Eight of the disciples are asleep a good distance from Jesus as He prays in the garden of Gethsemane. Peter, James, and John are also asleep, but closer. Judas is on his way with a squadron of temple guards and servants of the high priest (Luke 22:39–40; Mark 14:32).

Jesus can't sleep. He knows that by this time the next day, He will have been interrogated, beaten, scourged, and crucified. He will have felt the crushing weight of all the sins of every person in history. He will have died and been placed in a cold tomb in the stone. He is fully God (Colossians 2:9). He knows He has come to earth for the purpose of going to the cross (John 12:27). So, is He asking God the Father to change the plan?

Jesus is fully God, but He is also fully man (Hebrews 4:15). There is no truth in the Gnostic belief that the spirit is good and the physical body is evil. Yet we also need to recognize that Jesus' humanity sometimes wanted something different than His divinity. Theologians have struggled to give sufficient explanations, but the most accurate is that Jesus is one Person with two natures: a divine nature and a human nature. This is referred to as the "hypostatic union."

The important part, which Christ-followers need to emulate, comes at the end of the verse: "Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." We only have a human nature, but we can follow Jesus' example and submit to God in obedience even when it's unimaginably difficult (Philippians 4:12–13; Philippians 2:12–13). The author of Hebrews elaborates:

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:7–10).

"Perfect," here, doesn't mean sinless or flawless. It means complete. In submitting to the Father's will in this, Jesus completely obeyed the Father in His earthly life. Thus, He experienced the fullness of obedience. That obedient submission was the last task Jesus had to complete to qualify as the perfect, singular sacrifice for our sins.

Around the Age of Enlightenment, people began to think that humans could discover every truth through science. Humanism taught that mankind could control its destiny and become greater, reaching spiritual righteousness on its own. This verse, along with Hebrews 5:7–10, is one used to support the "example theory" of atonement. The example theory claims that Jesus didn't literally carry our sins, but rather Jesus' death on the cross was merely an example to humanity of the self-sacrifice needed to fully obey God. This is completely wrong, as proved in verses like 2 Corinthians 5:21 which reads, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Hebrews 9—10 also details the necessity of Christ's sacrifice and demonstrates it was far more than exemplary. Surely, the extreme dread Jesus is under is not just for His physical death but for the spiritual task He is facing.

A "cup" was often used as a metaphor for someone's fate; to drink the cup is to do or experience what God has determined is necessary. It is especially connected to God's wrath. We see this when James and John ask for places of honor in Jesus' kingdom (Mark 10:35–38), but it is also frequently used in the Old Testament (Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15–17; 51:7).

Luke 22:39–46 is a summarized account of Jesus' prayers at the Mount of Olives. He and the disciples have finished the Passover meal. There, Jesus warned them of coming trials. The disciples argued over who was best (Luke 22:14–30). Now, Jesus expresses sincere apprehension about the crucifixion. Yet He humbly submits to His Father's plan. He knows who He is and why He was sent: only He can save the world. Meanwhile, the disciples sleep instead of praying that their faith will keep them from temptation. Matthew 26:36–46, Mark 14:32–42, and John 18:1 also record Jesus' time in the garden.

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

Accessed 5/7/2024 8:36:25 AM

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