He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What, couldn’t you watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.” He came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv39–40 Let it pass me, and not touch me.
Let it pass me, and not touch me.
That is, which is at hand, and is offered and prepared for me: a kind of speech which the Hebrews use, for the wrath of God, and the punishment he sendeth. See also Matt. 20:22.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv39–44 39 And he went a little further, and fell…
39 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.
Ver. 39. And he went a little farther] Amat secessum ardens oratio. St Luke saith he was violently withdrawn from them, about a stone’s cast, and there he kneeled down and prayed, for farther he could not go, through earnest desire of praying to his heavenly Father, Luk 22:41. απεσπασθη. Illud desiderium precandi eum incessit, ut illum quodam modo truderet.
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And fell on his face] He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope, Lam 3:29. This and the like humble gestures in God’s service do at once testify, and excite inward devotion.
Let this cup pass] In the time of execution, they gave the malefactor a cup of wine, mingled with myrrh, Mar 15:23, to stupify his senses, and so to mitigate his pains. Hence the word calix or cup is put here and elsewhere for death itself, which, being terrible to nature, is therefore here with strong crying and tears deprecated by our Saviour, Heb 5:7. This was natural in him, and not sinful in us, so it do not degenerate into that which is carnal fear of death.
Nevertheless not as I will, but, &c.] Here Christ doth not correct his former request (for then there should have been some kind of fault in it), but explieateth only on what condition he desired deliverance, and becometh "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross," Php 2:8, crying out, "not as I will, but as thou wilt," which shows that he had a distinct human will from the will of his Father, and so was very man as well as God. And here Aristotle, that great philosopher, is clearly confuted. For he denies that a magnanimous man can be exceeding sorrowful for anything that befalls him. {a} Our Saviour (his Church’s stoutest champion) was exceeding sorrowful even to the death; and yet of so great a spirit, that he yields up himself wholly to God. Magnus est animus, qui se Deo tradidit; pusillus et degener, qui obluctatur, saith Seneca. He is a brave man that trusts God with all.
{a} Μεγαλοψυχος ουκ εστι περιλυπος. Arist. Eth.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv39, 40, 42, 44 Mark saith, Mar 14:35,36, He went forward a little,…
Mark saith, Mar 14:35,36, 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. Luke saith, Luk 22:41,42, 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. Here are three distinct forms of words, but all agreeing in one and the same sense. Matthew saith, He went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed. He at his first motion carried but three with him, Peter, James, and John; now he leaves them, but not far, Luke saith, about a stone’s cast.. Fervent prayer loves privacy, and Christ by this teacheth us that secret prayer is our duty. He fell on his face; Luke saith, he kneeled; he possibly at first kneeled, then fell on his face. We read in Scripture of sitting, standing, kneeling, and prostration used in prayer; the first and last rarely; standing and kneeling were the most ordinary postures. David prayed sitting in his house, 2Sa 7:18. Abraham fell on his face, Gen 17:17. So did Moses and Aaron, Num 16:22,45. Prostration was ordinarily used in great passions; hardly otherwise in prayer.
Saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Mark first tells us the sum of his prayer, then saith 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. Luke saith he said, If thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Luke’s if thou be willing expounds Matthew’s if it be possible. A thing in itself may be possible which considered in its circumstances is not so: thus, as it is in Mark, all things are to God possible; but yet it is not possible for God to alter any thing which he hath decreed, or said shall come to pass; because God is not as man, one that can lie, or repent. But it will be objected, Did not Christ know that it was not possible? Did not he himself, Mat 26:54, say,
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thus it must be? I answer, It is one thing what he knew as he was God, and of counsel with the Father; and another thing what he prayed for as man. Besides, our Saviour’s saying, if it be possible, doth not suppose that he knew it was possible; it signifieth no more than this, Father, my human nature hath an aversion from this heavy stroke, so as, if it were possible, it craves of thee a discharge from this curse: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. The first clause is but the expression of the natural (but not sinful) infirmity of his flesh; the latter a perfect resignation of his will to God. In the first he tells his Father what his natural flesh would crave, if it might consist with the will of God. In the second he begs that, whatsoever his flesh craved, yet the will of God might be done. And herein he sets us a perfect pattern for our prayers for deliverance from temporal evils, viz. with a submission to the will of God. By this our Saviour doth not declare himself ignorant or uncertain of the Divine will: only as, though the person that died was God man, yet the human nature only died; so, though the person that prayed was God man, yet he only prayed as he was man.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv39–44 And he cometh unto the disciples,.... The three he…
And he cometh unto the disciples,.... The three he took with him, Peter, James, and John, after he had finished his prayer,
and findeth them asleep: many things might contribute to, and bring this drowsiness upon them; as the great fatigue they had had in preparing the passover in the day, the plentiful meal they had eaten at night, though without excess, and the lateness of the night, it being now probably midnight; but the chief reason of their sleepiness was their sorrow, as is expressed in Luk 22:45, what Christ had said to them of his soul troubles, and what they saw in him, had filled their hearts with sorrow, which brought on them an amazement and stupidity of mind; and this issued in sleep. We have other instances of persons in excessive grief and trouble falling asleep, as Elijah in Kg1 19:4, and Jonah in Jon 1:5, so that this did not arise from a secure, lazy, indolent frame of spirit; or from any disregard to Christ, and neglect of him, and unconcernedness for him; but from their great sorrow of heart; for, the trouble and distress that he was in, added to the causes above mentioned. Though some have thought, that Satan might be, concerned in it, who induced this sleepiness, or increased it, that he might the more easily surprise them with his temptations, he was preparing for them, which I will not deny. Now, though this sleep was natural bodily sleep, which the disciples fell into, yet was an emblem of, and carried in it a resemblance to, the spiritual sleep and drowsiness of the people of God; for as this was after a delightful entertainment and conversation with Christ at the passover and Lord's supper, so it sometimes is, that the children of God fall into a sleepy frame of soul, after much communion with Christ, as the church did in Sol 5:1, and as this sleep befell them, when Christ was withdrawn a little space from them; so it was with the church, when her beloved was absent from her, Sol 3:1, and with the wise virgins when the bridegroom tarried, Mat 25:6, and as this was not an entire thorough sleep; they knew all the while what Christ was doing, and could relate, as they have done, the circumstances of it; so the children of God, when asleep, they are not like unregenerate persons, in a dead sleep of sin, that hear, and see, and feel, and know nothing; but though they are asleep, their hearts are awake, as was the church's, Sol 5:2, yet as the disciples were so much asleep, that the bare words of Christ did not arouse them from it for a while; so such is the sleep of the saints sometimes, that they are not to be aroused by the bare ministry of the word, though the most powerful arguments, and the most moving and melting language are made use of, as were with the church, Sol 5:2,
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and saith unto Peter, what! could ye not watch with me one hour? This was said particularly to Peter, because he had so lately, in such a confident manner, declared, that he would not be offended with Christ, but abide with him, stand by him, and even die with him, was there an occasion for it; and yet, in so short a space of time, was fallen asleep, as were the rest who said the same things also: and it is as if Christ should say, how will you be able to stand by me throughout this night, when ye cannot watch with me so much as one hour, though I so earnestly desired you to tarry here, and watch with me, and you saw in what distress I was in? how will you be able to withstand the temptations that will beset you quickly, and perform your promises of love, fidelity, constancy, and close attachment to me, in the greatest dangers, when you cannot keep yourselves awake one hour for my sake?
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv39, 41 And going a little farther - About a stone's…
And going a little farther - About a stone's cast, Luke xxii, 41 - So that the apostles could both see and hear him still. If it be possible, let this cup pass from me - And it did pass from him quickly. When he cried unto God with strong cries and tears, he was heard in that which he feared. God did take away the terror and severity of that inward conflict.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv39–44 Verse 39. Fell on his face] See Clarke on…
Verse 39. Fell on his face] See Clarke on Lu 22:44. This was the ordinary posture of the supplicant when the favour was great which was asked, and deep humiliation required. The head was put between the knees, and the forehead brought to touch the earth-this was not only a humiliating, but a very painful posture also.
This cup] The word cup is frequently used in the Sacred Writings to point out sorrow, anguish, terror, death. It seems to be an allusion to a very ancient method of punishing criminals. A cup of poison was put into their hands, and they were obliged to drink it. Socrates was killed thus, being obliged by the magistrates of Athens to drink a cup of the juice of hemlock. To death, by the poisoned cup, there seems an allusion in Heb 2:9, Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, TASTED death for every man. The whole world are here represented as standing guilty and condemned before the tribunal of God; into every man's hand the deadly cup is put, and he is required to drink off the poison-Jesus enters, takes every man's cup out of his hand, and drinks off the poison, and thus tastes or suffers the death which every man otherwise must have undergone.
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Pass from me] Perhaps there is an allusion here to several criminals standing in a row, who are all to drink of the same cup; but, the judge extending favour to a certain one, the cup passes by him to the next.
Instead of προελθων μικρον, going a little forward, many eminent MSS. have προσελθων, coming a little forward-but the variation is of little moment. At the close of this verse several MSS. add the clause in Lu 22:43,
There appeared an angel, &c.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv39, 40, 42 Mat 26:39. And he went a little further —…
Mat 26:39. And he went a little further — Luke says, He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, so that the apostles could still both see and hear him; and fell on his face — It seems he first knelt down, Luk 22:41, and then, as the ardour of his soul increased, prostrated himself on his face to the ground, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible — That is, if it be consistent with the salvation of the world; let this cup — Of bitterness and terror, pass from me — And it did pass from him soon; for when he cried unto God with strong cries and tears, he was heard in that which he feared, Heb 5:7. God took away the terror and severity of that inward conflict. That it was not the fear of dying on the cross which made our Lord speak and pray in the manner here related, is evident from this, that to suppose it would be to degrade his character infinitely. Suppose his sufferings to be as terrible as possible, clothe them with all the aggravating circumstances imaginable; yet if no more was included in them than the pains of death, inasmuch as his human nature was strengthened far beyond the natural pitch by its union with the divine, for Jesus to have shrunk at the prospect of them, would have shown a weakness which many of his followers were strangers to, encountering more terrible deaths without the least emotion. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt — Here we see, that though his prayer was most fervent, yet it was accompanied with due expressions of entire resignation.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv39, 41, 44 Going a little further. St. Luke says, about a…
Going a little further. St. Luke says, about a stone’s cast, kneeling down; or as here in Matthew, prostrating himself. He did both. --- Father, if it is possible. Which is the same, says St. Augustine, as if he said, if thou wilt, let this cup of sufferings pass from me. --- Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. He that was God and man, had both a divine and a human will. He was pleased to let us know what he naturally feared, as man, and in the sensitive part of his soul; yet shews his human will had nothing contrary to his divine will, by presently adding, but not my will, but thine be done. Here, as related by St. Luke, followed his bloody sweat. (Luke xxii. 43.) (Witham) --- These words are a source of instruction for all Christians. These words inflame the breasts of confessors; the same also crown the fortitude of the martyrs. For, who could overcome the hatred of the world, the assaults of temptations, and the terrors of persecutors, unless Christ in all, and for all, had said to his eternal Father: Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou willest. Let all the children of the Church then understand well these words, that when calamities violently beat upon us, we may with resignation exclaim: nevertheless, not as I will, but, &c. (St. Leo the great)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv39, 40, 41, 42, 44 39. And he went a little further — Luke…
39. And he went a little further — Luke says, “He went about a stone’s cast.” So that there were three divisions of the little band: there were the eight disciples; the three chosen ones; and, at the distance of a “stone’s throw,” the suffering Saviour. While he suffers they slumber.
And prayed — The disciples were entreated to watch with our Lord, but not to pray with him or for him. That work he does alone, and asks no participation. They cannot pray his prayer. He may intercede for them, not they for him. Saying — The disciples could not have heard this prayer. The distance was too great, and they were even unable to keep awake. They must have learned the truth from our Lord’s own explanations of his sufferings after his resurrection. See Luk_24:27; Luk_24:32.
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O my Father — This prayer has three distinct points: the appeal, the deprecation, and the resignation.
The purpose of recording this prayer is great. It contains a profound lesson, how under affliction the sufferer may innocently writhe under the pain, may ask to be delivered, up to the point of the divine will. But at that point, however deep the agony, the resignation must be absolute. Father — However near the paternity of God, it still leaves him the right and the reason to inflict upon us terrible sorrows. Yet true faith looks up, even to his frowning face, with a filial claim. If it be possible — The possibility here meant presupposes that the solid plans of redemption must be undisturbed. If, without lifting up these foundations, it be possible. This cup — What was this cup? Not the crucifixion; but the present supernatural agonies of the garden. For, as his sorrows were greater than his strength, they opened up before him a just and true fear that a complete catastrophe, even to unknown depths of failure, could result. Those terrible results lay as dregs at the bottom of the cup. And as Paul says, (Heb_5:7) He was saved in that he feared. From that fearful and inevitable break-down which he justly feared, and could escape only by obtaining supplicated aid, he was saved. But was this failure truly possible? Not only possible but surely certain, but for the power of this same faithful prayer, and for the true spirit in which the Redeemer offered it. O how narrow was the pass of danger through which our Jesus trod to his and our redemption! Pass from me — Saint Paul truly says that this prayer was heard. Causes were bearing down upon this lonely victim, as sure to crush as the rail-car would the shrinking infant lying on its track. Before the dregs of the cup were reached, the draught attained its limit! So God shall temper our trial to our strength, and our strength to our trial, if but the earnest prayer be put forth and the deep submission be retained. Not as I will — His own individual will was but a wish, which could not be wrong so long as it existed in complete submission to God’s will. To sacrifice our own preferences, in order that our wills may be one with God’s, is true resignation.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv39, 40, 41, 44 39. went a little further] The paschal full moon…
39. went a little further] The paschal full moon would make deep shadow for the retirement of Jesus.
O my Father] St Mark has the Aramaic Abba as well as the Greek word for Father.
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this cup] See note, ch. Mat_20:22. Were these words overheard by the sons of Zebedee? If so, the thought of their ambition and of their Master’s answer would surely recur to them (ch. Mat_20:20-23).
not as I will] In the “Agony,” as in the Temptation, the Son submits Himself to His Father’s will.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv39–44 (39) He went a little farther.—St. Luke adds (Luk_22:41)…
(39) He went a little farther.—St. Luke adds (Luk_22:41) “about a stone’s cast.” The eight were left, we may believe, near the entrance of the garden; the three, “apart by themselves,” further on; the Master, still further, by Himself. The three heard the words that came from His lips as with a half-consciousness which revived afterwards in memory, but they were then numbed and stupefied with weariness and sorrow. It was now near the dawning of the day, and their eyes had not closed in sleep for four-and-twenty hours.
If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.—We shrink instinctively from analysing or commenting on the utterances of that hour of agony. But, happily, words are given us where our own words fail. Thus it was, we are told, that “He learned obedience by the things that He suffered” (Heb_5:8). He had spoken before to the very disciples who were now near Him of the “cup” which His Father had given Him to drink (Mat_20:23). Now the “cup” is brought to His lips, and His human will at once shrinks from it and accepts it. The prayer which He had taught His disciples to use, “Lead us not into temptation,” is now His prayer, but it is subordinated to that other prayer, which is higher even than it, “Thy will be done.” In the prayer “If it be possible” we recognise, as in Mar_13:32, the natural, necessary limits of our Lord’s humanity In one sense “with God all things are possible,” but even the Divine Omnipotence works through self-imposed laws, in the spiritual as in the natural world, and there also ends cannot be obtained except through their appointed and therefore necessary means. God might have redeemed mankind, men have rashly said, without the sufferings and death of the Son of Man, but the higher laws of the Divine Government made such a course, if we may venture so to speak, morally impossible.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv39–44 He went a little further. Deeper into the wood,…
He went a little further. Deeper into the wood, beneath the gloomy shadow of the olive trees, yet so as not to feel absolutely alone. St. Luke names the distance, "He was withdrawn from them about a stone"s cast." By some clerical error the genuine reading, proelywn , "having gone forward," has been altered in most of the best manuscripts into proselywn , "having approached." There can be no doubt that this latter reading is erroneous; and it is well, as occasion bids, to call attention to possible mistakes in the most important uncials. Fell on his face, and prayed. He prostrated himself on the ground in utter abasement and desolation, yet in submission withal. In this terrible crisis there is no resource but prayer. The shadow of death enveloped him, wave and storm rolled over his soul; yet out of the deep he called unto the Lord. In the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb_5:7, Heb_5:8) some affecting details are added, "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered." O my Father (Pater mou). The personal pronoun is omitted in some manuscripts, but it has high authority. Only on this occasion and in his great prayer (Joh 17) does Christ so address the Father, his human nature in the depth of suffering retaining still the sense of this paternity. St. Mark has, "Abba, Father," as if he spake for the Hebrew race and the Gentile world. If it be possible; i.e. if there is any other way in which man may be saved and thou be glorified; if there is any other mode of redemption. It is the cry of humanity, yet conditioned by perfect submission. Let this cup pass from me. The "cup" is the bitter agony of his Passion and death, with all their grievous accompaniments. (see Mat_20:22, and note there) All heroism and manly endurance in the face of pain and death Christ exhibited to the full; but the elements of suffering in his case were different, and fraught with exquisite torture (see above, on ver. 28). Such was the anguish that it would have then separated soul and body of such rigour that "his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground had not an angel appeared from heaven to strengthen and support the fainting human life. (Luk_22:43, Luk_22:44) Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. In this prayer are shown the two wills of Christ, the human and Divine. The natural shrinking of the human soul from ignominy and torture is overborne by entire submission to and compliance with the Divine purpose. So it is said that the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings, learned obedience by the things which he suffered (Heb_2:10 Heb_5:8) By this passage the Monophysite and Monothelite heresies are clearly refuted, the two natures and two wills of Christ being plainly displayed. The three apostles saw only some part of their Master"s intense agony, and heard only some broken utterances of his supplication; hence there are some slight variations in the synoptical accounts. St. Mark doubtless derived his account immediately from St Peter; the other synoptists from some other source.
Gethsemane a representative conflict.
