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Matthew 26:1. When Jesus had finished all these words, he said to his disciples: Matthew 26:2. you know that in two days there will be Easter, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified. After mentioning the Kingdom and torment, he then appropriately talks about His suffering, as if to say that “My crucifiers will also be worthy of fire.” Matthew 26:3. Then the chief priests and scribes and the elders of the people gathered together in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, Matthew 26:4. and they decided in council to take Jesus by cunning and kill him; Matthew 26:5. but they said: just not on a holiday, so that there is no indignation among the people. Despite the commandment of the law that there should be only one bishop during his entire life, the Jews, contrary to the law, installed many bishops, replacing them every year. So, those who were supposed to punish the murderers came to the bishop of that year for a council. The evangelist calls those who have already completed their one-year service as bishops. Intending to commit criminal murder, they fear not God, but the people. They were afraid that the people, if they killed Christ during the holiday, would not rise up to take revenge for that, or at the same time they were afraid that by their murder they would not distract the people from the legalized sacrifices, and they themselves would not lose the profit from the victims. In the same way, they feared that the death of Christ would not become generally known and glorious if He were killed on the holiday; they wanted to destroy the memory of Him. Thus, having made a council before the holiday, they decided to kill Him after the holiday. But He, showing that He suffered not when they would like, but when He Himself wanted, allowed them to take Himself on the eve of the very holiday of Easter, so that at the same time at which the representative Easter usually took place, the true Easter would also take place. It is also worth noting how they desecrated themselves by murder. In fact, not wanting to kill Him on a holiday, they kill, however, as soon as they found a traitor, they kill just to fulfill their will, but they no longer paid attention to the people. Matthew 26:6–7. When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vessel of precious ointment and poured it on His head as he reclined. Some say that there were three wives who anointed the Lord with chrism, which were mentioned by all four evangelists. Others believe that there were two of them: one mentioned in John, that is, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, and the other, the one mentioned in Matthew and which is identical with that mentioned in Luke and Mark. Some consider Simon the leper to be the father of Lazarus: the Lord cleansed him of leprosy and was treated to him. It is also believed that when the Lord said to the disciples: “Go to so-and-so, and he will show you the furnished upper room,” he sent them specifically to Simon; It was he, as they say, who received the Lord, and the Lord celebrated Easter with him. Seeing this leper cleansed, the said wife began to believe that she too would receive remission and be cleansed from spiritual leprosy. Having accepted faith, she buys precious myrrh and, without sparing, pours it on the head of the Lord, thereby giving honor to the most important part of the body. So, you too, since you have spiritual leprosy - the leprosy of the Pharisees, which blinds you with exaltation and thereby removes you from God, accept Jesus into your home and anoint Him with the world of virtues. After all, you can make myrrh for Jesus who cleansed you from leprosy and pour this ointment on His head. What is the head of Christ? This is His Divinity, to which the incense of virtues is offered, for it is said: “Let my prayer be corrected, it is said, like incense before You” (Psalm 140:2). And you bring to the Divinity of Christ the incense of the world, composed of virtues, confess Christ not only as a man, but also as God, for through this you also anoint His head with the fragrant world, that is, you theologize Orthodoxy. Matthew 26:8. Seeing this, His disciples were indignant and said: Why such a waste? Matthew 26:9. For this ointment could have been sold for a high price and given to the poor. Matthew 26:10. But Jesus, realizing this, said to them: Why are you embarrassing the woman? She did a good deed for Me: Matthew 26:11. for you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me; Having heard a lot from the Lord about alms and highly appreciating the word about it, the disciples began to reproach the wife, believing that God was more seeking humanity than His own honor. But He reprimands the disciples because they reproached their wife untimely. In general, one should not demand too much from newcomers, and especially from a weak woman, but their moderate faith should also be accepted. Therefore, when someone brings a gift to God, do not reject it and do not suppress the burning of his spirit, which would happen if you sent him to distribute this gift to the poor, but leave him to make the offering. But when someone asks you for advice about whether something should be given to the poor or brought to God, then advise him to give it better to the poor, and if he has already brought it, then in vain you will turn him away. Moreover, honor given directly to God should be preferred to everything in general, and, consequently, to alms itself. And if Christ, out of love for mankind, attributes deeds of mercy to Himself, then do not think that one should leave God and care only about alms: in this case, it will turn out that one can both blaspheme and give alms out of sacrilegiousness. But this shouldn't be the case. And that showing mercy to the poor and giving honor and pleasing to Christ himself is not the same thing, listen: “You always have the poor with you,” he says, “but you do not always have Me.” You see that it is another thing to serve Christ and another to have mercy on the poor, although Christ, out of His love for mankind, takes to Himself what they do for the poor. Matthew 26:12. pouring this ointment on My body, she prepared Me for burial; Matthew 26:13. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what she has done will also be told in her memory. By this the Lord teaches us that the mentioned wife did this according to the special will of God, prefiguring His death and the burial of His body, for the Lord would not have allowed Himself to be anointed with ointment if He did not want to reveal some secret by this. As God, He foretold the future, that what she had done would be proclaimed everywhere to the wife’s praise. Notice the love of God, what a great gift he gives to his wife: He arranges that her memory will be everywhere as long as the Gospel is preached. But how did the ointment indicate the burial of Christ? The Jews had the custom of burying bodies with the colors of the world, as the Egyptians did, so that these bodies would be preserved without rotting and without a bad smell. So, this woman,” He says, “shows through the libation of peace that My body will be given over to burial. The Lord says all this, touching and admonishing Judas, through whom he was about to be handed over for burial. In a figurative sense, understand the following: a leper is a pagan people; the sinful wife is a church from the host of pagans who poured ointment, that is, faith, on the head of Christ or, in other words, on His Divinity. For everyone who believes that Christ is the Son of God thereby pours myrrh on the head of Christ. Finally, Judas, who grumbled, as John says (John 12:4-5), against his wife, is an image of the Jews who to this day grumble against the Church of Christ. Matthew 26:14. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests Matthew 26:15. and said: What will you give me, and I will deliver Him to you? They offered him thirty pieces of silver; Matthew 26:16. and from that time on he sought an opportunity to betray Him. When an alien wife, a harlot, has shown such great honor, then the disciple leaves to betray Him! “Then he went” was not said in vain, but to indicate the shamelessness of Judas. The expression “Iscariot” was added by the evangelist in order to more clearly designate him, since there was another Judas, Levway; The same traitor came from a certain village called “Iskara”. “They offered him thirty pieces of silver,” that is, they only agreed, decided to give it to him, and not that they had already weighed them out, as many people think. Judas was looking for a convenient time to betray Him to them alone: ​​since they were afraid of the people, they bribed Judas so that he would notify them when Jesus would be alone. Matthew 26:17. On the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus and said to Him, “Where do you tell us to prepare the Passover for You?” Matthew 26:18. He said: go to the city to so-and-so and tell him: The Teacher says: My time is near; I will keep the Passover with you with my disciples. Matthew 26:19. The disciples did as Jesus commanded them and prepared the Passover. So I think that the evangelist calls the day before unleavened bread the first unleavened bread. They were supposed to eat Easter on Friday evening: it was called the day of unleavened bread; but the Lord sends His disciples on Thursday, which the Evangelist calls the first day of unleavened bread because it preceded Friday, on which evening they usually ate unleavened bread. The disciples come up and ask Jesus: “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover for you?” , for neither they themselves nor He had their own home. And He sends them to a man who is not known to them and does not know them (He did the same with regard to the donkey), showing them that that person can obey the simple words of strangers and will accept Him. He wanted to celebrate Easter so as not to appear to be an enemy of the law. He calls His slaughter “His time” so that we may know that He is not slain without knowledge and voluntarily. To the words: “with you,” that is, in your house, “I will make the Passover,” the Lord added “with My disciples”; I added this so that appropriate preparations could be made, for many intended to eat Easter. Matthew 26:20. When evening came, He lay down with the twelve disciples; Matthew 26:21. and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” Matthew 26:22. They became very sad and began to say to Him, each one of them: Is it not I, Lord? From this, some conclude that the Lord did not eat Passover that year. The Lamb, they say, was eaten standing, but Christ reclined; therefore, I did not eat Passover. But we affirm that He first ate the Old Testament Passover while standing, and then, reclining, taught His sacrament: first He celebrated the representative Passover, and then the true Passover. He predicts about Judas’s actions in order to correct him, to shame him, if nothing else, then at least by sharing a meal, and letting him know that he, Judas, wants to betray God, who knows thoughts. The disciples began to worry about themselves because, although their conscience was clear, they trusted Christ more than themselves, since the Lord knew their hearts better than they themselves. Matthew 26:23. He answered and said to them: He who dipped his hand into the dish with Me, this one will betray Me; Matthew 26:24. However, the Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for that man not to have been born. Matthew 26:25. At this, Judas, who betrayed Him, said: Isn’t it me, Rabbi? Jesus says to him: You said. He directly denounces the traitor, since, although he was secretly denounced, Judas did not correct himself. Therefore, saying: “he who dipped with Me,” announces him in order to at least correct him. However, being shameless, Judas dipped the piece in the same dish or plate. Then the Lord says: “Nevertheless, the Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him,” that is, if Christ was predestined to suffer for the salvation of the world, however, for this reason Judas should not be honored at all. On the contrary, woe to him, because he did this not at all in order to promote the will of God, but in order to serve his own malice. Moreover, if you look closely, Christ did not have an adamant desire to be crucified. He shows this by praying for the cup to be removed. But since “before all ages” He knew that, due to the evil of the enemy, people could not be saved in any other way, He finally wanted to drink the cup that He did not want at first. Saying that “it would have been better for this person not to have been born” shows that non-existence is better than being in sins. Notice also the word “goes”: it shows that the killing of Christ will be a transition rather than a death. Matthew 26:26. And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take, eat: this is My Body.” The expression: “when they ate” was added by the evangelist in order to show the inhumanity of Judas: if he had been a beast, then even then he should have softened, for he ate only one food from one meal, and meanwhile, being convicted, he did not come to his senses; Moreover, even after partaking of the Body of Christ, he did not repent. However, some say that Christ taught the Mysteries to His disciples when Judas left. This is also fitting for us to do, that is, to remove wicked people from the Divine Mysteries. Intending to break bread, the Lord gives thanks both in order to teach us to offer bread with thanksgiving, and in order to show that He gratefully accepts the breaking of His body, that is, mortification, and is not indignant at this as something involuntary; Finally, he gives thanks so that we too may receive the Mysteries of Christ with gratitude. Saying: “this is My Body,” shows that the bread consecrated on the altar is the very body of Christ, and not its image, for He did not say: “this is the image,” but “this is My Body.” Bread is transformed by an inexplicable action, although it appears to us to be bread. Since we are weak and would not dare to eat raw meat and human flesh, we are taught bread, although in fact it is flesh. Matthew 26:27. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you, Matthew 26:28. for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Just as the Old Testament had slaughter and blood, so the New Testament has blood and slaughter. “She is poured out for many,” he said instead of “She is poured out for all,” for all are many. But why didn’t he say above: “Take it, eat it all,” but here he said: “Drink from it, all of you”? Some say that Christ said this for the sake of Judas, since Judas, having taken the bread, did not eat it, but hid it to show the Jews that Jesus calls the bread His flesh; he drank the cup reluctantly, not being able to hide it. Therefore, it is as if the Lord said: “drink, everyone.” Others interpret this in a figurative sense, namely: since solid food can not be taken by everyone, but only by those who are of perfect age, but everyone can drink, then for this reason he said here: “drink everyone,” because the simplest dogmas are common to everyone. Matthew 26:29. But I tell you that from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink new wine with you in the kingdom of My Father. Having tasted the cup, he finally refuses bodily drinking and proclaims some other eating in the Kingdom, that is, in the resurrection. Having been resurrected, He actually ate and drank, but for some other purpose, for He ate and drank not as one in need of bodily food, but to assure himself of the true nature of His body. In all justice, He calls His resurrection the Kingdom, for then He abolished death, revealing Himself as the true King. Or understand this: the new drink is a revelation of the mysteries of God, which will be revealed then - in the Kingdom of God, that is, at the second coming; “new”, that is, ones we have never heard before. Christ says that He Himself will drink them with us. This means that He considers our benefit to be His food and drink. Matthew 26:30. And having sung, they went to the Mount of Olives. After supper they sang this so that we would learn that we should do the same. He goes to the mountain of olives, and not to some other place, so that they do not think that He is running away; for he does not go to a place unknown to the Jews, but to a known place. At the same time, and for this reason, he leaves the bloodthirsty city, leaving it, so as not to prevent them from pursuing Him, and then to expose them that they pursued Him even after His departure. Matthew 26:31. Then Jesus said to them: You will all be offended because of Me this night, for it is written (Zechariah 13:7): I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered; Matthew 26:32. After My resurrection I will go before you to Galilee. As God predicts the future, and so that the disciples would not be tempted, taking this as a reproach to himself, he says that it is written: “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,” thereby instilling the following: I have bound you all together, but My departure will scatter you. It is said that the Father will smite the Son. This is because the Jews crucified the Lord by the will, that is, by permission, of the Father. Being able to prevent them, the Father did not prevent them, but allowed them, as a result of which it is said that He “struck.” Then, resolving the grief of the disciples, the Lord preaches to them: I will rise and “precede you to Galilee,” that is, I will hasten there before you. This shows that He will leave Jerusalem and go to the pagans, since pagans lived in Galilee. Matthew 26:33. Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if everyone is offended because of You, I will never be offended.” Matthew 26:34. Jesus said to Him, “Truly I tell you, this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Due to his great self-confidence, Peter alone promises not to be tempted. That is why Christ allowed him to fall, in order to teach Him to rely not on himself, but on God, and to consider the words of Christ more reliable than his own consciousness. Moreover, the words: “even if everyone is offended, I will not be offended” resonate with arrogance, revealing in Peter pride and ignorance of his own weakness. The Lord also predicts the time for him, that “on this very night, before the rooster crows,” and also predicts the number of renunciations, that he will renounce “three times.” Matthew 26:35. Peter said to Him: Even though I had to die with You, I will not deny You. All the disciples said the same thing. Matthew 26:36. Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and says to the disciples: sit here while I go and pray there. Peter, wanting to show that he was completely devoted to the Savior, contradicted Him, for, freed from the fear of betrayal, he began to rebel against others and resist Christ out of strong love for his Teacher and out of curiosity. But the rest of the disciples, since they had not yet experienced temptations, out of their ignorance promised what they could not fulfill. Intending to pray, Christ goes to a solitary place, because prayer requires detachment from everything and solitude. Matthew 26:37. And, taking Peter and both sons of Zebedee with him, he began to grieve and yearn. Matthew 26:38. Then Jesus said to them: My soul is sorrowful unto death; abide here and watch with Me. Matthew 26:39. And going away a little, he fell on his face, prayed and said: My Father! if possible, let this cup pass from Me; however, not as I want, but as You want. He does not take all disciples, but only three, to whom he showed glory at Tabor, so that, seeing Him praying and grieving, they would not be offended. However, he leaves these too and, going away, prays alone. And he grieves and yearns prudently, so that they may believe that He was a true man, for it is human nature to fear death. Death did not enter the human race by nature; Therefore, human nature fears death and runs away from it. At the same time, he grieves in order to hide Himself from the devil, so that the devil would attack Him as a simple man and kill Him, and through this he himself would be deposed. On the other hand, if the Lord Himself went to death, He would give the Jews an excuse that they did not sin by killing Him, who came to them to suffer. From this we learn not to plunge ourselves into danger, but to pray for deliverance from them. For this reason, He does not go far away, but is close to the three disciples, so that, hearing Him, they remember what He is doing, and, having fallen into temptation, they themselves would pray like Him. He calls His suffering a cup either because of the Dormition, or because of the circumstance that it became the cause of our joy and salvation. He wants this cup to pass by, either to show that, as a person, He, according to natural laws, turns away from death, as stated above, or because He did not want the Jews to sin so seriously that for their sin the destruction of the church and the death of the people would occur. Christ desires, the will of the Father be done, so that we too may learn that even though nature may turn us away, we must obey God rather than fulfill our own will. Matthew 26:40. And he comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter: “Couldn’t you watch with Me for one hour?” Matthew 26:41. Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Since Peter was bold, as well as the other disciples, he exposes their instability as people who spoke rashly, and in particular turns his speech to Peter: could you not watch with Me for one hour; and how will you lay down your souls for Me? However, when he struck them with reproof, he again calms them down, saying that the spirit is willing, but the weakness of the flesh opposes the spirit, that is: I forgive you, because you slumbered not out of contempt for Me, but out of weakness. As a result of this, if you are weak, then do not be bold, but pray, so that you will not somehow fall into temptation. Others believe that “let you not fall into adversity” is said instead of “let you not be overcome by adversity.” For, they say, he commands not that we should be without adversity, since adversity crowns us, but that we should not be swallowed up by adversity and that we should not fall into the belly of it, like some kind of beast - he commands us to pray for this, since the one overcome by adversity entered into its belly, that is, swallowed up by it. Matthew 26:42. Again, going away another time, he prayed, saying: My Father: if this cup cannot pass from Me, lest I drink it, Thy will be done. Matthew 26:43. And when he came, he found them sleeping again, for their eyes were heavy. Matthew 26:44. And leaving them, he went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same