Matthew 26: Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.
Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’
Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’
Again he went away for the second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’
Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.’
Meditation on Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
In my opinion, this is the most important prayer in the entire Bible. It is the seed prayer, so to speak. This seed prayer sprouts and blossoms into every prayer we offer.
Note how this prayer has two parts. In the first part, Jesus asks the Father if he can avoid drinking the cup. What does that mean? Clearly, this is the cup of Socrates, the cup with the hemlock poison that put the philosopher to death. In short, Jesus is telling the Father that he’s frightened at the prospect of humiliation, suffering, and death. So, “God, I don’t want to drink the cup of death.”
Here’s the second part of the prayer: “yet not what I want but what you want.” Despite Jesus’ wish to avoid the passion about to befall him, he screws up the courage to pray: “not my will, but your will be done.” Wow!
Now that’s the kind of prayer I’d like to pray. How about you?
HOLY WEEK PRAYER
Holy Spirit, make our every prayer like Jesus’ prayer: not my will but God’s will be done. Amen.
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Ted Peters is a Lutheran pastor and emeritus seminary professor. He is author of Short Prayers and The Cosmic Self. His one volume systematic theology is now in its 3rd edition, God—The World’s Future (Fortress 2015). He has undertaken a thorough examination of the sin-and-grace dialectic in two works, Sin: Radical Evil in Soul and Society (Eerdmans 1994) and Sin Boldly! (Fortress 2015). Watch for his forthcoming, The Voice of Public Christian Theology (ATF 2022). See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com.
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