56: The Most Powerful Prayer (Matthew 26:31-46)

What’s the most powerful, most fervent prayer you have ever prayed? Was it asking God to heal a family member or friend? Was it to provide a large amount of money in a pinch? Was it crying out to God, asking Him to forgive you for wicked sin?

Or maybe you bought into what many celebrity preachers say the most powerful prayer is one of faith…where you take authority over whatever it is that you want - Want healing? Want financial security? Need victory in all you do? They would say you should pray believing, speaking it into existence, & never doubting that God wants your best life now. They claim God doesn’t want you to experience difficulty with your relationships, health, or finances.

Of course, there’s only one problem with that kind of teaching…that’s NOT what Jesus taught nor modeled.

The Most Powerful Prayer happened on the night Jesus was arrested - after the Passover Dinner with His disciples. During that meal Jesus told His disciples one of them would betray Him. As they left the upper room He said they would soon run away from Him (Mt 26:31)…

Today we discover The Most Powerful Prayer from our King Himself; the prayer Jesus prayed several times on the night He was arrested - after the Passover Dinner with His disciples. And that’s where we pick up in the story.

You’ll remember that Jesus and His disciples had celebrated the Passover meal where Jesus:

warned that a traitor was in their midst - whom he told to go carry out his plan

showed that the Passover was really about HIM - the true Passover Lamb that one all the other sacrificial lambs had been pointing to for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Now the one John the Baptist called, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, the one Paul calls “Christ/Messiah, our Passover Lamb.” (1 Cor 5:7), takes his last steps on the Mount of Olives before He is arrested and led back into Jerusalem.

The disciples likely think they will eventually make their way back to Bethany for the evening, as they had done every other day. But…that’s not the plan this evening, and what is about to happen is going to change the course of their lives forever…and I mean FOREVER.

This night was supposed to be a celebration of how God had set the people free from bondage in Egypt - but it had nosedived from celebration to despair. Could it get any worse than this? YEP!

Now, while they are on their way, Jesus says some of the most painful things their ears have ever heard. The disciples were likely still staggering from Jesus saying that one of THEM would betray Him. And now while they are walking to the Mount of Olives, Jesus shares another ominous prediction…about THEM!

Matthew 26:31-32 (NIV) Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ [Zech 13:7] But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Jesus offers 3 predictions of what was coming:

Matthew notes that Jesus has now predicted his arrest, crucifixion and death - for the 4th time (Mt 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19; 26:2). And the first 3 times His prediction included his resurrection.

Second, all his disciples will fall away - they will leave the Shepherd to fend for Himself. And as we are about to see, this devastates them and they refuse to believe it.

Third, despite the dark clouds that were forming, there was a glimmer of sun that would should through - a day when these fearful disciples would be reunited to the risen Shepherd.

But that encouragement likely isn’t even a blip on the radar in the disciples’ thinking, because their attention was on Jesus saying they would fall away from Him instead of stand up for Him.

And, of course, Simon Peter speaks up.

Matthew 26:33–34 (NIV) Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

Commentators debate what this means - is it a real rooster crowing OR is this referring to different night watches, but the point Jesus is ultimately making is that Peter will deny Him 3 times before dawn. That evening will be one of confusion, desperation, & denial.

Matthew 26:35 (NIV) But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

They are convinced they would be faithful, no matter what.

A week ago I was talking with a man in the prison that is astounded that the disciples, despite all they saw Jesus do, would fall away. He is convinced that he wouldn’t have, but he - like me - has the privilege of knowing the rest of the story. Had we been in their position, we would have run away too.

But…AFTER the resurrection of Jesus, these disciples did NOT desert Him again.

Matthew 26:36a (NIV) Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane…

Gethsemane is a place name derived from the Aramaic word "Gat Shemanim," which means "oil press." It sits at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, just beyond the Kidron Valley.

This is a picture I took in Feb 2023 facing the walls of Jerusalem. You can see the Dome of the Rock, where there Jewish Temple would have sat during the time of Jesus.

The 1st time I was in Jerusalem we walked from the walls of Jerusalem to this area and further up the Mount of Olives. I was surprised by how close it was to the walls of Jerusalem. It’s not like Jesus was trying to hide or get away. He is just a few minutes walk from Jerusalem.

It’s here that olive trees were grown and olives were pressed to make olive oil, but it’s also the place where Jesus would be pressed into a time of struggling unlike anything we have seen Jesus go through.

Matthew 26:36 (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.”