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Wherein does the scene of Calvary differ from the scene of Gethsemane? It would be easy to point out the sameness, the essential oneness, of the two scenes. But there is a difference. It lies in this: At Calvary the physical suffering is prominent. Our thought is sympathizingly occupied with our Lord"s bodily agonies, and bleeding, breaking heart. At Gethsemane the physical is subordinate, the mental and spiritual are prominent; we are in the presence of an awful soul struggle. Life is everywhere a conflict. Earth is a great battlefield. What does it all mean? Conflict in the heart. Conflict in the home. Conflict in the nation. Conflict everywhere. If we get light on the mystery anywhere, we get it in the garden of Gethsemane, where the Son of man is seen in bitter, almost overwhelming conflict.
I THE CONFLICT OF LIFE IS REALLY A CONFLICT OF WILLS. God is the supreme will; and his will ought to be supreme with his creatures. But to man has been entrusted a limited free will. That free will man has exercised until it has become masterful, and is constantly setting itself against God"s will. Bodily conditions, the slavery of the senses, the attractions of the seen and temporal, all help to the strengthening of man"s will, man"s wilfulness, so that the fight sometimes becomes severe. Our Lord, in taking on himself our human nature, took on him our sense conditioned human will. And this in Gethsemane tried a wrestling with the will of God.
II THE TRIUMPH IN THE CONFLICT OF LIFE IS YIELDING OUR WILL TO GOD"S WILL. This is the triumph of Gethsemane. Our Lord did not want the Divine will to be altered. He wanted to gain the full surrender of his whole nature body, mind, soul to the acceptance of the will. Man never gives up his will save as the issue of a fierce struggle. What force can renew and strengthen man"s will so that it shall accept God"s will, and make it his?
1. The truth as it is in Jesus.
2. The work wrought through for us by Jesus.
3. The grace won for us and given to us by Jesus.
4. The actual present power exerted on us by Jesus.
5. The constrainings of the love of Jesus.
Christ came to make the will of God infinitely attractive to us. He is the gracious Persuader of the human will. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v40 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation
Mat_26:40-45
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation
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Christian caution
Who sleeps by a magazine of gunpowder needs to take care even of sparks.
Who walks on ice, let him not go star-gazing, but look to his feet, and take care of falling. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation, is a warning which no good man should disregard. (Sunday Teachers Treasury.)
Watching unto prayer
When an archer shoots his arrow at a mark, he likes to go and see whether he has hit it, or how near he has come to it. When you have written and sent off a letter to a friend, you expect some day that the postman will be knocking at the door with an answer. When a child asks his father for something, he looks in his face, even before he speaks, to see if he is pleased, and reads acceptance in his eyes. But it is to be greatly feared that many people feel, when their prayers are over, as if they had quite done with them; their only concern was to get them said. An old heathen poet speaks of Jupiter throwing certain prayers to the winds-dispersing them in empty air. It is sad to think that we so often do that for ourselves. What would you think of a man who had written and folded and sealed and addressed a letter flinging it out into the street, and thinking no more about it? Sailors in foundering ships sometimes commit notes in sealed bottles to the waves, for the chance of their being some day washed on some shore. Sir John Franklins companions among the snows, and Captain Allen Gardiner dying of hunger in his cave, wrote words they could not be sure any one would ever read. But we do not need to think of our prayers as random messages. We should therefore look for reply to them, and watch to get it. (Dr. Edmond.)
How to treat temptation
A sentinel posted on the walls, when he discerns a hostile party advancing, does not attempt to make head against them himself, but informs his commanding officer of the enemys approach, and leaves him to take the proper measure against the foe. So the Christian does not attempt to fight temptation in his own strength. His watchfulness lies in observing its approach, and in telling God of it by prayer. (W. Mason.)
Watch and pray-danger lurking in trifles
Not only (says Manton) do great sins ruin the soul, but lesser faults will do the same. Dallying with temptation leads to sad consequences. Caesar was killed with bodkins. A dagger aimed at the heart will give as deadly a wound as a huge two-handed sword, and a little sin unrepented of will be as fatal as a gross transgression. Brutus and Cassius and the rest of the conspirators could not have more surely ended Caesars life with spears than they did with daggers. Death can hide in a drop, and ride in a breath of air. Our greatest dangers lie hidden in little things. Milton represents thousands of evil spirits as crowded into one hall; and truly the least sin may be a very pandemonium, in which a host of evils may be concealed-a populous hive of mischiefs, each one storing death. Believer, though thou be a little Caesar in thine own sphere, beware of the bodkins of thine enemies. Watch and pray, lest thou fall by little and little. Lord, save me from sins which call themselves little. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
All sins dangerous
All consciences, like all stomachs, are not alike. How many do we see digest those sins with ease, which others cannot get down with struggling. One strains at a gnat, while another swallows a camel. He that will keep clear of great sins must make conscience of all. I will think no sin little, because the least endangers my soul; and it is all one whether I sell my Saviour for thirty pence with Judas, or for half I am worth with Ananias; whether I go to hell for one sin, or for many. (Bishop Henshaw.)
Conflict of flesh and spirit
Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, as he was passing on the way, espied a boy with a bird tied in a string to a stone; the bird was still taking wing to fly away, but the sterne kept her down. The holy man made good use of this sight, and, bursting into tears, said, Even so it is betwixt the flesh and the spirit; the spirit is willing to mount upwards in heavenly thoughts and contemplation, but the flesh keeps it down, and, if possible, would not admit of the least thought of heaven. (Spencer.)
Conflict of the spirit with the flesh
Man is a trinity consisting of body, soul, and spirit. The word soul, in the language of Scripture, is not used in its modem significance. It stands for that part of our nature which we have in common with the brutes that perish. The spirit likewise in the language of both Old and New Testaments stands for that intelligent nature in man which the brutes have not. The spirit is the seat of the will, for it is written, the spirit is willing. The spirit is the perceptive and reflective faculty in man, for no man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man that is in him. The text suggests to us that though the spirit of man be illumined by the Spirit of God, the weakness of the flesh may bear him down. The word flesh, in scriptural language, means something quite different from body. It points to the nature of man as endowed with all its wondrous adaptations to the world in which he lives, which adaptations indeed supply his strongest temptation to forget God. Satan goeth about with muffled feet, seeking whom he may devour. As in the natural world there are subtle influences at work, in the power of electricity for example, which we can measure but cannot see, so there are angels bad as well as good, the one ministering to that minding of the flesh which is death, the others to that minding of the spirit which is life and peace. Heavenly influences begin with the spirit, affect the lower or soulish nature, and through it regulate the actions of the body. (J. G. Pilkington.)
