NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS BE DONE

Luke 22:39-53 / Keywords 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

 

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

22:39 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.[c]

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 Arrested

47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”

Footnotes

c. Luke 22:44 Many early manuscripts do not have verses 43 and 44.

1. After the Last Supper, Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives to pray. There, he knelt and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (42). Jesus knew his Father’s will for him: it was to die on the cross as the Lamb of God, bearing God’s wrath on his body and being forsaken. Jesus wanted to avoid it. He fought a fierce spiritual battle through prayer to submit to the will of his Father until he could say, “not my will, but yours be done.” His prayer was so earnest that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. God strengthened him through an angel. Now he was ready to face the cross; but the disciples were not, for they did not prepare through prayer.

 

2. An armed crowd led by Judas came to arrest Jesus. Judas approached Jesus like a friend and kissed him, hiding his evil intention. Jesus gave him the last opportunity to repent, saying, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” It was a kiss of betrayal. When Jesus was arrested, his followers wanted to fight with swords by striking the ear of the high priest’s servant. However, Jesus stopped them, for it was not his way. He even healed the servant. Jesus’ way was not the way of swords, but the way of obedience and submission to the will of God even when darkness reigned.

 

Prayer Father, help me to pray like Jesus until I may submit to your will for me and follow your way.

One Word Not my will, but yours be done!