“Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13,” Scripture Helps: New Testament (2024)
Scripture Helps
Matthew 26; Mark 14; John 13
Chief priests and scribes conspired to kill Jesus. Judas Iscariot agreed to betray Him for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples and instituted the sacrament. He washed their feet and exhorted them to serve one another. He taught that the Father and the Son were glorified through His Atonement. Later, Jesus suffered in Gethsemane and was betrayed and arrested.
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Background and Context
Why did the chief priests, scribes, and elders of the people keep their plans secret?
As the Savior’s influence increased, Jewish leaders became troubled and looked for ways to discredit and silence Him. Their concerns were heightened when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the Passover to shouts of “Hosanna.” Because of Jesus’s popularity, the chief priests and elders feared a riot if they arrested Jesus during the feast. So they gathered at the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas, to consult in private on how to arrest Jesus in secrecy.
Who was the woman who anointed the Savior’s feet?
The Gospel of John identified the woman who anointed the Savior’s feet as Mary. For more insights, see “John 12:1–8. What was significant about Mary anointing Jesus Christ?”
What is the connection between the Passover and the sacrament?
(Compare to Mark 14:12–25; Luke 22:7–30.)
When Israel was in bondage to Egypt, the Lord sent 10 plagues to persuade the Egyptians to let the Israelites go. The final plague was the death of all firstborn males in the land. God commanded Israel to place blood from a sacrificial lamb on their doors so that the destroying angel would pass over their homes and spare their firstborn sons.
The Passover Instituted, by William Henry Margetson
That same night, the Lord instructed all Israelite families to have a special meal. Eating this meal reminded them of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage through the blood of the lamb. This was called the Passover meal. The Israelites were to repeat this meal annually to remember how God spared them through the lamb’s blood. Remembering was a primary purpose of the Passover meal. For the Jewish people, remembering “is not merely a mental exercise. Rather, it is participation in the event remembered.”
Passover, by Robert T. Barrett
During the Last Supper, Jesus and His Apostles ate a traditional Passover meal. Breaking bread and drinking wine were important parts of this meal. It was during this Passover meal that Jesus imparted new meaning to the bread and wine. They became emblems of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice.
Both the Passover and the sacrament point to the Savior’s redeeming power. Of the relationship between the Passover and the sacrament, President Jeffrey R. Holland said:
“[The sacrament] has been called ‘the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church’ (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–56, 2:340).
“Perhaps we do not always attach that kind of meaning to our weekly sacramental service. How ‘sacred’ and how ‘holy’ is it? Do we see it as our Passover, remembrance of our safety and deliverance and redemption?”
What do the emblems of bread and wine represent?
(Compare to Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:19–20.)
Both Luke and Paul wrote that the Savior introduced the symbols of bread and wine as a way to remember Him. President Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “With a crust of bread, always broken, blessed, and offered first, we remember his bruised body and broken heart, his physical suffering on the cross. …
“With a small cup of water we remember the shedding of Christ’s blood and the depth of his spiritual suffering, anguish which began in the Garden of Gethsemane. There he said, ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death’ (Matt. 26:38). He was in agony and ‘prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground’ (Luke 22:44).
“The Savior’s spiritual suffering and the shedding of his innocent blood, so lovingly and freely given, paid the debt for what the scriptures call the ‘original guilt’ of Adam’s transgression (Moses 6:54). Furthermore, Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows and pains of all the rest of the human family, providing remission for all of our sins as well, upon conditions of obedience to the principles and ordinances of the gospel he taught (see 2 Ne. 9:21–23). As the Apostle Paul wrote, we were ‘bought with a price’ (1 Cor. 6:20). What an expensive price and what a merciful purchase!”
How did the Savior’s blood represent a new covenant?
(Compare to Mark 14:23–25; Luke 22:20.)
The cup of wine Jesus Christ gave His Apostles represented His “blood of the new [covenant].” In the Old Testament, blood was often associated with sacrifice for sin. For example, when Israel made their covenant with Jehovah, Moses offered animal sacrifices. He took blood from these animals and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you.” President Dallin H. Oaks taught, “The sacrament is the ordinance that replaced the blood sacrifices and burnt offerings of the Mosaic law.” Through the shedding of His blood, the Savior fulfilled the old covenant and established a new one. We are reminded of this new covenant when we partake of the sacrament. President Russell M. Nelson observed, “Partaking of the sacrament renews baptismal covenants and also renews our memory of the Savior’s broken flesh and of the blood He shed for us.”
When will the Savior partake of the “fruit of the vine” again?
(Compare to Mark 14:25.)
The “fruit of the vine,” or wine, represents the blood Jesus Christ shed to redeem us. To drink the “fruit of the vine” is to partake of the sacrament. In Doctrine and Covenants 27, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that in the last days He will once again partake of the sacrament on earth. He will do so together with His faithful followers, including many ancient prophets.
What hymn did Jesus and His disciples sing before going to Gethsemane?
During the Passover meal, it was customary to sing parts of the Hallel, a recitation of Psalms 113–18. These Psalms beautifully speak of the Messiah. Many scholars believe it is likely that the hymn sung by Jesus and His Apostles was the Hallel.
How were the Savior’s disciples “offended” because of Him?
