5. Not on the feast day. Popular sentiment among the throngs gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the event that marked Israel’s first deliverance as a nation, was strongly in favor of proclaiming Jesus as Messiah-King (see on 4). It would not be safe, the leaders reasoned, to deal with Jesus until these crowds should have departed from the city. But, their deliberations having reached this point, Judas came with a proposal that apparently changed their plans ( 14, 15). It seems that Matthew here inserts the narrative of the feast at Simon’s house ( 6-13), which took place in Bethany, while the priests and Pharisees were in council in the palace of Caiaphas in Jerusalem, by way of explaining the change in plans. Following the rebuke received at this feast Judas went directly to the palace, and there arranged to betray Jesus.
An uproar. See on 4. This was presumably Saturday night preceding the crucifixion (see on 3). The day following witnessed the great popular demonstration acclaiming Jesus, Messiah-King, as He entered Jerusalem in triumph (see on 21:1-11; DA 570-572). No doubt, as the priests went out to meet Jesus on the brow of the Mount of Olives they felt that their worst fears were about to be realized (see DA 578, 580, 581).
Be thou clean. Since no human being could then cure leprosy, the fact that Jesus did implied that He had divine power. This gave the people faith that He was able also to cleanse the soul from sin. Jesus had come to the earth for the specific purpose of cleansing sinners, whose spiritual illness was more deadly than leprosy.