Matthew 26:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”

NIV: Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.'

NASB: Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *told His disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.'

CSB: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he told the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."

NLT: Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, 'Sit here while I go over there to pray.'

KJV: Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

NKJV: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”

Jesus and His remaining 11 disciples (John 13:29–30) have been walking from the place where they ate the Passover meal (Matthew 26:17–19) toward the Mount of Olives. Now they come to a place called Gethsemane on the mountain's western side. John describes it as a garden near a brook called Kidron and a place the group often went together (John 18:1–2). They are still inside the boundaries of Jerusalem, as the Passover rules required. It may now be as late as 10 or 11 p.m.

The name Gethsemane literally means "oil press," suggesting that the spot was among the olive groves on the mountain. This title is ironic, at least, in that Jesus will experience intense spiritual pressure as He prays there (Mark 14:34; Luke 22:44).

Jesus tells eight of the disciples to sit down while He goes over to another area to pray. The following verse (Matthew 26:37) shows that He takes Peter, James, and John with Him farther into the garden. He may have wanted them to protect His solitude and privacy while He prayed.

Matthew 26:36–46 follows Jesus and the disciples into a place called Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives. He takes Peter, James, and John aside from the main group, then prays to God the Father in indescribably intense anguish. He prays a sincere wish that what's about to happen would not be necessary, but entirely submits to the will of God the Father. The disciples cannot stay awake, despite being roused more than once by Christ. Jesus prays three times, before pointing out Judas, the betrayer, who is coming with a crowd to arrest Him. These events are also depicted in Mark 14:32–42 and Luke 22:39–46.

The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.

After a long series of teaching (Matthew 24—25), Matthew 26 begins with Jesus saying He will be delivered up for death. Christ is anointed at a dinner in Bethany and Judas agrees to turn Him over to the chief priests. Jesus holds a Passover meal with the disciples, predicts an act of treachery, and introduces the sacrament of communion. He tells the disciples they will run in fear and that Peter will deny Him, which happens just as prophesied. Christ prays in great sorrow in a garden and is then arrested and taken away and unfairly sentenced to death. After this, Jesus will be taken to the Roman governor, where Jewish leadership will press for Him to be executed as an insurgent.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 5/3/2024 5:22:29 AM