I previously mentioned, that this very suffering serves to rescue from countless afflictions.

cance as the shadows of the law faded, He declared: ‘I fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering.’ Indeed, Christ as the sacrificed Lamb is our Passover, provided we partake of Him in the leaven of sincerity and truth. Thus, when He states, ‘After two days shall be the Passover,’ let us seek the sanctified essence, or sacrament, beyond the literal interpretation of these words. Specifically, after two days illuminated by the teachings of the Old and New Testament, the true Passover for the world arrives. The term ‘Passover’ in Hebrew, known as pesach, does not originate from the term for suffering, as many mistakenly believe, but rather from the concept of ‘passing over,’ as the angel of destruction spared the homes marked with blood, passing over them, or because the Lord Himself drew near to assist His people. Refer to the book of Exodus, where we will discuss this more thoroughly, should life continue to grant us the opportunity. Our transition from one state to another, the Passover, occurs when we abandon worldly concerns and Egypt, moving towards the divine.

The will of God for humankind has been revealed by the Son of God with a clarity never witnessed before, articulated in a way that speaks intimately to everyone’s comprehension, surpassing all that the Prophets had proclaimed. Even His adversaries acknowledged that no one had ever spoken like Him. Yet Jesus was recognized as the Savior of the world; even at His birth, heavens proclaimed the arrival of peace on earth and goodwill among men. It is evident that He is more than just Israel's Teacher or the world's Enlightener. Was merely stating God's will, even in its complete form, enough for humanity? No, for salvation required the reconciliation of divine justice with humanity's guilt. Thus, the long-awaited Savior, after declaring God’s will as a Prophet, fulfills the reconciliation of heaven and earth in His role as a High Priest. This is the message He conveys to His disciples.

After concluding His discourse about the final days, Jesus reminded His disciples of His impending trials: When He had completed all these statements, He addressed His disciples, saying, ‘YOU KNOW THAT TWO DAYS LATER IT WILL BE PASCHAL, AND THE SON OF MAN WILL BE HANDED OVER FOR TRIAL.’ St. Chrysostom notes how skillfully He veils what might have particularly distressed His disciples. Instead of saying, ‘You know that in two days I will be betrayed,’ He phrased it as, ‘You know that in two days the Passover will be fulfilled, and the Son of Man will be betrayed,’ followed by, ‘to be crucified.’ This wording emphasizes that what is about to unfold is both a Sacrament and a celebration for the entire universe, all while He anticipates His suffering. This alone would have been a source of comfort, and He refrained from mentioning His resurrection, having discussed it sufficiently beforehand. The Passover was the most significant feast among the Jews, commemorating the deliverance of the firstborn of Israel from the angel of death who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, as well as the national salvation from Pharaoh, who was engulfed in the Red Sea. Ultimately, the central theme of this feast was that the Passover lamb foreshadowed the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It is unclear whether the disciples grasped the profound significance of the Lord's words regarding the remarkable alignment of the days of His suffering with the Passover. However, once illuminated by the Holy Spirit, they made clear to the Jews this remarkable correlation of events. ‘Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us’ (1 Cor. 5:7), the Apostle Paul declares. The Apostle Peter teaches that we are redeemed ‘with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot’ (1 Pet. 1:19). Meanwhile, at the same time He was conversing with His disciples on the Mount of Olives about the grim fate of Jerusalem and the end of the age, the members of the Sanhedrin were convening in the courtyard of the high priest Caiaphas in Jerusalem for a clandestine gathering to decide the fate of the Teacher from Galilee.

As night descended, He might have traveled to Bethany, a place He had visited in previous days, or He may have chosen to remain on the mountain through the night, engaged in prayerful communion with His heavenly Father. The latter scenario seems more likely, considering the emotional state He must have been in after His final parting with the Jewish authority. The apostles also stayed on the mountain and likely soon succumbed to sleep, which allowed Judas Iscariot to slip away unnoticed toward Jerusalem.

Along with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which began on the day following Passover, it was observed for eight days, extending from the evening of the 14th to the 21st of Nisan (around the end of March into early April). On the 10th of this month, the heads of households were required to select a one-year-old lamb without defect, which was to be sacrificed on the 14th day in the courtyard of the sanctuary after being properly prepared and roasted. Initially during the first Passover in Egypt, the lamb's blood was applied to the doorposts so the angel of destruction would not harm their homes; subsequently, the altar was consecrated with this blood, leading to the lambs being offered in the tabernacle or temple. The entire roasted lamb was consumed, leaving no bones or sinews, accompanied by unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The traditions in practice during the time of Christ, as gleaned from historical accounts, had evolved significantly from those originally instituted. The Passover meal commenced at evening on the 14th of Nisan, following sunset. The ritual began with a cup of wine mixed with water; the head of the household would offer praise to God and partake from the cup, followed in turn by all present; this was referred to as the first cup. Following this, they would wash their hands while expressing gratitude towards God. They would then partake of the Passover lamb, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, and a thick paste made from dates, figs, grapes, and vinegar, consuming them in small portions while reciting a blessing. Afterward, the dishes were removed to pique the interest of the children, providing an opportunity to recount the narrative of the feast (Exodus 12:26-27). The family leader would then share the story of the Israelites' oppression in Egypt, their deliverance, and the institution of the Passover celebration. When the dishes were returned, he would proclaim, "This is the Passover we partake of in remembrance of the Lord sparing our homes in Egypt," and by lifting the unleavened bread and the bitter herbs, he would explain that the bread symbolizes the haste of their exodus, while the herbs represent the bitterness of their enslavement in Egypt. They would then sing the initial portion of the Hallelujah, specifically Psalms 110-114, offer a short prayer, and drink from the cup again, known as the second cup. They would wash their hands once more and eat again of the lamb, herbs, and bread, ensuring no remnants of the lamb were left until the following day. Hands would be washed again before partaking of the third cup, named the cup of blessing, as the head of the household would give thanks to God in a special prayer for His abundant grace. Finally, the fourth cup, known as the Hallel, was consumed, followed by the singing of the latter part of the Hallelujah from Psalms 115-118. In the subsequent days of the feast, daily sacrifices were offered at the temple, both for the community as a whole and as individual acts of devotion. On the second day of the feast, coinciding with the first day of Unleavened Bread, a sheaf of barley was presented along with other offerings as the beginning of the new harvest. The first and last days of the feast were particularly esteemed. "He shall be delivered up to crucifixion," indicating that He anticipated His suffering and knew all that was to come. In this context, since the mention of His resurrection was already addressed at length previously, He said nothing further about it, as it would have been redundant.