Matthew 26:5

But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

26:1-5 Our Lord had often told of his sufferings as at a distance, now he speaks of them as at hand. At the same time the Jewish council consulted how they might put him to death secretly. But it pleased God to defeat their intention. Jesus, the true paschal Lamb, was to be sacrificed for us at that very time, and his death and resurrection rendered public.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Not on the feast-day - Not during the feast.

The feast lasted for seven days. A vast multitude attended from all parts of Judea. Jerusalem is said to have contained at such times "three million people." Amid such a multitude there were frequent tumults and seditions, and the Sanhedrin was justly apprehensive there "would" be now, if, in open day and in the temple, they took away a teacher so popular as Jesus, and put him to death. They therefore sought how they might do it secretly and by guile.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 26

Mt 26:1-16. Christ's Final Announcement of his Death, as Now within Two Days, and the Simultaneous Conspiracy of the Jewish Authorities to Compass It—The Anointing at Bethany—Judas Agrees with the Chief Priests to Betray His Lord. ( = Mr 14:1-11; Lu 22:1-6; Joh 12:1-11).

For the exposition, see on [1361]Mr 14:1-11.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ver. 3-5 Mark 14:1, saith, The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. Luke saith much the same with Mark. They had before this been seeking how to destroy him, Luke 19:47; nor was it the first time they had made a formal council about it, John 11:47; but now again they met. The place is named, that was the high priest’s hall; the councillors were the chief priests, scribes, and elders. The matter of their deliberation was to kill Christ, and how they might do it by subtlety, for they were afraid of the people, who had a great esteem for our Saviour, because of the many miracles he had wrought.

But they said, Not on the feast day: that was now within two days, and in order to it the city was full of people, and they were afraid (as they were concerned, being a conquered people, and having but a precarious liberty for their religion) of causing any tumults: this awed them, not any great religion for the festival, for all things now were out of order with them. Their high priest was chosen annually, and at the will of their conquerors; some little appearance they had of their ancient religious government, but it was in no due order.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And they said, not on the feast day,.... Upon mature deliberation, it was an agreed point with them, at least it was carried by a majority, that nothing of this kind should be attempted to be done on the feast day, on any of the days of the feast of passover, which was now at hand; though this was contrary to their common rules and usages: for, a person that sinned presumptuously, and such an one they accounted Jesus to be, they say (a),

"they do not put him to death by the order of the sanhedrim of his own city, nor by the sanhedrim of Jabneh; but they bring him up to the great sanhedrim at Jerusalem, and keep him "until the feast", and put him to death, "on a feast day"; as it is said, Deuteronomy 17:13, "and all the people shall hear and fear", &c.''

But what influenced them at this time to take another course, is the reason following;

lest there be an uproar among the people: they had no fear of God before their eyes, or in their hearts, only the fear of the people; many of whom believed in Christ, and others that did not, yet had a great veneration for him, having seen his miracles, and received favours from him; themselves, or their friends and relations, being cured by him of various diseases: besides, at the feast, people from all parts came up to Jerusalem; and they knew that large numbers from Galilee, where he had the greatest interest, would be present; and they feared, should they attempt anything of this nature at this time, the people would rise, and rescue him out of their hands. But God had determined otherwise, and his counsel shall stand; it was his pleasure, that he should be put to death at this feast, that the truth might answer the type of the passover lamb; and that all Israel, whose males now met together, might be witnesses of it: and so it was, that though these men had concluded otherwise in their council; yet an opportunity offering by Judas, to get him into their hands, they embrace it; and risk the danger of the people's uprising, who they found compliant enough to their wishes.

(a) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 10. sect. 4. Maimon. Hilch. Memarim, c. 3. sect 8.

