And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground

 

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

 

- Luke 22:39-53 

 

On Saturday, Jesus was speaking to the disciples at the Last Supper, after they ate the Passover.   The Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 

 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."    My study Bible says that Christ's agony was the product of His human nature.  In asking that the cup be taken away, He reveals His human will.  By submitting His human will to the Father, Christ reveals His divine will to be one with the Father's.  Moreover, this shows that each person must submit one's own will to God's will (Luke 11:2).  My study Bible adds that Christ willingly takes in Himself the voice of weak humanity, and thereby conquers weakness.  It quotes St. Gregory the Great:  "The words of weakness are sometimes adopted by the strong in order that the hearts of the weak may be strengthened."

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."  The healing of the ear of the servant of the high priest is recorded only by St. Luke the physician, my study Bible notes.  It says that this indicates the manner in which we are to treat our enemies.  The patristic commentaries indicate a spiritual meaning here in that it is Christ who gives people the ability to hear the truth, and thereby come to salvation (see Luke 8:8; 14:35).  Regarding the power of darkness, see John 3:19-21; 13:30.

 

Verse 44 describes Jesus' tremendous pain, His agony:  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  In a recent video made while visiting the garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, Jonathan Pageau views these elements as reminders of Christ's Crucifixion, that His blood will be spilled as is described here.  According to John's Gospel, when a sword pierces His side, blood and water will come out  (John 19:34).  But of course, Christ's very human side is responding to what He knows is coming.  It is interesting that before that, Christ prays that God's will be done:  "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  We are allowed to witness the wrestling going on within Himself, between His human and divine wills.  And then we're told, after this prayer, that then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. So as Luke invites us in to witness this extremely personal moment, we are experiencing what Christ experienced, and as He experienced it.  Note the tussle and the tug of war.  Before the prayer, Jesus told His disciples, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  So Christ's experience in the garden, begins with His warning to the disciples, an admonition that they must pray that they may not enter into temptation.  Then He Himself withdraws in order to pray, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."    Then, after He has made this plea, this commitment that despite His human desire that the cup be taken away, He commits voluntarily to God's will -- and then an angel appears in order to strengthen Him.    At that point, this struggle then draws Him into agony, and He prays even more fervently.  All of this is a model for us, so that we understand what prayer is and what spiritual battle is.  For this is an agony of battle for Jesus, and it is an agony of the deepest part of temptation.  He is struggling against every human instinct we have for self-preservation, and no doubt against fears of what will become of His disciples and the legacy of His ministry.  One might simply imagine all of the million and one doubts that would assail any normal human being.  But Christ models for us what our own struggles are going to be about.  Step by step, we're given to understand that we need to pray in order to battle temptation, that we need to withdraw so that we focus and concentrate on prayer when we can, giving it our all.  Note also that He asks the disciples, His friends, to pray as well.  But this struggle is visceral, real, it is not easy nor simple.  And it is indeed a struggle.  Even after Jesus has made the decision, prayed "not My will, but Yours, be done," even after an angel has responded to strengthen Him, then His agony comes.  But, as He has said, the ruler of this world has nothing in Him (John 16:33).  Let us note that we also may experience the same strengthening from spiritual forces that aid us in response to our choices, even when we are in the middle of a struggle -- and that we may still experience further pain and temptation to turn back from our choice to find God's will despite our choice to face the hardships that may come in so doing.  This is the struggle.  This agony in the garden is the description of a deep spiritual struggle, and the formula and model we're given for prayer and spiritual assistance.  We may not all be the One who is destined to lead this mission of Christ, who liberates all through the means of the Cross, but nonetheless on some levels we may also experience the same struggles, and so we should take the same cautions, guidance, and knowledge with us that we're given here in this glimpse of Him that is so personal.  We pray so as not to enter into temptation.  In prayer we make the choice and commitment for what God is asking of us, and while we are strengthened, we may yet fully feel the visceral and very human experience of that struggle, an agony that is as real as anything else with which we might struggle in life.  Let us go forward in understanding that Christ was not spared the struggle, and neither are we when we choose to commit to our faith.  Jesus teaches us what it is to face and experience this hour, and the power of darkness.  But nonetheless, despite the struggle, we will come to enter into His peace and His joy in so doing -- for there is where we reap the harvest of faith.  In this case, it is the eternal sign of Christ that saves and liberates and sets us free from from the slavery of the one who would bring us pain in all its forms.  He has overcome the world -- for us.