Before our four-week break to celebrate Advent, we had been listening as Jesus spoke about the future — the end times, His return, and the call to stay awake, ready, and faithful. But in Matthew 26, everything shifts. Jesus stops teaching about what will happen someday and begins walking straight toward what must happen. The words give way to wounds. The warnings give way to a cross.
In this study we’ll see a powerful contrast play out. While religious leaders are plotting in secret, Jesus is calmly offering Himself in obedience to the Father’s will. While one woman pours out everything she has in extravagant love, another disciple quietly offers to betray Jesus for silver. And seated at the table are men who must answer the question: “Lord, is it I?”
This passage invites honest self-examination. It asks us what our worship really costs us, whether our faith is driven by love or convenience, and how we respond when following Jesus becomes difficult.
We will also come to that sacred moment where Jesus breaks bread, shares the cup, and simultaneously points us backward to the cross and forward to His coming kingdom — reminding us that His suffering is not the end of the story.
