42: Here we find the same thing as in his previous prayer. The language once again shows that he is not unwilling to save sinful man, but would be willing to do it some other way. Beyond this, and more importantly, we see that his will is submitted to the Father’s. Though his will is…
40: Although Jesus addresses Peter, the word ‘ye’ and the plural form of his commands shows that he was speaking to Peter, James, and John. It is implied that the others were asleep as well. Surely the disciples could stay awake for one hour more.41: Jesus now adds to the request. He tells them to…
39: Notice that Jesus fell on his face. This is the biblical mode for the deepest prayer, not kneeling with hands folded and eyes turned heavenward. Jesus went a bit further away from the inner circle and prayed privately. If God did not want us to know the content of this prayer, it would never…
38: Here Jesus voices to the disciples what has already been stated in the previous verse. Added to this is the phrase ‘even unto death’ showing the extremity of the case. Jesus, though before this perfectly healthy, begins to endure emotional, mental, and physical strain.In this situation, he asks his disciples for the extra consideration of staying…
37: This verse shows Jesus’ Divinity and humanity in balance. He took the inner circle with him. On the one hand, this shows his humanity in that humans generally have only a few very close friends. It shows his Divinity in that, even in this dark hour, he was still preparing his disciples.The words at the…
36: This special place was a garden of olive trees just across the Kidron and at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Jesus and his disciples had come here before. Though it would have likely hidden him from the Jewish officials, Judas knew the spot well. Being a garden, it would have been easy…
33: The boldness and devotion of Peter are here overshadowed by his self-righteousness. He is, in effect, saying that he would remain faithful to his Lord, even if all of the other disciples stumbled spiritually. This reminds one of the earlier conversation of the disciples concerning who was to be the greatest in the kingdom.…
31: Jesus words here must have been disturbing to the disciples. At this point, remember, only the eleven were with him. He is quoting from Zechariah’s prophecy concerning the Shepherd and the sheep. His use of the word ‘offended’ would have been offensive. It means to stumble spiritually. This may explain the disciple’s strong reaction. They…
26: As they were eating the Passover, Jesus does something special with the bread. This is the special unleavened bread used in the Passover, and as such had special significance anyway. The disciples should have immediately understood the symbolism here. The bread being blessed and broken shows the death of Christ according to God’s purpose.…
1: God wants people to submit to the higher powers. The ‘higher powers’ refers to human government. Although God is the almighty, the key here is authority. No authority can come from anyone but God. God has ordained human government. In other words, human governments have authority because God gave it to them. Legitimate governments…