word. Learn, man, to pray unceasingly in temptations, hearing that the Lord also prayed often. Finding the disciples sleeping again, the Lord did not reprove, so as not to sadden them, but walked away. And, departing, he began to pray for the third time, assuring him of His humanity, for the number three serves as an indication of truth and reliability. Matthew 26:45. Then He comes to His disciples and says to them: Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners; Matthew 26:46. Arise, let us go: behold, he who betrayed Me has drawn near. Showing that he does not need their help when he intends to surrender, He tells them: “Sleep, however.” Or he says this to shame them, as if saying: “behold, a traitor has approached: if it pleases you and time allows, sleep.” Then he stirs them up from the place where he prayed and goes to meet those who intended to take Him. And here He is before them, as if they intend to give Him something pleasant. So for what He prayed for, He prayed for this purpose, so that providence would become certain for us; and if he did not want to suffer, then in order to protect the Jews from the destruction that was about to befall them for their sin against Him. Matthew 26:47. And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Matthew 26:48. He who betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying: Whomever I kiss is He, take Him. Matthew 26:49. And immediately approaching Jesus, he said: Rejoice, Rabbi! And kissed Him. Matthew 26:50. Jesus said to Him, Friend, why have you come? Then they came and laid their hands on Jesus and took Him. Do you see the weapons of the bishops! Draculas and swords! They were so peaceful! They were so distinguished by their spirit of meekness! One of the “twelve,” said the evangelist, showing with surprise that Judas gave himself up to the devil, despite the fact that he was chosen and installed with the first. So you too, man, be careful lest you fall away, weakened in spirit, even if you were one of those closest to Jesus! Judas gives the sign, partly because it was night and they could not recognize, and on the other hand, because those who came to take Jesus were not so much from the common people, but from the bishop’s servants, who, perhaps, did not know Jesus at all. The student points out the Teacher to them through a kiss, for, knowing the Lord’s love for mankind, he becomes bold and kisses Him. And the Lord endures until the last hour, trying to bring him to repentance with His long-suffering. When he was not admonished anyway, then the Lord does what those who came fell to the ground, as John says; He does this so that at least through a fall they will know His power. However, even after this they did not turn away from their insolence. Then the Lord gives Himself to them. He calls Judas “friend,” shaming and reproaching him for the fact that he, as if a friend, gives Him a kiss. “Did you come for this” - instead of: “With what disposition are you present here?” How's your friend? But in that case, you shouldn’t have come with swords. How's the enemy? But why are you kissing? This is what exposes him as a flatterer. Matthew 26:51. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus, stretching out his hand, drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest, cut off his ear. Matthew 26:52. Then Jesus said to him: Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword; Matthew 26:53. or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will present to Me more than twelve legions of Angels? Matthew 26:54. How will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that this must be so? Peter was the one who drew the knife, as John says (John 18:10). And he had a knife with him, as not long before he had slain a lamb, which was eaten at the supper. We do not condemn Peter, for he did this out of zeal not for himself, but for the Teacher. The Lord, accustoming him to the gospel life, instructs him not to use the sword, even if someone thought of taking revenge for God. By cutting off the ear, Peter shows that the Jews were sick with disobedience. Then the Lord states the dictum of the law that the murderer himself must be killed, since the law says that “those who take the knife will die from the knife.” This indicates that the Jews who took the sword against Him will be destroyed by the sword of the Romans. He did not say that “I can imagine twelve legions of angels,” but “to pray to My Father,” saying this prudently, like a man, because of the weakness of the disciples. Since He then showed a lot of humanity - sweat, fear, it would not be convincing if He said: “I myself can imagine angels.” Instead of twelve, he says, twelve regiments of angels would appear to Me if I wanted. And the legion is the largest regiment, six thousand horsemen. But it must, he says, for all this to happen, so that the Scriptures that foretell all this will be fulfilled. The Jews are evil not because the Scriptures foretold, but since the Jews had to do all this out of evil will, it is stated in the Scriptures as such by the Spirit. Matthew 26:55. At that hour Jesus said to the people, “It is as if you came out against a thief with swords and staves to take Me; Every day I sat with you, teaching in the church, and you did not take Me. Matthew 26:56. All this happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled. It shows their insane undertaking, as well as the fact that His capture was not due to their strength. When I was with you in the church, He says, you wanted to take Me, but since I did not allow it, you could not. Now, of my own free will, I surrender myself to you, for I know that it is impossible for the Scriptures that predicted your