39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Jesus, even though He often went to pray in solitary places, was never a loner, selfish, or self-absorbed...He did withdraw into the wilderness and spoke of God to the evil one...He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil...After the evil one tempted Him the mean one left him in the wilderness, and the angels came and attended Him...
Jesus was concerned with all men and women, especially those who are in need...He teaches us that the meek will inhabit the earth...He always lived and lives in obedience to His Father...He showed Great Empathy to all around Him, who believed in Him...He LOVED everyone, even His enemies...He knew that God's Will be done and that God's Will gets done...
On the night before His arrest, He was anxious and prayed for His Father to take the cup of suffering from His hand...But that was not His Father's Plan...He was devoted to His Father and to taking away the sins of mankind...He LOVES mankind...And Luke tells us that Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives and prayed...His Disciples went with Him...(He went there often.)...He said to His Disciples, “Pray for strength against temptation.”...
C. S. Lewis wrote about this very human-like prayer at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane...As we think and study our own small faith of a mustard seed and that this mustard seed faith can move mountains and Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross- Lewis had this to say: “For most of us the prayer in Gethsemane is the only model...Removing mountains can wait.”..
About fifty steps away from His Disciples Jesus knelt and prayed knowing He was going to the cross...Isaac, Abraham's son had been spared at the last moment, would another miracle happen?...And so Jesus prayed: “Father, if You are willing, please don’t make Me drink from this cup...But do what You want, not what I want.”...Then an angel from heaven came to help Him...Jesus was full of pain; He struggled hard in prayer...Sweat dripped from His face like drops of blood falling to the ground...When He finished praying, He went to His Disciples...He found them asleep, worn out from their grieving...Jesus said to them, “Why are you sleeping?...Get up and pray for strength against temptation.”...He would soon take on all the sins of the world, the failures of the fallen mankind...He took on the sins of the world...Our Blessed LORD took on all the sins that mankind had done, and with dignity died for my sins...For it is my sins and the sins of man that put Him on the cross...But He overcame the world and His Father raised Him from His death...