Luke 22:39-46
Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41He 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." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45When 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 teaches us about prayer...In the Mount of Olives, He prays and asks His disciples to pray...This is our connection with the Father and the Son...
Jesus also has friends with Him in time of need and asks them to pray...In troubled and overwhelming times friends and prayer are a much needed comfort...The presence of family and friends is comforting...And even here, Jesus is teaching us the importance of individual prayer (with His asking the disciples to pray) to our Father...We need to pray for our own benefit(s)...
Jesus experiences hematidrosis (the sweating of blood) in the Mount of Olives...He was under severe stress...His mind and body are one with God...For Him to be sweating blood while facing and praying about His death shows the mind-body-spirit connection of Jesus and just how human He is and was, while He was on earth...
Jesus asks God to take this cup (suffering) from Me...He is asking God if there is any other way...Scripture teaches us that God's Law demands a sacrifice for sin...The death of the sinless Son, will be man's salvation and the ultimate sacrifice...There is no other way...God tries to impress this on us, that there is no other way...Man sometimes, I think forgets this...For us to grasp this think of us losing a favorite son or relative for others...The enormity of it, is realized, when we lose that one in our lives...Not only does the Law get satisfied, we realize how much God's love is and His amazing grace...
You probably have been under stress of the loss or being with a loved one when they are suffering...How tiring the disciples were sharing His grief...The disciples were so exhausted they could not remain awake...Jesus reminds them to pray, because praying keeps us out of temptation...So always pray when you are being tempted by the evil one...
Death comes and agony comes with it...Jesus shares this bond with us...He actually foresees His death, and knows when His time will be up...He even prays and asks God if there is an alternative...There is no alternative and Jesus accepts God's will be done and not His will...He understands...
We suffer agony and grief with death...That is a normal part of life, no matter how intense the suffering is...The Father and Son give us hope over death...God provides a salvation over death...It is through Jesus...
If you believe in the Father and Son, you will have eternal life...This was God's plan, there is no other way...So as death gives us so much agony, there is that much more hope...That hope is that Jesus triumphed over death, and God resurrected Him on Easter...