People who don’t understand the concept of TRINITY - One GOD in 3 Persons - might use a text like this to stump you.

I’ve told you the story of an older leader among Jehovah’s Witnesses who came to my house and said, “When Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane…who was he praying to? Himself?” I told him, you don’t understand the concept of Trinity. You think that I am a MODALIST, but I’m not. He asked, “What’s a modalist?” I answered…You have been taught that we believe that Jesus changed MODES - playing different roles. Like: I’m a father to my sons, a husband to my wife, and a friend to you. But I’m ONE person.

God is not ONE PERSON playing different roles: Jesus is NOT the Father. The Father is not the Spirit.

The Father is God. The Son is God. The Spirit is God. ONE GOD - 3 Persons.

So, the answer to the questions is simple. Jesus, God the Son - is praying to God the Father.

We will even see this in the text (v 39).

Once they get into the garden, Jesus pulls out further away from the group, but brings His closest 3 disciples with Him to a more remote area.

Matthew 26:37–38 (NIV) He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

In the gospel of Matthew, we’ve never seen Jesus in this kind of struggle - overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Jesus is wrestling with what is coming.

This is no small burden. Jesus’ strength seems to be sapped; He is crushed and beaten down and He only has one place to turn: He must prayer to his Father.

To begin I want to show you a short video clip from The Passion of the Christ. There are several things I want you to notice in this video:

Jim Caviezel portrays Jesus praying in his native language. Listen for the words ‘Adonai’ meaning Lord, and ‘Abba’ meaning Father.

As Jesus begins to pray, notice that he is praying the Psalms that David wrote where both men had enemies seeking to kill them.

Notice the personification of Satan and the snake as illustrating the temptation for Jesus to disobey the command from God the Father. While the Bible doesn’t say Satan was there, this artistic gloss helps give weight to the tremendous stress Jesus was under.

Be aware of the imagery that reminds us of the passage from Genesis 3:15 where God curses the snake & Satan. Right down the passage (Gen. 3:15) and look it up.

Video: The Passion - Jesus in Gethsemane

The film did a brilliant job of highlighting how sorrowful and troubled Jesus was, overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.

Jesus was truly struggling, asking His friends to pray with him and keep watch, and it’s then that we hear Jesus offer The Most Powerful Prayer I know of in all of Scripture.

Matthew 26:39 (NIV) Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me…”

Jews usually prayed standing and with uplifted hands.

To pray while laying on the ground demonstrated extreme urgency. But it is during this Most Powerful Prayer that we also see extreme intimacy.

Father. Mark’s gospel (Mk 14:36) notes that Jesus used the word Abba, the Aramaic intimate term for father (“Dad” or “Papa”)— a word children would use of their father, but a word never used by Jews addressing God - thinking this to be disrespectful. [1] But I can assure you, when my boys cry out “Dad, help me!” - I do not consider this disrespectful. I welcome those precious words because of our intimate relationship.

This cup is imagery used in the Old Testament referring to God’s wrath being poured out to punish those who defy Him. God had poured out his wrath on enemies

Psalm 75:8 (LSB) For a cup is in the hand of Yahweh, and the wine foams; It is full of His mixture, and He pours from this; Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.

Yahweh had even poured out His wrath on His disobedient people of Israel.

Isaiah 51:22 (NIV) This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: “See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.\

But this cup was about to be poured out on one who didn’t deserve, as the prophecy spoken of 700 years prior was about to be fulfilled.

Isaiah 53:4–6 (NIV) Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

God in skin was about to be beaten, made fun of, & spit upon by His own creation. And within a few short hours, God the Father would lay on him, the iniquity of us all: OUR lies, OUR theft, OUR hateful words, OUR disobedience to authorities, OUR drunkenness & drug abuse, OUR arrogance, OUR sexual impurity. He would bear OUR suffering.

And as THAT hour drew ever closer, the God-Man was distressed, even asking if there was another way.

Without Gethsemane, there would have been no Golgotha…and without Golgotha - where Jesus died on the cross…every person under the sound of my voice is still stained by our sins. But it’s at Gethsemane that Jesus offers The Most Powerful Prayer. It’s not a prayer that moves mountains or heals the sick. But it’s a prayer that God hears & honors.

Matthew 26:39 (NIV) “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Remember, Jesus is ASKING Abba, Father to take away the cup of suffering…but He won’t turn and run if the answer is NO. God the Son TRUSTS God the Father. So when His human will & the Father’s eternal will are about to collide, He chooses to YIELD.

