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Luke 22:39-44
So what is the "cup" He was referring to? Did He change His mind about wanting to die on the Cross? The cup Jesus was referring to is the separation from the Father. Jesus (Son) and the Father were always, eternally together and never separated. On the Cross, Jesus bore the sins of the world, including the spiritual separation of everyone who would reject Him. Remember on the Cross, Jesus said "why has thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)
RSB Study Note
this cup. A symbol of suffering and divine anger (Is. 51:17; Ezek. 23:33).
not my will. As One who had taken upon Himself a complete human nature, it was natural for Jesus to shrink from the horror of the Cross, a horror magnified by His knowledge that in dying He would be forsaken by God and experience the weight of divine anger on sin. Nevertheless, Jesus is determined to follow the will of His Father.
Matthew Henry Commentary
There are three things in this passage which we had not in the other evangelists:—
1. That, when Christ was in his agony, there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him, Luke 22:43.
2. That, being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, Luke 22:44.
As his sorrow and trouble grew upon him, he grew more importunate in prayer; not that there was before any coldness or indifferency in his prayers, but there was now a greater vehemency in them, which was expressed in his voice and gesture. Note, Prayer, though never out of season, is in a special manner seasonable when we are in an agony; and the stronger our agonies are the more lively and frequent our prayers should be. Now it was that Christ offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, and was heard in that he feared (Heb. 5:7), and in his fear wrestled, as Jacob with the angel.
3. That, in this agony, his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Sweat came in with sin, and was a branch of the curse, Gen. 3:19. And therefore, when Christ was made sin and a curse for us, he underwent a grievous sweat, that in the sweat of his face we might eat bread, and that he might sanctify and sweeten all our trials to us. There is some dispute among the critics whether this sweat is only compared to drops of blood, being much thicker than drops of sweat commonly are, the pores of the body being more than ordinarily opened, or whether real blood out of the capillary veins mingled with it, so that it was in colour like blood, and might truly be called a bloody sweat; the matter is not great. Some reckon this one of the times when Christ shed his blood for us, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Every pore was as it were a bleeding wound, and his blood stained all his raiment. This showed the travail of his soul. He was now abroad in the open air, in a cool season, upon the cold ground, far in the night, which, one would think, had been enough to strike in a sweat; yet now he breaks out into a sweat, which bespeaks the extremity of the agony he was in.
John Gill's Exposition of Luke 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing
If it be consistent with thy will of saving sinners, and which thou hast declared to me, and I have undertook to perform: the other evangelists say, "if it be possible"; (See Gill on Matthew 26:39) remove this cup from me;
meaning, either his present sorrows and distress, or his approaching sufferings and death, which he had in view, or both:
nevertheless not my will;
as man, for Christ had an human will distinct from, though not contrary to his divine will: but thine be done;
which Christ undertook, and came into this world to do; and it was his meat and drink to do it, and was the same with his own will, as the Son of God; (See Gill on Matthew 26:39), and (See Gill on Matthew 26:42).
Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
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.
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.
So what is the "cup" He was referring to? Did He change His mind about wanting to die on the Cross? The cup Jesus was referring to is the separation from the Father. Jesus (Son) and the Father were always, eternally together and never separated. On the Cross, Jesus bore the sins of the world, including the spiritual separation of everyone who would reject Him. Remember on the Cross, Jesus said "why has thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)
RSB Study Note
this cup. A symbol of suffering and divine anger (Is. 51:17; Ezek. 23:33).
not my will. As One who had taken upon Himself a complete human nature, it was natural for Jesus to shrink from the horror of the Cross, a horror magnified by His knowledge that in dying He would be forsaken by God and experience the weight of divine anger on sin. Nevertheless, Jesus is determined to follow the will of His Father.
Matthew Henry Commentary
There are three things in this passage which we had not in the other evangelists:—
1. That, when Christ was in his agony, there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him, Luke 22:43.
1. It was an instance of the deep humiliation of our Lord Jesus that he needed the assistance of an angel, and would admit it. The influence of the divine nature withdrew for the present, and then, as to his human nature, he was for a little while lower than the angels, and was capable of receiving help from them.
2. When he was not delivered from his sufferings, yet he was strengthened and supported under them, and that was equivalent. If God proportion the shoulders to the burden, we shall have no reason to complain, whatever he is pleased to lay upon us. David owns this a sufficient answer to his prayer, in the day of trouble, that God strengthened him with strength in his soul, and so does the son of David, Ps. 138:3.
