Dr Paul Allen

“Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Darkness had descended on Jerusalem . Its residents had finished their Passover meals. The lamb and unleavened bread had been consumed; the sandals, staffs, and belts put away (Exodus 12:1–11). In Caiaphas ’s house, a conference was underway with some members of the Sanhedrin, some officers of the temple guard, and one of Jesus ’s closest friends. In the secluded hillside olive garden of Gethsemane , just outside the city’s eastern wall opposite the temple, Jesus sat with his other eleven closest friends. The eleven friends could not stay awake. Jesus could not sleep. The Great Passover Unveiled Earlier that evening, Jesus had shared with his disciples the most marvelous Passover meal of all time, though his disciples only recognized this in retrospect. Jesus had “earnestly desired” to eat it with them (Luke 22:15). For the Great Passover, the one for which the Passove...

Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane), oil painting by Heinrich Ferdinand Hofmann (Heinrich Hofmann). The original is at the Riverside Church (Riverside Church, New York City). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I am astonished that, in the light of the clear biblical record, anyone would have the audacity to suggest that it is wrong for the afflicted in body or soul to couch their prayers for deliverance in terms of "If it be thy will…." We are told that when affliction comes, God always wills healing, that He has nothing to do with suffering, and that all we must do is claim the answer we seek by faith. We are exhorted to claim God's yes before He speaks it. Away with such distortions of biblical faith! They are conceived in the mind of the Tempter, who would seduce us into exchanging faith for magic. No amount of pious verbiage can transform such falsehood into sound doctrine. We must accept the fact that God sometimes says no. Sometimes He calls us to suffer and...

Giotto's depiction of Jesus before Caiaphas in the morning based on Luke 22 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The next day the “rulers” (the executives or official members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Senate and Supreme Court ) with the “elders and teachers of the law” (experts in the interpretation of the law of Moses; professional teachers of the Law) who were in Jerusalem assembled. With them came, specifically, Annas , Caiaphas , John, Alexander, and all the rest of the relatives of the high priest who happened to be in the city. This was probably not an official meeting of the Sanhedrin, but “may simply have been a rather ad hoc gathering instigated by the family of Annas.” Annas here is called the high priest. He was officially high priest from a.d. 6–15. Then his son Jonathan was appointed for about three years. Next Caiaphas, the son-in-law of Annas, was made the official high priest (a.d. 18–36). But Annas remained the power behind the position and kept his honorary title....

John Calvin (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 26:69–75 “ Peter remembered the saying of Jesus , ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” (v. 75). Apparently, one reason Caiaphas and the other priests and elders become incensed during the trial of Jesus is His pledge that even they will one day recognize Him, whom they now deny, as Messiah. This seems to be one of our  Lord’s points in Matthew 26:64 . His promise that the Sanhedrin will see Him on  the clouds likely alludes to several things, including Jerusalem ’s destruction  in AD 70 and Jesus’ being seated at the right hand of the Father (the session  of Christ ). Moreover, Daniel 7:13–14, wherein the Son of Man judges creation,  is clearly being echoed. Jesus is saying that the Jewish leaders who judge Him will one day be judged by Him. They cannot take this role reversal, and so they spit on Him at the close of their trial (Matt. 26:67–68). As the...

Matthias Stom's depiction of Jesus before Caiaphas at night based on Mark 14 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 26:57–63A “Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death” (v. 59). In some ways Jesus can be seen as the victim of what is taking place during  Passover week, yet we also get the sense that He is in control of all that is happening. For example, He has remained cool, calm, and collected during His stay in Jerusalem , teaching openly in the temple courts, unafraid of those who hate Him (Matt. 21:23–23:39). His enemies, however, behave as if they might suddenly lose their grip on events. They meet secretly to plot Jesus’ death because they do not want to incite a riot (26:1–5), and they are similarly motivated to arrest Him in the dark (vv. 20, 47). This reveals their cowardice, not our Lord’s guilt, which is the point of Matthew 26:55 . If Jesus were guilty, ...

Christ in Gethsemane (Christus in Gethsemane), oil painting by Heinrich Ferdinand Hofmann (Heinrich Hofmann). The original is at the Riverside Church (Riverside Church, New York City). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In the light of the clear biblical record, anyone would have the audacity to suggest that it is wrong for the afflicted in body or soul to couch their prayers for deliverance in terms of “If it be thy will….” We are told that when affliction comes, God always wills healing, that He has nothing to do with suffering, and that all we must do is claim the answer we seek by faith. We are exhorted to claim God’s yes before He speaks it. Away with such distortions of biblical faith! They are conceived in the mind of the Tempter, who would seduce us into exchanging faith for magic. No amount of pious verbiage can transform such falsehood into sound doctrine. We must accept the fact that God sometimes says no. Sometimes He calls us to suffer and die even if we want to claim the co...

Matthias Stom's depiction of Jesus before Caiaphas at night based on Mark 14 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 26:69–75 “ Peter remembered the saying of Jesus , ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” ( v. 75 ). Apparently, one reason Caiaphas and the other priests and elders become incensed during the trial of Jesus is His pledge that even they will one day recognize Him, whom they now deny, as Messiah. This seems to be one of our Lord ’s points in Matthew 26:64 . His promise that the Sanhedrin will see Him on the clouds likely alludes to several things, including Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70 and Jesus’ being seated at the right hand of the Father (the session of Christ ). Moreover, Daniel 7:13–14 , wherein the Son of Man judges creation, is clearly being echoed. Jesus is saying that the Jewish leaders who judge Him will one day be judged by Him. They cannot take this role reversal, and so they spit on Him at th...

Wenceslas Hollar - Jesus before Caiaphas (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 26:1–5 “The chief priests and the elders…plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar” ( vv. 3–4 ). Matthew 26 opens with Jesus’ fourth prediction of His passion and resurrection. After ending His Olivet Discourse , Matthew tells us that our Lord has finished “all these sayings” ( v. 1 ), which likely refers to all the instruction He has thus far given in this gospel. In other words, Christ’s teaching ministry is done and it is time for Him to atone for sin and seal His victory. The Savior has already told His disciples three times that He will die and be raised ( 16:21 ; 17:22–23 ; 20:17–19 ), but in today’s passage He explains for the first time that this will take place during Passover . This provides a theological framework for understanding the significance of the Messiah ’s death. Just as the angel of death passed ...

Matthias Stom's depiction of Jesus before Caiaphas at night based on Mark 14 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me” (John 21:22). Jesus had just finished restoring Peter to the office of an apostle and giving him the charge to minister to His church and to follow Him, even in death. Peter, having accepted his Lord ’s call, turns and notices that John (the disciple “whom Jesus loved”) was following close behind. It is not strange that John was following Peter; the two were often together. They were together when Jesus was taken before Caiaphas , and they were together at the empty tomb. Being an intimate friend, Peter naturally would be deeply concerned about John’s future. Just a moment earlier, Jesus had predicted how Peter would die in his Lord’s footsteps. Would the same thing happen to John? Would his friend be with him in that death? Peter wanted to know. While Peter’s concern is com...