YouVersion Logo
Search Icon

Matthew 26:1-13

Matthew 26:1-13 Amplified Bible (AMP)

When Jesus had finished this discourse, He said to His disciples, “You know that the Passover is coming in two days, and the Son of Man is to be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion.” [Mark 14:1, 2; Luke 22:1, 2] Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the [elegant home of the Jewish] high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him. But they said, “It must not be during the festival (Passover), otherwise there might be a riot among the people.” Now when Jesus was [back] in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, [Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8] a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume and she poured it on Jesus’ head as He reclined at the table. But when the disciples saw it they were indignant and angry, saying, “Why all this waste [of money]? For this perfume might have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” But Jesus, aware [of the malice] of this [remark], said to them, “Why are you bothering the woman? She has done a good thing to Me. For you always have the poor with you; but you will not always have Me. [Deut 15:11; Mark 14:7] When she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, wherever this gospel [of salvation] is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her [for her act of love and devotion].”

Matthew 26:1-13 The Passion Translation (TPT)

After Jesus had completed his teachings, he said to his disciples, “You know that the Feast of the Passover begins in two more days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over to be crucified.” Meanwhile, the prominent priests and religious leaders of the nation were gathered in the palace of Caiaphas the high priest. That’s when they made their decision to secretly have Jesus captured and killed. But they all agreed, “We can’t do this during the Passover celebrations or we could have a riot on our hands.” Then Jesus went to Bethany, to the home of Simon, a man Jesus had healed of leprosy. A woman came into the house, holding an alabaster flask filled with expensive, fragrant oil. She came right to Jesus, and in a lavish gesture of devotion, she poured out the costly oil, and it cascaded over his head as he was at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were offended. “What a total waste!” they grumbled. “We could have sold it for a great deal of money and given it to the poor.” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Why are you critical of this woman? She has done a beautiful act of kindness. You will always have someone poor whom you can help, but you will not always have me. When she poured the fragrant oil over me, she was preparing my body for burial. I promise you that when this wonderful gospel spreads all over the world, the story of her lavish devotion to me will also be mentioned in memory of her.”