Matthew 26:36-46 “Let this cup pass from me.”

Matthew 26:36-46 “Let this cup pass from me.”

36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. 38Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." 39And 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." 40Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? 41Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42Again he went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." 43Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. 45Then 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. 46Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."

What is happening in this scripture? - Jesus has gathered his closest followers and after the emotional meal in the upper room, he takes Peter, James and John and goes to a garden called Gethsemane. He asks these three to sit while he goes a little distance to be alone and pray. Some say John was the closest of his friends, and James and John were the two who had asked of Jesus to sit at his right hand when he was exalted. Jesus becomes very agitated and sad. He tells his friends how he is feeling, “even unto death”, and asks them to stay awake with him. He is ambiguous about what he is to face, throws himself onto the ground and asks his Abba, if there is any other way…but adds “but not what I want but what you want.” He finds Peter and the others asleep and asks them twice to please stay awake. The third time he doesn’t even try to wake them. The third time he returns and seems resolved to his fate now. With anger and frustration now sounding more like gentle tenderness he asks them, “Are you still sleeping?” He tells them to awaken and get up as he sees Judas and the soldiers approaching.
If anyone wanted to see the difference between stories about so-called divine kings, such as Caesar, or heroes like Hercules, or the Greek or Roman gods and the stories about Jesus, let them read these passages. This is not a dramatic soliloquy of a warrior about to go into battle, or a gladiator about to die in a blaze of glory. This is more the talk of a man facing execution, abandonment, humiliation, shame, and annihilation. This is a man staring a painful agonizing death and utter betrayal in the face. In the gospel of John, we see a Jesus in charge, but here, we witness a Jesus fully human.

How is this about you and me? - Do you ever feel not quite up to the task of being a follower of Jesus? Do you feel like saying, as Peter once did, “Leave me, for I am a great sinner?” These lines remind me that Jesus was a person, and had doubts just like we do. Otherwise, where would the connection to us be? He is not a marble statue in a temple. He is not a stained glass picture. He is not even a wooden figure on a cross. He is real. And the mission he gave us continues. Thanks be to God.-RSP