26:36-37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee―(36) Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye
here, while I go and pray yonder (37) And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and
began to be sorrowful and very heavy.‖
After leaving the place where they had eaten the Passover meal, Y‘shua led his disciples to the Mount of
Olives where he waited for his arrest. As they went to the Mount, they came to a place called Gethsemane,
and Y‘shua asked eight of his disciples to wait while he took Peter, James, and John with him to keep watch
while he prayed.
As the four left the others and walked along the path, Y‘shua became very depressed and apprehensive as
he thought about the events that would shortly take place.
26:38- 39 He went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed―(38) Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch
with me. (39) And he went a little further, 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.‖
Y‘shua asked his Father three times in this agonising prayer (verses 38-44) to stop the events that would
lead to his death. But why would Y‘shua ask his Father to abandon what had been planned before the
creation of the earth? The answer is that Y‘shua did not want to experience the agony and pain of the
torturous death that he knew was just hours away if there were another way to accomplish his mission.
Who Was Y‟shua?In order to understand why Y‘shua was so concerned about his impending death, we must remember who he
was. This man was YHWH incarnate; He was the Creator of humanity. He had been an immortal spirit-being
who possessed the highest form of existence (life that springs forth from itself; never dying or decaying).
Y‘shua had never personally experienced the agony and sorrow that precedes a painful death; however, He
had seen others suffer and die during the centuries before His birth as a human, and He was well acquainted
with death during His human experience. Therefore, He was justifiably apprehensive and did not want to die
if there was another way humanity could be saved.
26:40-44 And findeth them asleep―(40) And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not
watch with me one hour? (41) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak. (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. (43) And he came and found them asleep
again: for their eyes were heavy. (44) And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time,
saying the same words.‖
An angel appears―And there appeared an angel to him from heaven, strengthening him" (Luke 22:43 KJV).
In preparation for his three and a half-year ministry, Y‘shua fasted before the Father for forty days
(Matt 4:1-11). At the end of this fast, angels came and ministered to Him. Although the Scriptures do not say
what this angelic ministry entailed, it can be assumed that not only were Y‘shua‘s physical needs supplied;
but also he was encouraged to go forward and complete his mission.
Verse 43 of Luke chapter 22 shows an occurrence similar to the one that happened at the beginning of
Y‘shua‘s ministry. Again, we are not told what the angel did but we can assume the angel came to
encourage Y‘shua and discuss the things that would shortly come to pass.
The blood of agony―And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling
down to the ground" (Luke 22:44 KJV).
As Y‘shua continued to speak to his Father in prayer and think about the reality of what was going to happen
to him, the human side of his nature began to exert more and more pressure upon his thoughts. Remember