Matthew 26:1

After the discourse in which the Lord had declared that He should return in splendour, He announces to them His approaching Passion, that they might learn the close connection between the sacrament of the Cross, and the glory of eternity.

"All these sayings," i.e. about the consummation of the world, and the day of judgment. Or, "finished," because He had fulfilled in doing and preaching all things from the beginning of the Gospel to His Passion.

Yet it is not "all" barely, but "all these;" for there were other sayings which He must speak before He should be delivered up.

We gather from John's account, that six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, and thence entered Jerusalem sitting upon the ass, after which were done the things related to have been done at Jerusalem. We understand therefore that four days elapsed from His coming to Bethany, to make this two days before the Passover. The difference between the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread is this; the name Passover is given to that one day on which the lamb was slain in the evening, that is, the fourteenth moon of the first month; and on the fifteenth moon, the day that the people came out of Egypt, followed the festival of unleavened bread. But the Evangelists seem to use the terms indifferently. [marg. note: see Acts 12:3]

The Passover, called in Hebrew Phase, does not come as most think from πασχειν "to suffer," but from the Hebrew word signifying "to pass over;" because the destroyer passed over when he saw the blood on the doors of the Israelites, and smote them not; or the Lord Himself walked on high, succouring His people.

Or, because by the help of the Lord the Israelitish people, freed from Egyptian bondage, passed forth into liberty.

He said not, "After two days" will be, or will come, "the feast of the Passover," but not meaning the ordinary annual Passover, but that Passover such as had never before been, "the Passover will be offered." [marg. note: το πασχα γινεται ]

Mystically, that is called the Passover, because on that day Christ passed out of the world to His Father, from corruption to incorruption, from life to death, or because He redeemed the world by causing it savingly to pass from the slavery of the Devil.

After the two days of the shining light of the Old and of the New Testament, the true Passover is slain for the world. Also our Passover is celebrated when we leave the things of earth, and hasten to the things of heaven.

He foretels His crucifixion to His disciples, adding, "And the Son of Man shall be delivered to be crucified;" thus fortifying them against that shock of surprise, which the sight of their Master, led forth to crucifixion, would otherwise have occasioned them. And He expresses it impersonally "shall be delivered," because God delivered Him up in mercy to the human race, Judas from covetousness, the Priest for envy, the Devil through fear that through His teaching the human race would be plucked out of His hand, little aware how much more that would be effected by His death, than either by His teaching or miracles.

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, He said unto His disciples, Ye know that after two days is the passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified.” In good season again doth He speak of the passion, when He had reminded them of the kingdom, and of the recompense there, and of the deathless punishment; as though He had said, Why are ye afraid at the dangers that are for a season, when such good things await you?