But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
Parallel translations
- WEB How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that it must be so?”
- KJV But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
- NKJV How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”
- NASB How then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
- NLT But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus asks how the Scriptures would be fulfilled if He resisted. He submits to arrest in order to fulfill God's revealed plan.
Overview
Jesus explains that His suffering is the fulfillment of Scripture and therefore must happen as appointed. His commitment to the written word governs even His response to betrayal and arrest. The verse shows that the cross is not a tragic accident but the deliberate accomplishment of God's prophetic plan of redemption.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Zech 13:7Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn My hand against the little ones.
- Matt 26:24The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
- Luke 24:25–26Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
- Acts 1:16“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.
- Isa 53:1–12Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
- John 10:35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
- Ps 22:1–31For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?
- Luke 24:44–46Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
- Ps 69:1–36For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck.
- Dan 9:24–26Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 26:54 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.