3. The angels ministered to the Lord Jesus in his sufferings. He could have had legions of them to rescue him; nay, this one could have done it, could have chased and conquered the whole band of men that came to take him; but he made use of his ministration only to strengthen him; and the very visit which this angel made him now in his grief, when his enemies were awake and his friends asleep, was such a seasonable token of the divine favour as would be a very great strengthening to him. Yet this was not all: he probably said something to him to strengthen him; put him in mind that his sufferings were in order to his Father’s glory, to his own glory, and to the salvation of those that were given him, represented to him the joy set before him, the seed he should see; with these and the like suggestions he encouraged him to go on cheerfully; and what is comforting is strengthening. Perhaps he did something to strengthen him, wiped away his sweat and tears, perhaps ministered some cordial to him, as after his temptation, or, it may be, took him by the arm, and helped him off the ground, or bore him up when he was ready to faint away; and in these services of the angel the Holy Spirit was enischyon auton—putting strength into him; for so the word signifies. It pleased the Lord to bruise him indeed; yet did he plead against him with his great power? No, but he put strength in him (Job 23:6), as he had promised, Ps. 89:21; Isa. 49:8; 50:7.
2. When he was not delivered from his sufferings, yet he was strengthened and supported under them, and that was equivalent. If God proportion the shoulders to the burden, we shall have no reason to complain, whatever he is pleased to lay upon us. David owns this a sufficient answer to his prayer, in the day of trouble, that God strengthened him with strength in his soul, and so does the son of David, Ps. 138:3.
3. The angels ministered to the Lord Jesus in his sufferings. He could have had legions of them to rescue him; nay, this one could have done it, could have chased and conquered the whole band of men that came to take him; but he made use of his ministration only to strengthen him; and the very visit which this angel made him now in his grief, when his enemies were awake and his friends asleep, was such a seasonable token of the divine favour as would be a very great strengthening to him. Yet this was not all: he probably said something to him to strengthen him; put him in mind that his sufferings were in order to his Father’s glory, to his own glory, and to the salvation of those that were given him, represented to him the joy set before him, the seed he should see; with these and the like suggestions he encouraged him to go on cheerfully; and what is comforting is strengthening. Perhaps he did something to strengthen him, wiped away his sweat and tears, perhaps ministered some cordial to him, as after his temptation, or, it may be, took him by the arm, and helped him off the ground, or bore him up when he was ready to faint away; and in these services of the angel the Holy Spirit was enischyon auton—putting strength into him; for so the word signifies. It pleased the Lord to bruise him indeed; yet did he plead against him with his great power? No, but he put strength in him (Job 23:6), as he had promised, Ps. 89:21; Isa. 49:8; 50:7.
2. That, being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, Luke 22:44.
As his sorrow and trouble grew upon him, he grew more importunate in prayer; not that there was before any coldness or indifferency in his prayers, but there was now a greater vehemency in them, which was expressed in his voice and gesture. Note, Prayer, though never out of season, is in a special manner seasonable when we are in an agony; and the stronger our agonies are the more lively and frequent our prayers should be. Now it was that Christ offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, and was heard in that he feared (Heb. 5:7), and in his fear wrestled, as Jacob with the angel.
3. That, in this agony, his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Sweat came in with sin, and was a branch of the curse, Gen. 3:19. And therefore, when Christ was made sin and a curse for us, he underwent a grievous sweat, that in the sweat of his face we might eat bread, and that he might sanctify and sweeten all our trials to us. There is some dispute among the critics whether this sweat is only compared to drops of blood, being much thicker than drops of sweat commonly are, the pores of the body being more than ordinarily opened, or whether real blood out of the capillary veins mingled with it, so that it was in colour like blood, and might truly be called a bloody sweat; the matter is not great. Some reckon this one of the times when Christ shed his blood for us, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Every pore was as it were a bleeding wound, and his blood stained all his raiment. This showed the travail of his soul. He was now abroad in the open air, in a cool season, upon the cold ground, far in the night, which, one would think, had been enough to strike in a sweat; yet now he breaks out into a sweat, which bespeaks the extremity of the agony he was in.
John Gill's Exposition of Luke 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing
If it be consistent with thy will of saving sinners, and which thou hast declared to me, and I have undertook to perform: the other evangelists say, "if it be possible"; (See Gill on Matthew 26:39) remove this cup from me;
meaning, either his present sorrows and distress, or his approaching sufferings and death, which he had in view, or both:
nevertheless not my will;
as man, for Christ had an human will distinct from, though not contrary to his divine will: but thine be done;
which Christ undertook, and came into this world to do; and it was his meat and drink to do it, and was the same with his own will, as the Son of God; (See Gill on Matthew 26:39), and (See Gill on Matthew 26:42).