Sleep on now, etc.
Luther reads the words indicatively, and by way of question, thus: Ah! do ye now sleep and take your rest? Will ye, with Solomons drunkard, sleep upon a mast-pole? take a nap upon a weathercock? Thus this heavenly Eagle, though loving His young ones dearly, yet pricks and beats them out of the nest. The best (as bees) are killed with the honey of flattery, but quickened with the vinegar of reproof. (John Trapp.)
The willing spirit and the weak flesh
I. A characteristic of the Christian-a willing spirit.
1. This is true of every one of Christs real disciples on earth.
2. We must set no bounds to the degree of the Christians willingness.
3. Christ constantly tested it. Sell all that thou hast.
II. The Christians infirmity. The flesh is weak.
1. True in prayer.
2. True in Bible reading.
3. True in Christian effort.
4. True in our losses and afflictions.
5. We must expect to experience more and more of this weakness of our mortal nature as life progresses.
III. The compassion of our lord for the Christian under his infirmity. Rebuke is soon followed by compassion. He was now overwhelmed with misery; but suffering did not make Him selfish.
IV. The conduct we are to pursue under our infirmities. Are we to allow the weak flesh to do as it will? We are to watch and pray. (C. Bradley.)
The sentinel and the arsenal
I. The Christian is a sentinel; his captain is Christ; and the word of command is watch
1. To be watchful implies wakefulness.
2. Watchfulness implies discrimination. A sentinel must distinguish between an enemy and a friend.
3. A sentinel will scrutinize and test the character.
II. It is not sufficient to engage a sentinel to watch agaonst the invasion of the foe: nor is it enough that he be faithful, and give the signal of alarm when needed. The arsenal is necessary; without this the sentinel would be weak and useless. But in Me is thy help found.
III. The inseparable relation of watchfulness and prayer. Thus are we saved from entering into temptation, since where a man is fully in it, there is an end of watching, and an indisposition to pray. (G. H. Jackson.)
Watching with Christ
I shall not follow this history further, except to develop this single fact-the need which our God has of our affection, and our sympathy, and our presence with Him. I know not how it is with you, but it is just this that makes me love God. It is just this need of being loved in God, and just this sense of loneliness without it, that calls forth my affection for Him. Power may be venerable, and wisdom may be admirable; but only affection is lovable. It is a marvel, if it be true-and blessed be God, it is true-that while we can do nothing to the Divine stature, and while we can do nothing to the Divine wisdom, it is in the power of a heart that knows how to love, to do much for the Divine happiness. For we are not to say that God is perfect in the sense that He can never feel any more. That is carrying philosophy to insanity. Every heart that loves God makes Him experience a Divine gladness. Every soul that lifts itself up into the presence of God with adoration of love makes Him happier. And now, further, is there not a relationship of this scene to our relations in this life, and to our experiences? Is Christ still upon earth in any such sense that it may be said that we are watching with Him here? I remark, that Christs life is going on in this world; that it is developing here, I had almost said in some respects more wonderful/y, than in heaven itself. In other words, the next representation is, that Christ has mingled His spirit with the hearts of the race; that by His life and example He is teaching men. And, above all, by His spiritual influences, Christ is germinating in the race His own nature, and is bound to carry the race above its animal conditions, and into the transcendent sphere where He Himself is. Wherever, then, in all the earth, there are those who need guidance; wherever there are those who need instruction; wherever there are those who are seeking the upward way, and looking about for some one to guide them-there the Saviour is with them. He, then, is watching with Christ, if these be truths, who watches with the Saviour in his earthly ministrations. Those who are in the midst of the glare and growth of material things in this life, and identify themselves, notwithstanding, with the interior, with the spiritual, with the religious affairs of men, may fitly be said to be watching with Christ. Still further, those especially who are watching as Christ taught that we should watch, are those who watch for the souls of men, and not for Christ alone. A man can watch with Christ in his own experiences, as well as in the experiences of others. (H. W. Beecher.)
Watchfulness and prayer
As all war is to be carried on partly by our own strength and partly by that of allies and auxiliaries called in to our aid and assistance, so in this Christian warfare the things which properly answer those two are watchfulness and prayer: forasmuch as by watchfulness we exert and employ our own strength, and by prayer we engage Gods; and if ever victory and success attend us in these encounters, these two must join forces, heaven and earth must be confederate, and where they are so, the devil himself, as strong as he is, and as invincible a monarch as he would be thought to be, may yet be forced to go off with a pluribus impar, and to quit the field with a frustration and a battle. (R. South, D. D.)
Watching
I. Imports a strong, lively, abiding sense and persuasion of the exceeding greatness of the evil, which we watch and contend against.
II. Imports a diligent consideration and survey of our own strengths and weaknesses compared with those of our enemy.
III. Watchfulness implies a close and thorough consideration of the several ways by which temptation has at any time actually prevailed either upon ourselves or others.
1. For himself. Every man should know the plagues of his own heart, and what false steps he has made in the several turns and periods of his Christian course, by what means he fell, and upon what rocks he split.
2. Let the watchful Christian carry his eye from himself to others, and observe with what trick and artifice the tempter has practised upon them.
IV. Watchfulness implies a continual, actual intention of mind upon the high concern and danger which is before us, in opposition to sloth, idleness, and remissness.
V. Watching implies a constant and severe temperance in opposition to all the jollities of revelling and intemperance. (R. South, D. D.)
Prayer in time of temptation
It is not in the power of man to secure or defend himself against temptation, something above him must do it for him, as well as very often by him; and prayer is that blessed messenger between heaven and earth, holding a correspondence with both worlds, and by a happy intercourse and sure conveyance carrying up the necessities of the one, and bringing down the bounties of the other. To render prayer prevalent and effectual, there are required to it these two qualifications:
1. Fervency or importunity.
2. Constancy or perseverance. Men too often divide between watching and prayer, and so use and rely upon these duties separately, which can do nothing but in conjunction. For watchfulness without prayer is presumption, and prayer without watchfulness is a mockery. By the first a man invades Gods part in this great work, and by the latter he neglects his own. Prayer not assisted by practice is laziness, and contradicted by practice is hypocrisy; it is indeed of mighty force and use within its proper compass, but it was never designed to supply the room of watchfulness, or to make wish stand in the stead of endeavour. (R. South, D. D.)