malice to lie. Then all the disciples left Him and fled. Matthew 26:57. And those who took Jesus took Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. Matthew 26:58. Peter followed Him from afar, to the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat down with the servants to see the end. The other disciples fled, but Peter, being more ardently disposed towards the Teacher, followed Him from afar. Although John followed Him, however, not as a disciple, but as an acquaintance of the bishop. Matthew 26:59. The chief priests and elders and the entire Sanhedrin ************ sought false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death, Matthew 26:60. and were not found; and although many false witnesses came, they were not found. They take Jesus to Caiaphas, since he was the bishop of that year. The rest also spent the whole night there, not eating Easter then, but waiting to kill the Lord, although by doing so they broke the law by not eating. For the Lord ate Passover at the legal time, but they, just to kill the Lord, neglected the law. But finally two false witnesses came Matthew 26:61. and they said: He said: I can destroy the church of God and build it in three days. Matthew 26:62. And the high priest stood up and said to Him: Why don’t you answer? What do they testify against You? Matthew 26:63. Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to Him: I adjure You by the living God, tell us, Are You the Christ, the Son of God? Matthew 26:64. Jesus says to him: You said; These were indeed false witnesses, for Christ did not say that “I can destroy,” but “destroy,” and did not say, “the church of God,” but “this church,” that is, “My body,” and again did not say, “I will build,” but “I will raise up” (John 2:19). Thus, these are obvious false witnesses who claimed that Christ said something that he did not say. Therefore, seeing their lawless judgment, Christ remained silent, for those who were not convinced by signs, how would they be convinced by justifications? Wanting to involve Christ in blasphemy, the bishop continues to question Him - so that if He says: “I am the Son of God,” to condemn Him as a blasphemer, or, if He renounces it, to have Him as a witness against Himself. But the Lord, who catches the wise in their deceit, answers: “You said.” This is instead of the following: “your mouth confessed that I am the Son of God.” I even say to you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. He proclaims to them in words from Daniel the prophet, since he said that “I saw as it were the Son of Man coming on the clouds.” Since the accusers considered Him a deceiver, appearing in a humble form, He tells them that “you will then see Me coming with power and sitting with the Father”; Here he refers to the power of the Father as “power”, and to those who are coming – not from the earth, but from heaven. Matthew 26:65. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said: He is blaspheming! What more need do we need witnesses? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy! Matthew 26:66. what do you think? They answered and said: He is guilty of death. The Jews had a custom - if something unbearable happened, they would tear their clothes. So Caiaphas, as if due to obvious blasphemy, did this to seduce the mob, in order to show them that Christ was blasphemous to the highest degree, and so would force the people to say that he was “guilty of death.” Notice also the fact that the fact that Caiaphas tore his clothes was a symbol of the tearing of the Old Testament bishops. Matthew 26:67. Then they spat in His face and strangled Him; others struck Him on the cheeks Matthew 26:68. and they said: Prophesy to us, O Christ, who struck You? When they condemned Him, then they began to reproach Him and mocked Him, throwing, as another evangelist says (Luke 22:63-64), clothes over His face. Since they had Him as a prophet, for this reason they mock Him. To strike means to hit with your hands, bending your fingers, or, more simply, to beat with your fists. Matthew 26:69. Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a certain maid came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” Matthew 26:70. But he denied it before everyone, saying: I don’t know what you are saying. Matthew 26:71. When he went out of the gate, another saw him, and said to those who were there, “This one too was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Matthew 26:72. And he again denied with an oath that he did not know This Man. Matthew 26:73. A little later those standing there came up and said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for your speech also convicts you.” Matthew 26:74. Then he began to swear and swear that he did not know This Man. And suddenly the rooster crowed. Matthew 26:75. And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And going out, he wept bitterly. Having been tormented by immeasurable fear, Peter forgot about his promises and submitted to human weakness, as if dying of fear and not knowing what he was saying. But you also understand in a sublime sense that Peter is convicted of a servant, that is, of human weakness, a base thing and befitting of slaves; he was convicted until the rooster crowed and brought him to his senses. The rooster signifies the word of Christ, which does not allow us to relax and sleep, but says: “keep awake” and “rise from sleep.” With this word, as if by some kind of alector, the awakened Peter, emerging from the bishop’s courtyard, that is, from a state of blinded mind, began to cry, emerging from insensibility. While he was in the courtyard of the blinded mind, he did not cry, because he did not feel, but as soon as he left it, he came to his senses.