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Chapter 9—Preparing to Die
He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives;
and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said
to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he
withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed,
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will
but yours be done.”
Luke 22:39-42
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With His disciples Jesus slowly made His way to Gethsemane.
The moon on that Passover evening shone from a cloudless sky. The
tents of all the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the feast
were silent.
Earlier Jesus had been in intense conversation with His disciples,
but as they neared Gethsemane, He became strangely silent. He
often came to this place for meditation and prayer, but never before
had He come with a heart as troubled as on this night. He seemed
to have lost His Father’s support as He came to the moment when
He would bear the sins of the world. The disciples couldn’t help
noticing the great change that had come over their Master.
Near the entrance to the garden Jesus left most of the disciples,
asking them to pray for Him and for themselves. Then, accompanied
by Peter, James, and John, He went further into the garden, where
He asked them also to pray. He stumbled on a few more steps, still
within their sight and hearing, and collapsed on the ground. As a
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human being He began to suffer the results of humanity’s sin
Jesus and Satan had met in deadly conflict in the wilderness
three years before at the beginning of His earthly ministry, and there
He overcame. Now the tempter comes for one final, fearful assault.
Everything is at stake for him. If he fails this time, his hope of
becoming the master of the world will be gone. In His agony Jesus
clings to the cool ground as if to stop Himself from being drawn any
farther from the Father, and from His lips comes the cry, “My Father,
if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but
what you want.”
Matthew 26:39
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