Preparing for temptation
Wise combatants will measure swords before they engage. And a discreet person will learn his own weaknesses rather by self-reflection than by experience. For to know ones self weak only by being conquered, is doubtless the worst sort of conviction. (R. South, D. D.)
Danger of sleep in times of temptation
Another instance I have met with in story of a certain general, who going about his camp in the night, and finding the watch fast asleep upon the ground, nails him down to the place where he lay with his own sword, using this expression withal, I found him dead, and I left him so. (R. South, D. D.)
Lip-devotion
Lip-devotion will not serve the turn. It undervalues the very things it prays for. It is indeed the begging of a denial, and shall certainly be answered in what it begs. (R. South, D. D.)
Spirit willing, flesh weak
I. Give an explication of the words.
II. Show that our present state is imperfect, and there will always be defects-defects in our spiritual frame, defects in our obedience, defects in our approaches to God in our religious duties.
III. If the spirit be willing, and our infirmities are truly lamented and we watch and pray against them, God will graciously accept us, approve of our sincere desires and endeavours, and pardon our failings.
IV. That this grace of God and the Redeemer is matter of great comfort to the sincere Christian, a support to him under a sense of his weakness and unworthiness, and an encouragement to engage in solemn duties, particularly in the celebration of the ordinance of the Lords Supper, with readiness and cheerfulness, and without amazing, distracting dread and terror. (John Whitty.)
Prayer
I. Explain the nature of prayer, and set it in its true light, by stripping it of all foreign and superfluous circumstances. In order to understand the nature of prayer, let us take notice that the inward acts of mind and heart exerted in it, from which the outward expressions should flow, and by which they should be animated, are principally these three following:
1. A lively and intimate persuasion that we are utterly insufficient for our own happiness, and that we depend upon our Maker for all we possess here or hope to enjoy hereafter.
2. The second act of the soul exerted in prayer, is the lifting it up with the utmost ardour to that greatest and best of beings who brought us into life, and assigned us our station in it.
3. The third act of mind is a firm belief and assured trust in that God to whom we pray, and on whom we depend.
II. Vindicate prayer from the objections commonly urged against it.
1. That an omniscient God already knows what we want before we ask it. Answer: The real design of prayer is, in the first place, to express, under a lively impression of the presence of God, the sense we have of our dependence upon Him: and, in the second place, to express our earnest desires of having all those sentiments and pious dispositions which it is proper for us to entertain and cultivate.
2. That since God is infinite in goodness, He is always disposed to bestow on His creatures whatever is proper for them, and, since He is infinite in wisdom, He will always choose the fittest times and best manner of bestowing. Answer: Prayer is not designed to move the affections of God, it works its effect on us, as it contributes to change the temper of our minds.
3. Prayer can be of no importance, for all things are already fixed by an unalterable decree of God. Answer: None ever maintained that God hath determined events to happen without any means, and prayers are the proper means of obtaining spiritual blessings.
III. The advantages which arise from the sincere and steadfast performance of this duty.
1. As a break in our worldly life.
2. As inspiring us with the love, and animating us to the practice, of every virtue.
3. Putting us into the best frame and situation of mind for receiving the influences of heavenly light and grace.
4. Raising the human soul to an uncommon pitch of grandeur and elevation.
5. Giving a wonderful strength and firmness to the soul which is under the full power and influence of it. Since, then, prayer is a reasonable thing in itself, it must be both our duty and our interest to continue instant in it. (W. Leechman.)
Entering into temptation
To tempt is in general no more than to try, and a state of temptation is a state of trial; to pray therefore that we may not be put into a state of temptation, is to pray ourselves out of this world, which was designed by God for a state of trial in order to another world. Therefore, when we pray not to be led into temptation, the meaning is, that God by His wise providence would keep us from such trials as, according to the ordinary measures of grace, we should hardly be able to withstand. For, although it be possible for those to whom God gives extraordinary assistance, not only to resist the temptation, but to triumph over it, and to shake off temptations as St. Paul did the viper from his hand, yet, considering the frailty of human nature, and that God is not obliged to give assistance in difficult cases, it is a wise and becoming petition for us to our heavenly Father, that He would not lead us in this manner into temptation. (E. Stillingfleet.)
The attractions of two worlds
It is the love of this world, that is, of the riches and honours of it, which make the sins of ambition and covetousness so plausible and prevailing among those who profess to believe another world. Their souls are like a piece of iron between two loadstones of an unequal magnitude and distance; the one is far greater, and hath more force in itself to attract, but it is placed at a far greater distance; the other is much less, but very near, and therefore may more powerfully draw, than that which is more forcible but farther off. (E. Stillingfleet.)
Importance of resolution,
One of the best means in the world to withstand temptations to sin, because-
1. It keeps the mind steady and fixed, and therefore ready to resist the temptation when it comes.
2. Because it takes off the false colours and appearances of things; for everything may be represented plausibly to an irresolute mind. (E. Stillingfleet.)
Sins of will and sins of infirmity
By what certain rules may we proceed to judge what sins are wilful and presumptuous, and what are sins of infirmity, or such as come from the weakness of the flesh. We have two ways to judge by.
1. From the nature of moral actions.
2. From the Scriptures, declaring what sins are inconsistent with the state of salvation.
For there are two sorts of infirmities:
1. Such as belong to particular actions.
2. Such as belong to our state and condition.
There are three things which do very much alter and discriminate the nature of moral actions.
1. The choice and consent of the will.
2. The time and deliberation about it.
3. The manner of committing it. (E. Stillingfleet.)
What is watchfulness?
It is a constant care of ourselves and actions. We walk as it were upon precipices, and therefore had need to look to our standing, when we see persons falling on every side. (E. Stillingfleet.)
The defence of prayer
Prayer, when duly performed, not only diverts, and raises, and composes the mind, and so breaks the force of a present temptation, hut when a close siege is laid, it keeps the passage open for supplies from heaven, and brings down those supports which may enable us to endure. (E. Stillingfleet.)