(Compare to Luke 22:28–38.)
While Jesus and His disciples walked toward the Mount of Olives, Jesus told them they would be offended because of Him that very night. The Greek word translated as “offend” in the King James Version of the Bible can also be translated as “cause to stumble” or “cause to fall.” Jesus then referred to an Old Testament prophecy about the shepherd being smitten and the sheep scattering. Following the Savior’s arrest later that night, His disciples temporarily scattered, and Peter denied knowing the Savior three times.
What happened in Gethsemane?
(Compare to Mark 14:32–42.)
To learn more about the Savior’s suffering in Gethsemane, see “Luke 22:39, 44. What can we learn from the Garden of Gethsemane about the Savior’s atoning sacrifice?”
What was the significance of greeting someone with a kiss?
(Compare Luke 22:47–48.)
Among early Christians, giving a ritual kiss was an important practice meant to symbolize friendship and unity. This practice may have originated with Jesus and His closest disciples. Thus, there was irony in Jesus’s words when He said to Judas, “Friend, wherefore art thou come?” and “Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?”
How was Jesus arrested and tried?
(Compare to Mark 14:43–65; Luke 22:47–65.)
For more information on Jesus’s arrest and trial, see the following entries:
Why didn’t Jesus call on legions of angels for help?
After Peter tried to stop the Savior’s arrest, Jesus said He could have called on “more than twelve legions of angels” in His defense. A Roman legion consisted of 6,000 soldiers. Taken literally, twelve legions would have been a force of 72,000 angels. Clearly, Jesus Christ had the power to defend Himself but was unwilling “to exert His infinite power for personal benefit.” The Savior voluntarily submitted to His arrest and the abuse that followed.
What was significant about the charge of blasphemy?
(Compare to Mark 14:53–65.)
Blasphemy means speaking disrespectfully of God or sacred things, including claiming to be divine. When Jesus affirmed that He was “the Christ, the Son of God,” the high priest declared that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy. However, the Savior’s claim would have been blasphemy only if it had been untrue. “The only mortal Being to whom the awful crime of blasphemy … was impossible, stood before the judges of Israel condemned as a blasphemer.”
Blasphemy was an offense punishable by death under the law of Moses. However, the Jewish leaders did not have the authority to execute people. Only the Roman authorities could carry out a death sentence. Since blasphemy was a Jewish matter and of no concern to the Romans, the Jewish leaders changed the charge to sedition when they took Jesus to Pilate.
What does the term “abba” mean?
Mark is the only Gospel writer to record that Jesus addressed His Father in prayer using the Aramaic term abba, meaning “father.” It is unclear whether abba should be understood as the formal “father” or the more intimate and familiar “daddy.” President Jeffrey R. Holland provides the following perspective: “In that most burdensome moment of all human history, with blood appearing at every pore and an anguished cry upon His lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought—His Father. ‘Abba,’ He cried, ‘Papa,’ or from the lips of a younger child, ‘Daddy.’ This is such a personal moment it almost seems a sacrilege to cite it. A Son in unrelieved pain, a Father His only true source of strength, both of them staying the course, making it through the night—together.”
What is the significance of the Savior washing His disciples’ feet?
In New Testament times, people wore sandals. Walking on mostly dirt roads, their feet became dusty. A guest’s feet could be washed by the servants of a host. But a host did not wash a guest’s feet. Of this event, President Jeffrey R. Holland said: “In the midst of [the Last Supper], Christ quietly arose, girded himself as a slave or servant would, and knelt to wash the Apostles’ feet. … It does not matter that no one washed his feet. In transcendent humility he would continue to teach and to cleanse them. He would to the final hour—and beyond—be their sustaining servant.”
The Joseph Smith Translation of John 13:10 adds the following insight: “Now this was the custom of the Jews under their law; wherefore, Jesus did this that the law might be fulfilled.” It is unclear which aspect of the law of Moses is being referenced here. As part of the Restoration, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation requiring those attending the School of the Prophets to participate in the washing of feet.
Why was there a disciple leaning on the Savior’s bosom?
In New Testament times, those dining at formal meals often reclined on low couches placed around tables. Diners would lean on their left arms with their heads toward the table and their feet pointed outward. A person’s head would thus be near the chest, or bosom, of the person to their left. This position would have allowed the disciple “whom Jesus loved” to have private conversations with the Savior, such as the one concerning Judas’s betrayal.
What was a sop?
A sop was a small piece of bread used to scoop broth and meat from a bowl. It was a gesture of kindness and respect for friends to dip a sop and give it to one another.
Learn More
The Sacrament
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Jeffrey R. Holland, “This Do in Remembrance of Me,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 67–69
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Dallin H. Oaks, “Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 17–20
For the most recent talks from Church leaders on the sacrament, see the general conference topic “Sacrament” in Gospel Library.
Washing of Feet
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Jeffrey R. Holland, “He Loved Them unto the End,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, 67–69
Media
Video
“The Last Supper” (6:11)
Images
The Last Supper, by Carl Bloch
In Remembrance of Me, by Walter Rane
The Servant, by Yongsung Kim
The Greatest in the Kingdom, by J. Kirk Richards
James Tissot (1836–1902). The Kiss of Judas (Le baiser de Judas), 1886–1894. Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.234