Lenten reflections

(Mt. 26:39,42, 44)

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.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. (KJV)

Though we have read and even know by heart this text, it is very likely that we have not probed it deeply enough, and so it is worth another careful look, especially during Lent as Easter looms. The subtle differences in the prayers can easily escape our eyes.

This is the supreme and insightful text on Jesus’ submission to Divine purpose.

• Request 1: based on personal preference

“if it is possible let this cup [of extreme suffering] pass from me. (v.39)

• Realisation: based on Divine Purpose/Priority “nevertheless [= despite my request] not what I will (= prefer/desire) but what you will (= purpose/determine)

• Request 2 and 3 ( see v. 44): based on purpose-influenced realisation

“if (=since) it is not possible for this cup to pass unless I drink it let your will be done (lit. ‘come to be’)

The first request says in part “… if it be possible …” the second “… if it is not possible …” In other words, regardless of which end or purpose you sovereignly choose for me, let your will be done.

Does our prayer life match this submission to the Father’s will regardless of our desire/wish/preference? Something to ponder as we fast and pray during Lent and beyond.

One other overlooked aspect of the Gethsemane account is the nature of our Lord’s emotional state, his psychological agony at the time.

After the last supper and in the garden of Gethsemane, our Lord’s psychological agony began as he anticipated the suffering that he was going to endure for our sins. Ponder Mk. 14.33, which says: “And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.”

The rendition in the Message (a modern paraphrase version) may sound overly graphic and melodramatic, but it is quite faithful to the Greek text. It reads: “He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony.”

Even the ‘sweat like blood’ text in Luke 22:44 (which is not found in some ancient manuscripts) if read properly, has medical significance according to medical doctors.

The text in Luke does not say that our Lord was actually sweating blood, but by means of a simile (a ‘like or as’ comparison), Luke says his sweat was like blood falling down. This is accurately captured in four popular translations.

The New American Standard Bible says “and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

The NIV says: “His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

The KJV says: “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

The NKJV says “His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

The blood-like sweat is a rare medical condition called hematidrosis, a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress.

The cup of suffering that our Lord prayed might ‘pass from him’ included the brutally physical, the distressingly emotional and the deeply spiritual dimensions. There was no other good enough to be our substitute … . He only was good enough to pay the price for our sins!

Hallelujah what a Saviour!