Sins of infirmity
I. What is the scripture sense of infirmity?
1. The state of human nature is such as to be liable to many pains, diseases, and at last to death. In this sense Christ is said to bear our infirmities, being by the law of His nature subject to the like weakness-hunger, thirst, sleep, dread of pain.
2. Men are not more weak in their bodies than in their minds, nor more exposed to bodily pains than to the impressions of sin, which is our spiritual disease.
3. Next to this general sense of infirmity comes the particular infirmities included in it. It is urged in defence that these passions are natural; also that they are inherent. That a natural passion has the same author with nature, and belongs to us as we are men, therefore not to be avoided. None of these have infirmity enough to be an excuse for sin.
II. What sort of sins they are which will admit of an excuse because of the infirmity from which they proceed. There is an imperfection in the obedience of the best of men-coldness in devotion, wandering thoughts, which is a weakness to be forgiven. The one way to entitle us to the plea is by endeavouring sincerely and universally to obey the will of God. (T. Sherlock, D. D.)
The disciples in Gethsemane
I. The need of rebuke.
II. The method of Christ; rebuke is tempered and limited. The flesh is to be rebuked for its weakness, the spirit commended and strengthened for its willingness. Had Christ been of the spirit of some He would have allowed no such palliation of their weakness. How Christ put His knowledge of man into the other side of the balance-He knew what was in man. Imagine the disappointment with which the disciples awoke to find that their firm resolves had vanished. These words of Christ show rather His intense appreciativeness of all the concealed willingness of men than any desire to set their failure in aggravated form. He used His knowledge for their help, not hurt. He sees the redeeming brightness. Foster willingness of spirit.
III. Lastly, what a strengthened and rightly directed will can do; how it can rise above the flesh. We see it in worldly pursuits. How eagerly a man will pursue an idea when it masters his will. The ideal religious life is just a new ambition with Divine help to reach it. (C. J. Proctor.)
Temptation
I. The sources of temptation.
1. Temperament and disposition.
2. The circumstances with which a man is surrounded and the training under which he has been brought up.
II. Passing from the sources of temptation, let me speak of the necessity of watching against it.
1. One reason is our ignorance of self.
2. Watchfulness is needed because the trial of mans character is life-long.
3. Watchfulness of spirit will effect much, but it will be greatly helped if combined with a spirit of devotion. It gives him strength which in one sense is his own, but in a truer and higher sense is not his own. A sense of religious responsibility to God strengthens the sense of right against wrong. When he is resisting temptation he is not fighting singlehanded, but has the eternal law and will of God on his side. In every encounter it helps a man mightily to know that he is not single. (A. Watson, D. D.)
Watch our strength
Men may be on their guard against their infirmities, but unwary where they deem themselves strong. And just as every reader of history is familiar with stories which tell how fortresses and castles were taken by the enemy, not on their weak and well-guarded side, but on the side where they were deemed impregnable, and where watching was thought useless, so has it been a thousand times in the history of the human mind and life. The faithful Abraham fell into distrust; the meek Moses was ruffled in spirit; the wise Solomon was overreached by acts which he might have withstood; the courageous Peter, even when warned by Christ, was drawn into an act of cowardice. So we often see it in common life. We see the man of strong understanding thrown off his guard, and doing foolish things; the man of integrity, by some impulse, turned aside from the straight path. (A. Watson, D. D.)
Christian vigilance
I. To show the importance of and necessity of Christian vigilance. From-
1. The commands and exhortations of Scripture.
2. The deceitfulness and depravity of the human heart. The illusions it practices on itself. Like an ingenious advocate whose object is to colour and recommend a bad cause, it employs the most deceitful sophistry; and sin is artfully pleaded for on the various grounds of constitution, custom, expediency, and necessity.
3. The temptations to which we are exposed.
(1) The temptations of the world.
(2) Satan.
4. The sins into which many of the people of God have fallen through its neglect. Noah, David, Hezekiah, and Peter. No dependence can be placed in elevated station, piety, or experience. Adam fell when all was beautiful.
5. Review your own experience and see the need for vigilance.
II. The nature of the duty enjoined.
1. A deep and abiding conviction of danger.
2. A diligent use of appointed means. Avoid all occasions of sin; watch the beginnings of sin; watch your besetting sin; watch your thoughts; watch your company; watch your pursuits; watch in dependence upon God.
III. The persons on whom this duty ought especially to be enforced.
1. To ministers and all who occupy official stations in the Church of God.
2. It applies to the aged. They are not beyond the reach of temptation.
3. It applies to the young.
4. It applies to heads of families.
IV. To enforce the observance of this duty.
1. Think of the salvation of the soul.
2. Think of the consequences resulting from the neglect of this duty.
3. Think of the glory of God. (T. H. Walker.)
Watch the occasions of sin
Avoid all occasions of sin. Boston justly remarks, that, as one who carries gunpowder would not wish to be where sparks are flying, lest he should be destroyed; so should we carefully avoid such places and company as may lead into sin. (T. H. Walker.)
Watch the beginnings of sin
All sin proceeds by rapid and beguiling steps; and when its influence is once yielded to, who can determine all the possible declinations from rectitude which may afterwards follow? In its first approach it may seem altogether harmless; it may be nothing more than thought. The spark may seem to be harmless; but it shall enkindle a conflagration that shall resist, by its violence, the united wisdom and power of man. The shell may seem to be insignificant, but it contains a substance which, when matured, shall be a serpent in the path, or adder by the way, that biteth the horses heel, so that the rider thereof falleth backward. The rill that steals silently over the sod may appear trivial; but it shall multiply its waters, until it mocks the man who shall say, Here shall thy proud waves be stayed. (T. H. Walker.)
Christs consideration for the weakness of His followers
Applying the subject to ourselves.
