Two momentous days have passed: On Monday, there was the cleansing of the Temple and the laments over Jerusalem’s lack of faith; Tuesday featured exhaustive teachings by Jesus and interrogations by His opponents. Today, Wednesday, it would seem that Jesus stays in Bethany.
According to Matthew’s Gospel, the day begins with an ominous warning: When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (Matthew 26:1-2).
The scene then shifts across the Kidron valley, where we “overhear” this conversation: Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people”(Matthew 26:3-5).
It is interesting that they say, “not during the festival,” because according to the Synoptic Gospels, that is exactly when it ended up happening. This serves as a reminder that things unfold according to the Lord’s authority. Nothing is out of His control. No one takes Jesus’ life; He lays it down freely.
Even if one considers the Johannine tradition, which uses a different Jewish calendar to date the Passover (one day later), this all takes place right in the thick of the Passover. Why? Because the Lord is fulfilling Passover. The priests and elders can plan all they want, but God is in control. The priests and elders can plan all they want, but God is in control.
The Lord Jesus and the Twelve likely spent a quiet sort of day and it is now later in the afternoon. Matthew’s Gospel places Jesus in Bethany, at the home