How does Matthew 26:1-2 fulfill Old Testament prophecy? Matthew 26:1–2 – The Passage “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, He told His disciples, ‘You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.’ ” Immediate Context in Matthew’s Gospel Matthew has just recorded the Olivet Discourse (chs. 24–25). The evangelist now pivots from eschatology to the climactic passion. The formula “When Jesus had finished…” (26:1) echoes the close of each major Matthean teaching block (cf. 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1), underscoring that all previous revelation converges on the cross. Jesus states the timing (“two days”) and manner (“delivered up to be crucified”), identifying Himself as the “Son of Man,” a messianic title rooted in Daniel 7. The declaration intentionally links His impending death with the Passover feast, signaling prophetic fulfillment. Passover Typology Foretold (Exodus 12; Numbers 9; Deuteronomy 16) 1. Selection and Sacrifice of a Lamb (Exodus 12:3–6). 2. Blood applied for deliverance from judgment (Exodus 12:13). 3. No bone to be broken (Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12). By announcing His crucifixion at Passover, Jesus identifies Himself as the antitype of the Paschal lamb: sinless, scrutinized, slain, and saving. Paul later confirms, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The temporal precision (“two days…Passover”) fulfills the Exodus calendar and prefigures the greater exodus from sin. Suffering Servant and Pierced Redeemer (Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 22) Isaiah foretold a servant “pierced for our transgressions…like a lamb led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:5, 7). Zechariah prophesied, “They will look on Me, the One they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10), while Psalm 22 graphically describes crucifixion centuries before its invention (vv. 16–18). Jesus’ statement that He “will be delivered up to be crucified” ties these threads together, signaling that the Servant’s suffering reaches fulfillment in the very feast that memorialized blood-borne deliverance. “Son of Man” Delivered—Danielic Expectation (Daniel 7:13-14; 9:24-26) Daniel saw “one like a son of man” receiving everlasting dominion (Daniel 7:13-14). Yet Daniel 9:26 predicted Messiah would be “cut off.” Jesus fuses the two ideas: the exalted Son of Man achieves kingship through suffering. His own forecast in Matthew 26:2 satisfies Daniel’s paradox—the Messiah is both slain and sovereign. Prophecy of Betrayal and “Handing Over” (Psalm 41:9; Zechariah 11:12-13) The verb paradidōmi, “hand over,” resonates with Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend…has lifted up his heel against me,” and Zechariah 11:12-13’s thirty-silver betrayal. Jesus’ mention that He will be “delivered up” sets in motion the foretold treachery (fulfilled 26:14-16). Chronological Specificity and Daniel’s Seventieth Week Modern scholarship (e.g., Robert C. Newman; Harold W. Hoehner) has shown that Daniel’s 69 weeks (Daniel 9:25) terminate precisely at the week of Christ’s crucifixion (AD 30/33, depending on calendrical reckoning). Jesus’ “two-day” notice locks the timing into place, aligning the Passover lamb’s slaughter on 14 Nisan with the predicted “cutting off” of Messiah “after the sixty-two weeks” (v. 26). Legal and Sacrificial Precision • Bones Unbroken: John 19:36 cites Exodus 12:46. • Hyssop & Blood: John 19:29 parallels Exodus 12:22’s hyssop application. • Evening Sacrifice: Jesus dies about the ninth hour (Matthew 27:45-50), the very time the temple lamb was slain (m. Pesachim 5.1). Matthew 26:1-2 therefore initiates a chain of events meeting every sacrificial requirement laid down 1,400 years earlier. Archaeological and Manuscript Corroboration Dead Sea Scrolls (e.g., 4QIsaᵃ) pre-date Christ by two centuries yet contain the full Servant Song verbatim, eliminating claims of Christian interpolation. Ossuary inscriptions such as “Yehohanan son of Hagkol” (a crucified victim found 1968) substantiate the Roman practice of nailing through wrists and ankles exactly as Psalm 22 portrays. The Merneptah Stele (c. 1207 BC) confirms Israel’s presence in Canaan, supporting the historicity of the Exodus people whose Passover rites forecasted Christ. Evangelistic Invitation The same Scriptures that foretold the crucifixion also promise forgiveness: “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). The prophetic precision demonstrated in Matthew 26:1-2 invites every reader to trust the Lamb whose sacrifice delivers from the ultimate judgment and to join the eternal exodus into God’s kingdom. |
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