Geneva Study Bible

But they said, Not on the {a} feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

(a) By the word feast is meant the whole feast of unleavened bread: the first and eighth day of which were so holy that they were not allowed to do any work on it, though the whole company of the Sanhedrin determined otherwise: And yet it came to pass through God's providence, that Christ suffered at that time, so that all the people of Israel might be witnesses of his everlasting sacrifice.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Matthew 26:5. ἔλεγον δὲ: δὲ points back to Matthew 26:1, which fixes the passion in Passover time, while the Sanhedrists thought it prudent to keep off the holy season for reason given.—μὴ, etc., to avoid uproar apt to happen at Passover time, Josephus teste (B. J., i., 4, 3).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. on the feast day] Better, during the feast, including the Passover and the seven days of unleavened bread.

lest there be an uproar among the people] The great danger at the time of the Passover, when the people, numbering hundreds of thousands, filled the city and encamped in tents outside the walls like a vast army. At a Passover, less than 30 years before, the people, partly to avenge the death of two Rabbis, rose against Archelaus, and were cruelly repressed with a slaughter of 3000 men (Joseph. Ant. xvii. 9. 3); see also xvii. 10. 2, where a similar rising against Sabinus, during the feast of Pentecost, is described.

Bengel's Gnomen

Matthew 26:5. Ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ, in the feast[1111]) Even then! They wished to delay the matter until the people, who were then collected in great numbers on account of the Passover, should have departed, after the conclusion of the festival. But as the traitor offered his services, they cast delay aside. Thus the Divine counsel was fulfilled.—τῷ λαῷ, the people) who acknowledged Jesus as a Prophet, and were then assembled in great numbers.

[1111] Matthew 26:6. ἐν Βηθανίᾳ, in Bethany) No doubt the banquet or supper, with its attendant circumstances, and the anointing, were one and the same, which are specified by John in the regular order of time, ch. Matthew 12:1, etc., but by Matthew and Mark merely incidentally in passing. The anointing excited the indignation of Judas; and, after he had cherished it in his bosom for several days, Satan suggested to him the act of betrayal, and in person took possession of the wretched man. It cannot readily be supposed, 1) that it was some other woman rather than Mary, the one so pre-eminently beloved by the Saviour, who obtained the promise of her deed, nay, even her own self, being had in remembrance [Matthew 26:13]: for, in fact, of no other woman whatsoever, save Mary, is the name recorded in connection with this event. Also, it is rather hard to credit, 2) that the pious disciples would have employed afresh [Matthew 26:8], within a few days after, the pretext [John 12:5-6] concerning the 300 pence which might have been given to the poor by the sale of the ointment,—a pretext which, when employed by Judas, our Lord had confuted with such force. Finally, 3) Jesus declared the very day of the anointing, as marked by John, to be the one and only day of His being made ready thereby for His burial: there cannot, therefore, be any second day, in Matthew and Mark, of His being in that same condition [viz. of being made ready for burial]. Nor, besides, is there anything to forbid the supposition, that all things which John records happened in the house of Simon the leper, and that Mary anointed with the precious ointment, first the head, then also the feet of the Saviour; which facts John states in an abbreviated form, as intending to record the wiping of His feet with the hairs of her head.—Harm., p. 493, etc.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - Not on the feast day; ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ: during the feast; i.e. during the eight days of the Passover celebration. The assembled multitudes did not leave the city until the close of the octave, so the danger of a rising was not removed till then. The rulers well knew the stern temper of Pilate the procurator, who was prepared to crush any popular movement with the strong hand, and at festival times had always his soldiers ready to hurl upon the mob at the slightest provication, and to deal indiscriminate slaughter. Hence arose the plan of a clandestine apprehension. It was, indeed, the custom to execute great criminals at the time of the chief festivals, in order to impress the spectacle of retribution upon the greatest number; but in the case of Jesus, after what had occurred during the last few days, and when Jerusalem was filled with Galilaeans, who might naturally favour their countryman's pretensions, it was deemed dangerous to make any open attack. Their fears were relieved in the most unexpected manner by the appearance of Judas among them (ver. 14). Matthew 26:5