I. Is the spirit willing? Are we willing, in the sense of being resolved, and bent upon doing Gods will, following after holiness, and showing sympathy with Christ by bearing the cross for His sake? Yet-
II. The flesh may be weak.
1. In religious exercises.
2. In the tasks and duties of our Christian life.
3. Most of all in suffering and trial.
III. The comfort and use of Christs gracious saying to us in such times as these.
1. It is a word of kind apology.
2. There is a tone of warning in it.
3. Our duty therefore is to do our utmost to keep awake and to maintain communion with our Lord. Watch and pray.
IV. Look forward to a better life. (T. G. Herren.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv39–44 39. And he went a little farther. “About a…
39. And he went a little farther. “About a stone's cast” (Luke). If it be possible. If it were possible to save men, and carry out the divine work of redeeming them. Let this cup pass from me. This cup is the betrayal, the trial, the mocking, the scourging, the cross, and all besides which our thoughts cannot reach. But as thou wilt. This is an example of perfect faith—the faith by which alone answers to prayer can be obtained. He that insists on his will, when it is contrary to the will of God, fails in faith.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v39 The "cup" must be interpreted by our Lord’s own…
cup
The "cup" must be interpreted by our Lord’s own use of that symbol in speaking of His approaching sacrificial death Mat 20:22; Joh 18:11. In view of Joh 10:17; Joh 10:18 He could have been in no fear of an unwilling death. The value of the account of the agony in the Garden is in the evidence it affords that He knew fully what the agony of the cross would mean when His soul was made an offering for sin, Isa 53:10, in the hiding of the Father’s face. Knowing the cost to the utmost, he voluntarily paid it.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv39, 42 The first prayer:
The first prayer:
v. 39. And He went a little farther, 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.
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v. 40. And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with Me one hour?
v. 41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Leaving even His favorite disciples, though near the place where He was going, He felt constrained to be all alone with the horrors of death and hell, with the realization of the unquenchable wrath of God upon the sins of the world which He had taken upon Him. As the vicar, the representative of sinful mankind, damnation stared Him in the face. He throws Himself down upon His face in the dust, and from a heart full of the anguish of terrible suffering His prayer is wrung: Father, if it be possible, let this cup, literally, go along past Me, but by no means as I will, but as Thou wilt. The cup of excruciating torture, of death on the cross, was before His eyes, and His weak human nature shrinks back from its terrors. For death is an unnatural condition, it destroys the life which God has created, it tears asunder the bond between body and soul which was tied by God. If therefore there is any possibility of carrying out the work of salvation without being obliged to endure the sum total of all punishments upon sin, without draining the cup of God’s wrath to the very dregs, He begs to be given leave to choose that easier way. The counsel of God, to which He Himself had agreed, that redemption for the lost and condemned sinners would have to be gained through suffering and death, had become obscured in His human consciousness. What deep humiliation! And yet, there was not the slightest hint of objecting and murmuring in His prayer. By all means, in every way, the will of the heavenly Father should be carried out. "How, then, does Christ pray? This is a useful and necessary instruction, which we ought to follow gladly and not forget. Our dear Lord Jesus prays that God should take the cup from Him, and expects, as the only-begotten Son, nothing but good from the Father. And yet He adds these words: Not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Do thou the same way. If thou art in tribulation and suffering, be careful not to think that God for that reason is thy enemy; turn to Him, as a child to his father (for since we believe on Christ, He wants to accept us as sons and coheirs of Christ), cry to Him for help, say: O Father, behold what things are happening to me here and there; help me for the sake of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ. Now we should, in all matters pertaining to the body, place our will under God’s will; for, as Paul says, we know not how to pray as we ought. Then it is often also highly necessary that God keep us in cross and distress. Now, since God alone knows what is good and useful for us, we should place His will ahead, and our will after, and prove our obedience in patience. " Returning to His disciples after His prayer, the Lord found them asleep. They were unable to stand the test of the great strain; human nature demanded rest. The greatness and depth of the revelation unfolding before their eyes was too much for their feeble flesh. Reproachfully Jesus addresses Himself to Peter, in an effort to rouse him: So, then, you could not watch with Me for even one hour, after all the protestations of a short hour before. He urges them all to maintain a state of watchfulness, and for that reason to pray lest they fall into temptation, for the weakness of the flesh would be only too apt to overcome the strength of the spirit, be it never so willing. It is in the hours of bitter and severe trial, when the weakness of the flesh is ready to give up the hard fight, that prayerful watchfulness, together with unwavering trust in God’s power, will maintain the strength of the spirit to keep the faith.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv39, 42 fell on his face
fell on his face
He purposely lay face down on the ground to pray. (See: Idiom)
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My Father
This is an important title for God that shows the relationship between God and Jesus. (See: Translating Son and Father)
let this cup pass from me
Jesus speaks of the work that he must do, including dying on the cross, as if it were a bitter liquid that God has commanded him to drink from a cup. The word "cup" is an important word in the New Testament, so try to use an equivalent for that in your translation. (See: Metaphor)
this cup
Here "cup" is a metonym that stands for the cup and the contents within it. The contents in the cup are a metaphor for the suffering that Jesus will have to endure. Jesus is asking the Father if it is possible for him not to have to experience the death and suffering that Jesus knows will soon happen. (See: Metonymy and Metaphor)
Yet, not as I will, but as you will
This can be expressed as a full sentence. AT: "But do not do what I want; instead, do what you want" (See: Ellipsis)
he said to Peter, "What, could you not watch
Jesus is speaking to Peter, but the "you" is plural, referring to Peter, James, and John. (See: Forms of You)
What, could you not watch with me for one hour?
Jesus uses a question to scold Peter, James, and John. AT: "I am disappointed that you could not stay awake with me for one hour!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
you do not enter into temptation
Here the abstract noun "temptation" can be stated as a verb. AT: "no one tempts you to sin" (See: Abstract Nouns)
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak
Here "spirit" is a metonym that stands for a person's desires to do good. "Flesh" stands for the needs and desires of a person's body. Jesus means that the disciples may have the desire to do what God wants, but as humans they are weak and often fail. (See: Metonymy and Synecdoche)
translationWords
pray
God the Father
will of God
disciple
Peter
watch
tempt
spirit
flesh
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v39 26:39 If it is possible: Jesus’ heart’s desire was…
26:39 If it is possible: Jesus’ heart’s desire was for uninterrupted communion with the Father instead of coming under God’s wrath. • Yet I want your will to be done: His resolution to do the Father’s will was firm (4:1-11; 16:23; John 6:38).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.