After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
The events of this section appear to have occurred on the fourth day of the Redeemer's Last Week-the Wednesday.
After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of unleavened bread. The meaning is, that two days after what is about to be mentioned the Passover would arrive; in other words, what follows occurred two days before the feast.
And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
From Matthew's fuller account (Matthew 26:1-75) we learn that our Lord announced this to the Twelve as follows, being the first announcement to them of the precise time: "And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings" - referring to the contents of Matthew 24:1-51 and Matthew 25:1-46, which He delivered to His disciples; His public ministry being now closed: from His prophetic office He is now passing into His priestly office, although all along Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses - "He said unto His disciples, Ye know that after two days is [the feast of] the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." The first and the last steps of his final sufferings are brought together in this brief announcement of all that was to take place. The Passover х to (G3588) pascha (G3957) = hapecach (H6453)] was the first and the chief of the three great annual festivals, commemorative of the redemption of God's people from Egypt, through the sprinkling of the blood of a lamb divinely appointed to be slain for that end; the destroying angel, "when he saw the blood, passing over" the Israelite houses, on which that blood was seen, when he came to destroy all the first-born in the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:1-51) - bright typical foreshadowing of the great Sacrifice, and the Redemption effected thereby.
Accordingly, "by the determinate counsel and, foreknowledge of God, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working," it was so ordered that precisely at the Passover-season, "Christ our Passover should be sacrificed for us." On the day following the Passover commenced "the feast of unleavened bread" х ta (G3588) azuma (G106)], so called because for seven days only unleavened bread was to be eaten (Exodus 12:18-20). See the notes at 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. We are further told by Matthew (Matthew 26:3) that the consultation was held in the palace of Caiaphas the high priest, between the chief priests, [the scribes], and the elders of the people, how "they might take Jesus by subtlety and kill Him." [The words kai (G2532) hoi (G3588) grammateis (G1122) are probably not genuine here. Tischendorf and Tregelles exclude them. It is likely they were introduced from Matthew and Luke.]