Mateus 26

Gethsemane—Jesus almost dies!

36 Then Jesus comes with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He says to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 And taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along He began to be troubled and distressed. 38 Then Jesus says to them: "My soul is in anguish, to the point of death.*I take it that Jesus faced the full implications of the cross at this point—that He would be made sin, be separated from the Father—and the anguish of soul was so terrible that He almost died. Luke 22:44 records that Jesus sweat blood, "great drops" of it—a rare condition that is usually fatal. Verse 43 records that an angel from heaven strengthened Him. I believe Hebrews 5:7 refers to this moment; Jesus cried out to be delivered from a premature death in the Garden, He had to get to the cross, and the Father sent an angel to strengthen Him. [Perhaps 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit Luke 22:43-44.] Stay here and watch with me." 39 And going a little farther He fell on His face and prayed saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by; nevertheless not as I wish, but as you do."*How did Matthew know what Jesus prayed? It is not clear whether the "stone’s throw" (Luke 22:41) refers to the nine, or the three, but even if the three were within earshot how much would they hear asleep? Did Jesus tell them after His resurrection? Or did the Holy Spirit simply reveal it? And how did they know about the blood if they were asleep? 40 Then He comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping, and He says to Peter: "So, you (pl.) were not able to watch with me one hour! 41 Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit on its part is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 And going away a second time He prayed saying, "My Father, if this cup cannot pass from me unless I drink it, let your will be done."*Notice that the second prayer is less ‘desperate’—Jesus is getting the victory over His anguish. I believe the real battle was won in Gethsemane—the cross was just the mopping-up. 43 And coming He finds them sleeping again, because their eyes had been weighed down.*The Greek verb phrase here is a periphrastic pluperfect, passive voice = ‘had been’. The clear implication is that there was supernatural involvement. Just as Jesus had to face the devil alone in the desert, without angelic help (Matthew 4:11), so here He faced His trial alone, without human help. 44 So leaving them He went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then He comes to His disciples and says to them: "Sleep some more and take your rest!*I take it that Jesus is reproving them with a bit of gentle sarcasm, since He goes on to say, "Get up"—although there could have been an interval between verses 45 and 46. Actually, the hour is here and the Son of the Man is being betrayed into sinners' hands. 46 Get up, let’s go; see, the one who is betraying me has come!"