Matthew 26:36-46

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

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 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.
Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.”

Frederick Brotherton Meyer, a contemporary and friend of D. L. Moody and A. C. Dixon, was a Baptist pastor and evangelist in England involved in ministry and inner city mission work on both sides of the Atlantic presents it to us this way regarding Matthew 26:36-45.

THE HOUR WHEN THE FLESH WAS WEAK

In human life there is a close connection between our hymns and our olive-presses. We pass from the supper to the garden, from the emblems to the reality. But not all can enter into the fellowship of our Lord’s unknown sufferings. Paul longed to do this that he might realize also the power of His resurrection, Php_3:10. Our Lord longs for the sympathy which will keep awake for love of Him, though it may not understand all that is in His heart!
Notice that though the cup seemed to be mixed and presented by human hands, our Lord refused to see in it these alone, but went behind them to the permissive will of God the Father. It is this thought that extracts bitterness from the bitterest cup. In the same sentence Jesus bade the disciples sleep on and arise. It was as though He knew and felt that though the past had gone beyond recall, yet further opportunities and testings were awaiting them and Him. These they would encounter and share in company. He is always saying to us, however unworthy-Let us be going.

William MacDonald (1917-2007) Believer’s Bible Commentary on Matthew 26:36-46.

The Agony in Gethsemane

No one can approach this account of the Garden of Gethsemane without realizing that he is walking on holy ground. Anyone who attempts to comment on it feels a tremendous sense of awe and reticence. As Guy King wrote, “The supernal character of the event causes one to fear lest one should in any way spoil it by touching it.”
26:36-38 After entering Gethsemane (meaning olive vat or olive press), Jesus told eight of the eleven disciples with Him to sit and wait, then took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee deeper into the garden. Might this suggest that different disciples have different capacities for empathizing with the Savior in His agony?
He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. He frankly told Peter, James, and John that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. This was doubtless the unspeakable revulsion of His holy soul as He anticipated becoming a sin-offering for us. We who are sinful cannot conceive what it meant to Him, the Sinless One, to be made sin for us (2Co_5:21).
26:39 It is not surprising that He left the three and went a little farther into the garden. No one else could share His suffering or pray His prayer: “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Lest we think this prayer expressed reluctance or a desire to turn back, we should remember His words in Joh_12:27-28 : “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Therefore, in praying that the cup might pass from Him, He was not asking to be delivered from going to the cross. That was the very purpose of His coming into the world!
The prayer was rhetorical, that is, it was not intended to elicit an answer but to teach us a lesson. Jesus was saying in effect, “My Father, if there is any other way by which ungodly sinners can be saved than by My going to the cross, reveal that way now! But in all of this, I want it known that I desire nothing contrary to Your will.”
What was the answer? There was none; the heavens were silent. By this eloquent silence we know that there was no other way for God to justify guilty sinners than for Christ, the sinless Savior, to die as our Substitute.
26:40, 41 Returning to the disciples, He found them sleeping. Their spirits were willing; their flesh was weak. We dare not condemn them when we think of our own prayer lives; we sleep better than we pray, and our minds wander when they should be watching. How often the Lord has to say to us as He said to Peter, “Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
26:42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, expressing submission to the Father’s will. He would drink the cup of suffering and death to the dregs.
He was necessarily alone in His prayer life. He taught the disciples to pray, and He prayed in their presence, but He never prayed with them. The uniqueness of His Person and work precluded others from sharing in His prayer life.
26:43-45 When He came to the disciples the second time, they were asleep again. Likewise the third time: He prayed, they slept. It was then He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.”
26:46 The opportunity of watching with Him in His vigil was gone. The footsteps of the traitor were already audible. Jesus said, “Rise, let us be going”—not in retreat but to face the foe.
Before we leave the garden, let us pause once more to hear His sobs, to ponder His sorrow, and to thank Him with all our hearts.

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Jesus Prays in Gethsemane.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

THE HOUR WHEN THE FLESH WAS WEAK

The Agony in Gethsemane

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By Philippus Schutte

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