Matthew 26 covers the final days before Jesus’ crucifixion: the plot against him, the anointing at Bethany, the Last Supper, the prayer in Gethsemane, and his arrest. The questions below work for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and each one points to specific verse numbers so you can read the text before you discuss it.
Matthew 26 at a Glance
The chapter moves quickly from plot to table to garden. The religious leaders decide to act but not during the feast (verses 1-5), a woman pours costly ointment on Jesus and is rebuked by the disciples (verses 6-13), and Judas agrees to betray him (verses 14-16). The Passover meal follows, where Jesus names his betrayer and institutes the bread and cup (verses 17-29).
After the meal Jesus predicts the scattering of the disciples and Peter’s denial (verses 30-35), prays three times in Gethsemane while the disciples sleep (verses 36-46), and is arrested after Judas’s kiss (verses 47-56). The chapter closes with Jesus before Caiaphas and Peter watching from a distance (verses 57-58), with the false witnesses still being gathered.
Observation Questions
Start here so the group agrees on what the text says before anyone interprets it. Ask someone to read the verses aloud first, then let people answer from the passage rather than from memory.
Matthew 26:6-7
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to him having an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.
(WEB)
Read this opening scene of the anointing to set the tone for the discussion. It introduces the contrast between the woman’s devotion and the disciples’ concern, which the group will return to throughout the session.
Matthew 26:26-28
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, 28 for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.
(WEB)
This passage holds the institution of the Lord’s Supper at its center. Reading it aloud slowly lets the group hear the words of bread, cup, and covenant before discussing them.
Matthew 26:36-39
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.” 39 He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
(WEB)
Reading the Gethsemane prayer aloud brings out Jesus’ honesty about his distress and his submission to the Father. It gives the group a concrete example to compare with their own prayers.
Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
(WEB)
This short verse is easy to remember and easy to apply. Reading it aloud helps the group connect watchfulness with the honest admission that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:52-54
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I couldn’t ask my Father, and he would even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”
(WEB)
Jesus’ words about the sword and the legions of angels challenge assumptions about power and violence. Reading this aloud before the discussion of Gethsemane helps the group see how Jesus understands his own path.
Memory Verse for Matthew 26
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you having read the account of your Son’s last night before the cross. Thank you that he did not look away from the cost of love, and that he prayed honestly even when the cup was hard. Help us to watch and pray, to notice our own weakness without despair, and to trust your purpose when we cannot see the whole path. Shape us as people who remember your sacrifice with gratitude at the table and carry that gratitude into ordinary days. Amen.
