Matthew chapter 26 verses 36-46
What a holy scene is now before us! These are verses that we approach with the greatest reverence. We call to mind the words which God spoke to Moses “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Ex 3.5).
Verse 36 The Arrival at the Garden
“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane”. John will later take us in thought to “a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha” (Jn 19.13); whilst Matthew will subsequently direct our minds to “a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull” (Mt 27.33). How thankful we are that our evangelist, in the closing chapter of his gospel, records the words of the angel of the Lord to the women who went to the sepulchre, “Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (28.6). Gethsemane is an Aramaic word used only here and in Mark 14.32. The word means ‘olive vat’ or ‘olive press’, where the oil was obtained by crushing the olives. The word to the eight disciples who would remain at the entrance to the garden is “Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder”.
Verses 37,38 The Three Disciples
Verse 37
“And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee”. This was the third time He had taken these three favoured disciples with Him. The two previous occasions were i) into the house of Jairus (Mk 5.37) and ii) on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mk 9.2). What an insight Gethsemane gives us of the Lord Jesus as “the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Is 53.5). The verse continues, “and began to be sorrowful (a word implying grief) and very heavy” i.e. much distressed, almost overwhelmed with sorrow.
Verse 38
“My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” – this is the one passage in which the Lord Jesus ascribes to Himself a human soul. He was “exceeding sorrowful”, crushed with anguish; here was the deepest grief ever experienced on earth. He adds, “even unto death” – He anticipated His tasting of the judgment of the second death. The word to the three disciples is “tarry ye here and watch (used of keeping awake) with me”; these words are recorded only by Matthew. The Son of man in this dark hour asks for human sympathy. When the cross came, there was no such call to His disciples to watch with Him.
Verses 39-46 The Three Prayers of the Lord Jesus and His Returns to His Disciples
Verse 39
It is not surprising that “he went a little further”. No one else could share His sorrows or pray His prayers; “and fell on his face”, the lowest possible position for the deepest prayer. His words are “O my Father, if it be possible”, these words did not denote His will but the sensitivity of a truly human heart shrinking from the worst. He continues, “let this cup pass from me”; He was not asking to be delivered from going to the cross. The prayer was rhetorical; it was not intended to elicit an answer, but to teach us a lesson. The Lord Jesus knew what the scriptures foreshadowed and that the cross was inevitable. We must not therefore conclude that His prayer in the garden was inconsistent with that knowledge. Further He says, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” – He would not exercise a will independent of that of His Father.
Here, in agony, the Lord Jesus anticipates the cross. He does not shrink from death; but this was to be no ordinary death; He was to become the Holy Sin Bearer. It was a bitter cup of unequalled sorrow that had to be drunk. The face of God would be hidden from Him. There was no other way!
Verse 40
On His first return to His disciples, He “findeth them asleep” (the word used carries the idea of composing oneself for sleep). Addressing Himself to Peter, He says, “What? Were ye not (literally) strong [enough] to watch with me one hour?” The pronoun and the verb are in the plural, but, as Peter took the lead in the promise of devotion, the Lord singles him out for rebuke. It is interesting to observe that Matthew particularly highlights the weakness of the disciples.
Verse 41
Having initially bidden the three disciples to “watch with me” (v.38), He now says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation”. They needed to pray for themselves, danger was around the corner. He adds, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”; there were natural limitations to their physical make-up.
Verse 42
“He went away again the second time, and prayed”. 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. According to verse 39, the Lord Jesus was contemplating the Father’s will consistent with the eternal counsels. Here He is contemplating the fact that the cup cannot pass and that He was prepared to drink it, “O my Father, if this cup may not (or cannot) pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done”.
Verse 43
“And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy” (used of the effect of drowsiness). Lack of watchfulness and prayer on the part of the disciples ultimately led to the denial by Peter and the forsaking by the disciples. Our minds wander when we should be watching; we sometime find it easier to fall asleep than to pray!
Verse 44
How touching are the words of this verse! “And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words”; this repetition of earnestness must be distinguished from the vain repetitions of the heathen referred to by the Lord Jesus Himself, “when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do” (Mt 6.7).
