Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 26:21

"and as they were eating, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." — Matthew 26:21 (ASV)

The Passover meal could not be eaten till after sundown; and for those living within Palestine, it had to be eaten inside Jerusalem or not at all. That is why we find Jesus reclining at a table in a room in the city “when evening came.” Once the meal began Jesus solemnly says, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray [GK 4140; cf. 26:2] me.” The disciples respond uniformly: one after another, as the enormity of the charge sinks in, each man asks, “Surely not I, Lord?”