Study 52. Luke 22:35-53
1. Explain Jesus' prayer in 22:42. What does it reveal about Him? Jesus had a human will. Jesus willingly, freely, consented to death, unlike the sacrifical animals of the OT with no say in the matter. He had a choice. We, too can choose to be obedient to do the will of the Father when we are faced with difficult choices. The 'cup' speaks of suffering and God's wrath (cf. Ps. 11:6; Isa. 51:17; Ezek. 23:33) The custom of the time was to pray standing with the eyes raised to heaven (cf. 18:11, 13), but here Jesus knelt down. He 'fell on his face' (Mt 26:39). The word 'agony' (Gk agonia ) is found here only in the New Testament. Jesus not only faced death, but the bearing of sin (2 Cor. 5:21) and abandonment by His Father (Mark 14:34) . The bloody sweat may or may not be literal . Luke tells us that he first instructed the disciples to pray, 'that you may not enter into temptation'. This last word may mean temptation to sin, or, as some take it