He
came out, and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives. His disciples also followed him. When he was at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you don’t enter into temptation.” He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Luke 22:39-42
Luke 22 [38.] They said, “Lord, behold, here are two swords.”
He said to them, “That is enough.”
Luke 22 [39.] He came out, and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives. His disciples also followed him. When he was at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you don’t enter into temptation.”
Luke 22 [41.] He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
Luke 22 [43.] An angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
Meaning:
After the supper and the conversation about swords (Luke 22:35-38), Jesus led his disciples out of the city to the Mount of Olives. There, on the night of his arrest, he prayed the most searching prayer recorded in the Gospels. Matthew and Mark name the place Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-34; Mark 14:35-36; Matthew 26:36-39).
- “He came out, and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives”
During that week Jesus taught in the temple by day, and “every night he would go out and spend the night on the mountain that is called Olivet” (Luke 21:37). The Mount of Olives lies just east of Jerusalem across the Kidron valley. Gethsemane, meaning “oil press,” was an olive grove on its slope. Because Jesus went there by custom, Judas knew where to find him. John notes that “Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples” (John 18:2). Jesus did not hide. He went to the place where he would be betrayed, choosing obedience over escape.
- “Pray that you don’t enter into temptation”
Jesus knew the test that was coming for his disciples. The temptation was to fall away in fear when he was arrested. He had taught them to pray, “Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Luke 11:4). Now he urges them to use that prayer. Luke frames the whole scene with this command, which Jesus repeats when he finds them sleeping (Luke 22:46). Prayer is the first defence in a time of trial.
- “He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down”
Jesus went a short distance away, close enough that the disciples could see and hear something of his prayer. Jews normally prayed standing; kneeling expressed urgent humility. Luke often shows Jesus at prayer at the turning points of his life: at his baptism, before choosing the twelve (Luke 6:12), and in lonely places (Luke 5:16). Here, at the greatest turning point of all, he prays again.
- “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me”
In the Old Testament the “cup” is often a picture of God’s judgment against sin. Isaiah speaks of Jerusalem, “you who have drunk from Yahweh’s hand the cup of his wrath” (Isaiah 51:17). Jesus was not shrinking merely from physical pain, but from bearing the judgment due to sinners and the separation from his Father that it would mean. His request shows his true humanity. He felt the full horror of what lay ahead and honestly asked whether there was another way. Hebrews describes this anguish: “He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death” (Hebrews 5:7).
- “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done”
Here is the heart of the prayer. Jesus submits his will to the Father’s. What Adam refused in a garden, Jesus embraced in a garden. He had said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). Paul writes that he “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). The Father answered not by removing the cup, but by sending strength to drink it (Luke 22:43-44).
The Significance of Luke 22:39-42
- Honest prayer
Jesus shows that we may bring our deepest fears and requests to God. Asking for a hard road to be taken away is not unbelief. Faith speaks honestly to the Father.
- Surrender to God’s will
The goal of prayer is not to bend God to our will but to bring our will into line with his. “May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2) becomes personal in Gethsemane.
- Prayer against temptation
Jesus’ command to his disciples applies to all believers. When trials come, watchful prayer keeps us from falling. “Watch and pray, that you don’t enter into temptation” (Matthew 26:41).
Cross-References:
Mark 14:36: "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me." Mark’s account of the prayer.
Hebrews 5:7: "with strong crying and tears" Jesus’ anguish in prayer.
Philippians 2:8: "he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death," The obedience of the Son.
Isaiah 51:17: "the cup of his wrath." The meaning of the cup.
Conclusion: On the night of his betrayal Jesus went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, urged his disciples to pray against temptation, and knelt to pray himself. He honestly asked the Father to remove the cup of judgment, yet he surrendered: “not my will, but yours, be done.” His obedience in the garden opened the way to the cross and teaches believers to pray with both honesty and surrender.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible