(Matthew 26:36-45) Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the 73
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third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. (KJV)
(Mark 14:32-41) And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. (KJV)
(Luke 22:40-46) And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. (KJV)
The quoted passages which are used as the texts of this chapter present the most sublime of all prayers ever prayed by the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Here, facing the time for which He had come into the world, the time which had been ordained before the foundation of the world, He felt the great need to commune with the Father. Matthew’s account states that He “…began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy.” Mark quotes Jesus as saying that His soul was “…exceeding sorrowful unto death….” Luke does not render any comment on the condition of Jesus before the prayer, only during the prayer. The words used by these writers indicate the awesome burden which Jesus was about to undertake. He was facing the reality of becoming sin for the world. The time had come for the sin debt to be paid. He was not to become a sinner, but He was to become sin. Away in times past He had prayed to the Father when something major, or even minor, faced Him. This time was no different. After an eternity of being with the Father and then coming to the earth to 74
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become God-Man, He always had constant and sweet communion with the Father. Now, He was faced with being completely ostracized from the Father. This was overwhelming to Him. He Who was holy, sinless and perfect, was faced with becoming sin in order to pay for its severe consequences.
Thus, was the reason for the Garden Prayer.
In examining the prayer, we must first consider the sorrow of Jesus. A human being cannot even fathom the extreme and utter sorrow and heaviness of spirit that Jesus felt. He can only tolerate so much sorrow before reaching the breaking point. It is hard for some to comprehend the sorrow Jesus felt. His weight of sorrow was so heavy, He was, by His own words, “…exceeding sorrowful unto death….” Even the most grievous experience that one can have can never compare with the sorrow that Jesus felt as He flung Himself prostrate on the ground in prayer.
One of the most comforting things we can have in time of extreme sorrow is the help and compassion of close friends. Jesus chose three of His closest followers to accompany Him into the Garden of Gethsemane. He left the remaining on watch at the entrance and proceeded with Peter, James and John into the interior of the garden. After giving the admonition for them to pray also, He left the three and went a short distance away. He prayed once and came back. They were fast asleep. He returned to pray and coming again, He found them asleep once more. This happened a third time.
With the anticipation of God the Father turning His back upon Him, Jesus could not even find the least shred of comfort and consolation in His closest friends for they had fallen fast asleep. There is nothing quite like the experience of feeling completely alone. There is no comparison for the loneliness experienced by Jesus during the last waning hours of His human life on this earth. What a Man was this Man Jesus! To endure the awful loneliness of having His closest friends and followers to let Him down in the hour of His greatest need is bad enough, but the knowledge of the fact that in a few hours even His heavenly Father would be forced to turn His back upon Him is beyond comprehension.
Jesus prayed for the cup to pass from Him if it were possible. What did He mean? Was He not wanting to die? Was He being tempted by Satan not to die? For what was He praying? Many scholars believe that Jesus was suffering from a condition described only by Luke the Physician.
Luke records the fact that Jesus’ sweat was as great drops of blood. The condition, say many scholars, was life-threatening. It is believed this is the cup that Jesus was asking to be able to pass, but not according to His will, but according to the will of the Father. Luke is also the only one who records the facts angels came and ministered to Jesus and strengthened Him.
In His prayer uttered the night before His death we have perhaps the most beautiful as well as the most perfect expression of absolute selflessness that has come down to us. It is true that the prayer begins with a petition to the Father to glorify His Son, but it is plain that the Son desires to be glorified simply that He may more perfectly glorify the Father. The first thought that comes to us as we listen to His voice in this prayer is that here at last is One Who wants nothing for Himself. Even at this supremely critical moment, when His life is hanging by a thread—a thread which He knows He will break on tomorrow—He wants nothing for Himself.1
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All things were possible unto God, yet by God’s own declaration there was no other way for the debt of sin to be paid than for Jesus to go to the cross. This was the Father’s will and Jesus was willing to abide by it. Even at this critical time Jesus firmly obeyed the Father’s will.
Jesus, even in His darkest hour, provided an excellent example for His disciples to follow. In the face of death, He followed and obeyed God’s will. We will never face what Jesus did for He, alone, was to undergo the agonies for the payment of sin. We should, however, follow the example He set forth. Even in the face of death and calamity we should follow His will.
1
Poll, p. 79.
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