Verse 45
“Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now and take your rest”. There was no more time available for praying on their part; the opportunity of watching with Him in His vigil was gone. The Lord Jesus spoke sympathetically to His disciples and allowed them to sleep on for as long as possible. The permitted time of sleep comes between verses 45 and 46. He adds, “behold the hour is at hand,” (i.e. hath drawn nigh), as also was the traitor, “and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” – the Lord thus assessed the true nature of these religious men.
Verse 46
“Rise up, let us be going” – to meet the traitor, not to attempt to flee, not to retreat, but to face the foe; “behold, he is at hand that doth betray me”. No doubt the footsteps of the traitor were already audible. He was going forth to encounter the enemy, so that Judas might once again know that his deed was foreknown by the Lord. With what calmness and dignity, the Lord Jesus faced the situation!
David E West.
Verses 39-46 The Three Prayers of the Lord Jesus and His Returns to His Disciples
Verse 39
It is not surprising that “he went a little further”. No one else could share His sorrows or pray His prayers; “and fell on his face”, the lowest possible position for the deepest prayer. His words are “O my Father, if it be possible”, these words did not denote His will but the sensitivity of a truly human heart shrinking from the worst. He continues, “let this cup pass from me”; He was not asking to be delivered from going to the cross. The prayer was rhetorical; it was not intended to elicit an answer, but to teach us a lesson. The Lord Jesus knew what the scriptures foreshadowed and that the cross was inevitable. We must not therefore conclude that His prayer in the garden was inconsistent with that knowledge. Further He says, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” – He would not exercise a will independent of that of His Father.
Here, in agony, the Lord Jesus anticipates the cross. He does not shrink from death; but this was to be no ordinary death; He was to become the Holy Sin Bearer. It was a bitter cup of unequalled sorrow that had to be drunk. The face of God would be hidden from Him. There was no other way!
Verse 40
On His first return to His disciples, He “findeth them asleep” (the word used carries the idea of composing oneself for sleep). Addressing Himself to Peter, He says, “What? Were ye not (literally) strong [enough] to watch with me one hour?” The pronoun and the verb are in the plural, but, as Peter took the lead in the promise of devotion, the Lord singles him out for rebuke. It is interesting to observe that Matthew particularly highlights the weakness of the disciples.
Verse 41
Having initially bidden the three disciples to “watch with me” (v.38), He now says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation”. They needed to pray for themselves, danger was around the corner. He adds, “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”; there were natural limitations to their physical make-up.
Verse 42
“He went away again the second time, and prayed”. 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. According to verse 39, the Lord Jesus was contemplating the Father’s will consistent with the eternal counsels. Here He is contemplating the fact that the cup cannot pass and that He was prepared to drink it, “O my Father, if this cup may not (or cannot) pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done”.
Verse 43
“And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy” (used of the effect of drowsiness). Lack of watchfulness and prayer on the part of the disciples ultimately led to the denial by Peter and the forsaking by the disciples. Our minds wander when we should be watching; we sometime find it easier to fall asleep than to pray!
Verse 44
How touching are the words of this verse! “And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words”; this repetition of earnestness must be distinguished from the vain repetitions of the heathen referred to by the Lord Jesus Himself, “when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do” (Mt 6.7).
Verse 45
“Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now and take your rest”. There was no more time available for praying on their part; the opportunity of watching with Him in His vigil was gone. The Lord Jesus spoke sympathetically to His disciples and allowed them to sleep on for as long as possible. The permitted time of sleep comes between verses 45 and 46. He adds, “behold the hour is at hand,” (i.e. hath drawn nigh), as also was the traitor, “and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” – the Lord thus assessed the true nature of these religious men.
Verse 46
“Rise up, let us be going” – to meet the traitor, not to attempt to flee, not to retreat, but to face the foe; “behold, he is at hand that doth betray me”. No doubt the footsteps of the traitor were already audible. He was going forth to encounter the enemy, so that Judas might once again know that his deed was foreknown by the Lord. With what calmness and dignity, the Lord Jesus faced the situation!
David E West.