3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest , named Caiaphas ; 4 and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. 5 But they were saying , "Not during the festival , otherwise e a riot might occur among the people ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 26:3-5
Commentary on Matthew 26:1-5
(Read Matthew 26:1-5)
Our Lord had often told of his sufferings as at a distance, now he speaks of them as at hand. At the same time the Jewish council consulted how they might put him to death secretly. But it pleased God to defeat their intention. Jesus, the true paschal Lamb, was to be sacrificed for us at that very time, and his death and resurrection rendered public.