And He offers The Most Powerful Prayer… to paraphrase

YOUR Will above Mine

I want a different option…but if there is none…YOUR Will above Mine. But praying that doesn’t eliminate His distress. Maybe the Father didn’t answer yet…or maybe Jesus needed some encouragement from His disciples. Whatever the reason…

Matthew 26:40–41 (NIV) Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:42 (NIV) He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

Matthew 26:43 (NIV) When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.

Have you ever been in a situation where you need a friend’s hug, a friend’s smile, a friend’s ear or tear…but they don’t feel the weight that you feel - and you feel alone.

Jesus KNOWS what that feels like too. May WE be better friends and help carry one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2), but may we also know that the Lord Jesus KNOWS, understands, & helps us carry the burden.

Matthew 26:44 (NIV) So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

What WAS that?

It was the most powerful prayer ever prayed…

YOUR Will above Mine

Dr. Luke tells us that an angel appeared from heaven to strengthen Him (Lk 22:43). According to Dr. Luke, Jesus “prayed more earnestly” and “in anguish”, and “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Lk 22:44). Jesus would not have been smiling, He is sweating profusely and scared about what He was about to suffer.

Yet still, He prays, “Your will above mine.”

Matthew 26:45–46 (NIV) Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Does this sound like Jesus is RUNNING FROM what is coming? NOPE. If He were, Jesus could have put a lot more distance between him and his enemies than a 15 minute walk. Jesus’ will is aligned with the Father’s will. He has done more than TALK about the Father’s will. He is ready to WALK out the Father’s will.

Jesus is going to LIVE out what His LIPS cried out.

YOUR Will above Mine

What’s all this mean for YOU and ME?

First, you have a KING who STRUGGLED & SUFFERED for YOU! Not just physically, as we will see in the next few weeks, but emotionally & spiritually - Jesus did all this, to honor the Father’s will & to forgive your sin! You are LOVED!!!

Do you really FOLLOW Jesus? Do you really APPRECIATE what He has done for you?

Will you keep living for the stuff that never fully satisfies? OR…will you call on Jesus who went to Gethsemane…and Calvary - because of YOUR sin? Will you dare to offer The Most Powerful Prayer: YOUR Will above Mine!

Second, although Jesus had a task that we could never carry, we too will be faced with times that we cry to God for help. In those moments, will WE dare offer The Most Powerful Prayer?

YOUR Will above Mine

We pray for healing, but what if it doesn’t come on this side of eternity? Do we get angry or do we cry out in anguish: YOUR Will above Mine?

And what happens when our obedience to Jesus is about to cost us something - a relationship, a job, a good time. Do we give in to our desire to be comfortable or do we cry out in TRUST: YOUR Will above Mine!

_____________

James A. Brooks, Mark, vol. 23, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 234.

Discussion Questions

Without Gethsemane, there would have been no Golgotha…and without Golgotha (where Jesus died on the cross)…every person is still stained by our sins. How did today’s study help you see/appreciate the significance of what happened in Gethsemane?

Read Matthew 26:31-38. Why do you think Jesus felt such overwhelming sorrow to the point of death? How does this reflect His humanity & the significance of what Jesus was about to go through?

Read Matthew 26:39, Ps 75:8, & Is 51:22, & Is 53:4-6. What does the "cup" symbolize in the Old Testament, and how does it apply to Jesus in this passage? How does understanding the concept of God’s wrath being poured out on Jesus affect your view of His sacrifice? Point out what this suffering servant (Is 53:4-6) would do for others.

Why is the prayer, "Your will be done," considered the most powerful prayer according to this teaching? How can we apply this prayer in our own lives? Have you ever faced a situation where you had to choose between your will and God's will? How did you respond?

Read Matthew 26:40-46. Why do you think Jesus kept coming back to check on the disciples and how did their falling asleep impact Him? Share about a time when YOU felt alone, like others wouldn’t help you bear the burden you carried. Have YOU ever failed to help the burden of a brother or sister? Read Gal 6:2. How can we better carry one another’s burdens and why is this so important?

How does the fact that Jesus didn’t run from what was coming, but instead embraced the Father’s will, challenge your own approach to difficult situations?

What stood out to you most from this teaching, and why?

How can you make "Your will above mine" a daily practice in your prayer life? How can this teaching help you support and encourage others who are going through difficult times?

How can we pray for/care for one another this week? (Pray for one another.)