Then
Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.” 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.”
Matthew 26:36-39
Matthew 26 [35.] Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” All of the disciples also said likewise.
Matthew 26 [36.] Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and severely troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with me.”
Matthew 26 [39.] 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.”
Matthew 26 [40.] 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.”
Meaning:
After the Passover meal and the warning to Peter, Jesus goes with his disciples to a garden called Gethsemane. There, in deep anguish, he prays to his Father. These verses open a window into the heart of Jesus as he faces the cross: real sorrow, honest prayer and complete surrender. Mark records the same scene (Mark 14:32-34; Mark 14:35-36).
- “a place called Gethsemane”
The name means “oil press.” It was an olive grove on the slope of the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley from the temple. Jesus often went there with his disciples (Luke 21:37). The image fits: in this place Jesus was pressed down under the weight of what lay ahead. Leaving eight disciples near the entrance, he took “Peter and the two sons of Zebedee”, James and John, the same three who had seen his glory on the mountain of transfiguration (Matthew 17:1). Now they would see his sorrow.
- “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death”
Matthew says Jesus “began to be sorrowful and severely troubled.” His words echo the psalms of lament: “Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42:5). The grief was so heavy it felt as if it could kill him. Jesus was fully human. He did not face suffering with cold indifference. Hebrews says that “in the days of his flesh” he offered up “prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). Luke adds that “Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground” (Luke 22:43-44).
- “Stay here, and watch with me”
In his distress Jesus wanted his closest friends near. He asked them to stay awake and keep watch with him. The Son of God valued human companionship and prayer support in his darkest hour. Sadly, they would soon fall asleep (Matthew 26:40-41).
- “He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed”
Falling on one’s face was the posture of deepest humility and urgency. Jesus addresses God as “My Father.” Mark records the intimate word “Abba” (Mark 14:36). Even in anguish, his prayer rests on the relationship of a Son with his Father.
- “let this cup pass away from me”
In the Old Testament the “cup” is often a picture of God’s judgment on sin. Isaiah spoke of those who “have drunk from Yahweh’s hand the cup of his wrath” (Isaiah 51:17). Jesus had asked James and John, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Matthew 20:22). The cup was more than physical pain. On the cross the sinless Son would bear the sins of the world and experience separation from his Father. No wonder he shrank from it.
- “nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire”
Here is the centre of the prayer. Jesus honestly expresses his desire, but he places it under the Father’s will. He lives out the prayer he taught his disciples: “Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth” (Matthew 6:10). Where Adam disobeyed in a garden, Jesus obeyed in a garden. Paul describes him “becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).
The Significance of Matthew 26:36-39
- Bring your sorrow to God
Jesus did not hide his feelings. He told his friends and his Father the truth about his anguish. Believers may pray honestly, knowing that we have a High Priest who has been “in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
- Surrender is the heart of prayer
Prayer is not only asking God to change our circumstances, but also asking him to align our will with his. “Not what I desire, but what you desire” is the prayer of every true disciple.
- The cost of our salvation
Gethsemane shows how heavy the cup was. Jesus drank it willingly so that we would not have to drink it ourselves.
Cross-References:
Mark 14:35-36: "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me." Mark’s account of the prayer.
Luke 22:43-44: "His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground." The depth of his agony.
Hebrews 5:7: "prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death." Gethsemane remembered.
Isaiah 51:17: "You who have drunk from Yahweh’s hand the cup of his wrath." The meaning of the cup.
Conclusion: Matthew 26:36-39 describes Jesus in Gethsemane, taking Peter, James and John with him and telling them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” Falling on his face, he prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.” The passage reveals the true humanity of Jesus, the weight of the cup of judgment he would bear for us, and his perfect surrender to the Father’s will.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible