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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_26:1-2
1When Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, 2"You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion."
Mat_26:1 "When Jesus had finished all these words" This referred to Jesus' eschatological discourse in Matthew 24-25. This phrase is a literary marker which Matthew used to mark off Jesus' discourses (cf. Mat_7:28; Mat_11:1; Mat_13:53; Mat_19:1; Mat_26:1).
Mat_26:2 "after two days the Passover is coming" There is much confusion over the exact date of the Lord's Supper and, for that matter, the whole itinerary of the last week of Jesus' ministry. The Lord's Supper was obviously linked to the Passover symbolism (cf. Joh_1:29). The Synoptic Gospels say it was the Passover meal, but John says it was the day before. There is some evidence that because the high priesthood had been corrupted by being purchased from the Roman occupiers that several sects of the Jews had Passover on a different day (i.e., the Essenes of the Dead Sea Scrolls used a solar calendar and had Passover one day earlier) than the official feast.
John's dating of the Supper one day earlier emphasizes Jesus as the Passover lamb killed to save the family. If so, John may have altered the date for theological purposes, as he may have altered the cleansing of the temple early for theological presentation of Jesus' life. The Gospel writers under inspiration had the right to select, adapt, and arrange the words and deeds of Jesus so as to present Him to different groups (Gordon Fee, Doug Stuart, How To Read the Bible For All Its Worth).
▣ "Son of Man" See note at Matt. Mat_8:24-30.
▣ "is to be handed over for crucifixion" Jesus had warned the disciples of this several times (cf. Mat_16:21; Mat_17:9; Mat_17:12; Mat_17:22-23; Mat_20:18-19; Mat_27:63). These predictions would embolden His followers in the days after the Passion week. Jesus knew future events. Jesus laid down His own life (cf. Mar_10:45; Joh_10:11; Joh_10:15; Joh_10:18). He was always in control of the timing and events themselves.
▣ "crucifixion" This was a form of public torture developed by either the Phoenicians or in Mesopotamia to deter rebellion and crime but perfected (i.e., where it lasted several days) by the Romans. No Roman citizen could be crucified. It involved a public beating and nailing to a cross. The shape of the cross could be a capital "T" or a small "t" or an "X." It is even possible that a scaffolding was used when several persons were crucified together. Death finally occurred by asphyxiation. The condemned person had to push up on his nailed feet to breathe. This is why breaking the legs of those criminals crucified with Jesus caused their rapid death (cf. Joh_19:32).