He Prayed

This graphic isn’t too different from many others showing Christ praying in Gethsemane – He’s alone and/or the disciples are sleeping. But have you read the scriptures of the time He spent in prayer there?

Let’s start in Matthew, chapter 26, verse 36 and following. Here’s what strikes me:

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. (Matthew 26:36-38 KJV)

Peter, James and John – the three in the graphic above, asleep. But Jesus didn’t pray with them, He went off by Himself as He asked His Father:

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. (Matthew 26:39 KJV)

Three times He prayed this prayer, three times the disciples slept. But when we read Mark from 14:32, there’s a bit more information. James and John are named, Jesus’ sorrow is said to be sorrowful unto death, and He bade them tarry while He went apart to pray:

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. (Mark 14:35-36 KJV)

I don’t remember ever seeing a painting of Jesus prostrate on the ground praying not to die on the cross. Luke adds to this scene:

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. (Luke 22:44 KJV)

In John 17 we read of Christ’s prayer for those who follow Him, in chapter 18 we read of the betrayal by Judas, but nothing about the loneliness of praying alone a prayer that He knew God would not answer as a positive. For the plan made before the creation required that Christ would die. But only God knew that was the end of the beginning (that’s a great song, too!) and the best was yet to come.
The final part of Jesus’ prayer is where we should be when we are asking anything of God:

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42 KJV)

As it was in the example He gave earlier, just as we should pray today,

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10b KJV)

Jesus told us why God’s will should be done – it is the very best of everything for us:

. . . for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. (Matthew 6:8 KJV)
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13 KJV)

So, why did Jesus accept what God planned for mankind’s salvation:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 KJV)

No, as a man Jesus did not want the humiliation of a trial where the verdict was predetermined. No, He did not want to go through the beatings that were coming. No, as a man, He could not abide the knowledge that the sins of the world required His blood.  No, He did not want to go through the torture of crucifixion.

For us, each and every one of us, He endured the cross, despised the shame, because of the joy He shares with angels:

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7 KJV)

I am a sinner, and I repented, thus creating joy in heaven. One day, through faith in God’s grace, I’ll be among those lifting my voice in joyful praise – not because Jesus died, but because of resurrection and the joyous reality that we serve a risen savior.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV)