Comments on Matthew 26 Matthew 26 covers the same event as Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46, the suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. All three accounts contain unique material. In the Inspired Version/Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew's account was unaltered, Mark's account was altered significantly, and Luke's account has one emendation. The events in the Garden are skipped by John, which normally wouldn't be surprising as John's account rarely synchs with the synoptic Gospels. However, in this case, John 18:1 has them crossing over the Cedron into the Garden, skips the suffering, and 18:2-3 has Judas coming to betray. The blatant omission leaves the reader wondering if it was just that John didn't have anything to add, or was he also a little embarrassed that he slept through such a pivotal event? I'll use Matthew's account as the base version, comparing the others against it. v36 Jesus and the disciples cross over wadi Cedron from the Mount of Olives into the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus then separates himself from the disciples in order to pray in solitude. Matthew's and Mark's accounts are very similar. The IV on Mark is changed considerably: KJV Mark 14:32 IV --- -- And they came to a place And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: which was named Gethsemane, which was a garden; and the disciples began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this be the Messiah. and he And Jesus knowing their hearts, saith to his disciples, said to his disciples, Sit ye here, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. while I shall pray. The IV changes the being "sore amazed, and...very heavy" from Jesus to the disciples. The "very heavy" is better translated "depressed". Luke 22:45 suggests the disciples were sorrowful, but doesn't explicitly tell us what the issue is. The disciples are wondering among themselves if Jesus really is the messiah after all. Now, before we judge them harshly, we need to put things into context. The Jews had a much different perception of the messiah than we do. They saw, and still do see, him very much as a king like David and deliverer like Moses. Prior to this past week Jesus was always avoiding events that smacked of kingship (e.g., John 6). But, just a few days ago the Triumphal Entry occurred and Jesus willingly participated in it and seemingly accepted the people's adulation, then he goes and overthrows the money changers in the Temple, and wraps it up with a confrontation where he silences the Pharisees (cf. Matt. 21). The disciples must have seen this as Jesus finally accepting the role as king of the Jews, and therefore anticipated some kind of popular or miraculous revolution which placed Jesus on the throne of David and them high up in monarchy (hence the discussions about who would be greatest in the kingdom). But, Jesus doesn't do this at all. He is instead back to his old routine of shunning crowds and he keeps up the talk about his imminent demise. The result is the disciples are very much confused by Jesus' actions. Just a few days ago he was seemingly accepting this title "Son of David" and now the whole thing is falling apart as Jesus submits to execution. Is he the messiah or not? To us it is plain, but to be in the midst of it as they were, there are a lot of mixed signals. Hence the confusion. Jesus perceives their confusion and lack of discernment and so excuses himself from them as he goes to pray. v37 When Jesus separates himself from the disciples in general he takes with him the three most devout: Peter, James, and John. The same three who accompanied him on the Mount of Transfiguration (cf. Matt. 17:1). Matthew's and Mark's accounts are very similar, with the IV changing Mark's account: KJV Mark 14:33 IV --- -- And he taketh with him And he taketh with him, Peter and James and John, Peter, and James, and John, and began to be sore amazed, and rebuked them, and to be very heavy; The IV informs us the "sore amazed, and...very heavy" is the disciples, not Jesus, see v. 36 above. Instead, Jesus takes aside the three who apparently should have known better and rebukes them for their lack of discernment and faith. v38 Jesus expresses the depth of the emotion he is experiencing and asks for emotional support from Peter, James, and John. Exactly what Jesus was feeling at this time isn't clear, but it is obviously overwhelming as he himself says he is "sorrowful, even unto death". It is safe to say Jesus is fearful of what he knows is about to happen, depressed over the sins of the world, and sorrowful over what people have to suffer on their own. And, naturally, upset over the lack of support from his own disciples. Luke's account places the first admonition to pray so they may not be tempted here, it is subsequently repeated in all of the accounts. What is the temptation they should be praying to resist? We would assume it is the doubt and fear they are harboring concerning Jesus being messiah. They fail to rise and pray and so fall prey to this temptation. They do not emotionally support him during his suffering in the Garden. They ultimately flee when the soldiers arrive. Peter even denies knowing Jesus. v39 Jesus withdraws yet further still, Luke's account places it a stone's throw off, and overcome with emotion Jesus falls down on the ground onto his face. He pleads with the Father that he might not have to experience what he knows is about to happen, but also submits to the will of the Father if there is no other way. Mark's account is more verbose than Matthew's, and the IV on Mark 14:36 changes the submission of "nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" to "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done" which conforms to Luke's account, suggesting it is the more historically accurate. Luke's account then inserts two verses. An angel from heaven appears and strengthens Jesus, presumably in response to his plea (cf. Luke 22:43). Then, Jesus in agony prays even more earnestly and sweats great drops of blood (cf. Luke 22:44). These two verses in Luke are absent in many of the most ancient Greek manuscripts available to us at present. This leads many Bible scholars to question the reliability of the text, especially since these details are absent from Matthew and Mark. Fortunately for us, the account is corroborated by Mosiah 3:7 and D&C 19:18. Christendom in general does not realize the import of the events transpiring in the Garden of Gethsemane, rather they focus on the crucifixion. Our understanding of these events relies heavily on D&C 19:15-19, and were it not for that revelation we would probably be as nonplused as the rest of them. What is "this cup" Jesus is referring to? The figure of a "cup" comes from the OT. The Lord has two cups in His hands. One cup of salvation for those in His favor (cf. Ps. 23:5, Ps. 116:13), and one cup of wrath and destruction for the wicked (cf. Ps. 11:6, Isa. 51:17, Jer. 25:15, Ezek. 23:33). The cup of wrath is presented as being filled with an intoxicating poisonous brew. This is the cup of the Lord's Judgement, and as Jesus stands as intercessor he must drink that "cup". With regard to what "this cup" entails, we would naturally assume the agony in Gethsemane. But, also included in this would be the subsequent abuse at the hands of the Sanhedrin and Romans, and the crucifixion. Regarding Jesus' bleeding from every pore, it is common in a classroom setting for the question to arise as to Jesus' appearance and physical condition after such a terrible ordeal. First, we do not know how much Jesus bled. We know that he bled from virtually every pore, but what that constitutes we do not know. Also, there was an angel present according to Luke's account, which strengthened Jesus. So the angel could have ministered to him in some medical fashion so as to permit him to sustain such punishment. And, for all we know, the angel might have cleaned him up afterwards so that if his robes were stained red, they were returned to their original condition. Questions such as this really are tangential, and that is why the authors didn't bother to address them. The main point here is the theological import of what has transpired, and tangential matters such as this are approaching irrelevant in comparison. So, in the event such matters are brought up, chalk it up to pure speculation and waste as little time as possible on it. v40 After the first round of praying, Jesus returns to the three and discovers them sleeping after he asked them to keep an eye on him. He wakes Peter and asks him why it is he isn't strong enough to watch with him for even one hour. The LDS edition KJV has a translation footnote clarifying a rather obtuse rendering in the KJV. The CLNT renders Jesus' statement: "Is it thus: you are not strong enough to watch one hour with me?" The "you" in the Greek is a plural pronoun, so while Jesus apparently wakes only Peter, he is addressing all of them in his comment. Luke's account explains why they fell asleep, and the IV makes it even clearer: KJV Luke 22:45 IV --- -- And when he rose up And when he rose up from prayer, from prayer, and was come to his disciples, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping he found them sleeping; for sorrow, for they were filled with sorrow; We are informed in v. 36 the disciples in general were depressed over the lack of fulfilment of their expectations concerning Jesus. Then Jesus takes aside the three lead apostles and rebukes them, which certainly must have made them feel even worse. The result is they are emotionally drained and sorrowful to the point they can't keep from falling asleep. Regarding their falling asleep, recall the events of the Mount of Transfiguration, the same three couldn't keep awake, cf. Luke 9:31-32. If we cross reference this with Isa. 40:28-32 and Isa. 63:2-5, the theological implications becomes more plain. Isa. 40:28-32 draws a contrast between the Lord and man, the Lord never tires and man tires out quickly. Then, if we take a look at Isa. 63:2-5 we see the Lord acting alone, with none beside to assist him. Why are the disciples falling asleep? Because they aren't capable of what Jesus is capable of, thereby leaving him alone to accomplish what needs to be done. Hence Jesus' comment that Peter isn't strong enough. v41 Jesus warns them again to watch and pray or fall into temptation. The IV on Mark's account then presents the disciples as speaking in reply as opposed to Jesus commenting on the spirit and flesh: KJV Mark 14:38 IV --- -- Watch ye and pray, Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. lest ye enter into temptation. And they said unto him, The spirit truly is ready, The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. but the flesh is weak. The disciples, apparently by way of confession, admit their heart is with him but the rest of them just can't do it. v42-44 Jesus returns to praying and makes the second appeal to the Father that the cup might pass (v. 42). He finds the disciples asleep yet again (v. 43), Mark's account has Jesus waking them again and them being speechless over their inability to watch with him. He returns to pray a third time in the same manner (v. 44). Why did Jesus repeat the prayer three times? It is unclear. Perhaps the confirmation came with the third prayer, perhaps the time was simply cut short on prayer number three with the arrival of the Romans. If there was some significance to the threefold repetition one would assume that Luke would have retained that detail. My impression is Matthew and Mark retain it more to exhibit the weakness of the disciples despite Jesus' admonitions than Jesus' fervor. As Luke's account omits the threefold repetition of prayer and supplication to the Father, it is unclear to us how the suffering of bloody sweat and so forth unfolded. Was it only on the first occurrence, was it the last time only, or did it happen each of the three times? We just don't know. v45-46 The KJV on v. 45 is poor as it presents Jesus as telling the disciples to "sleep on now" as though he was telling them to go back to sleep. A better translation, provided by the Concordant Literal NT (CLNT), would be: Again, then, He is coming to the disciples and is saying to them, "Are you drowsing furthermore and resting? For lo! Near is the hour, and the Son of Man is being given up into the hands of sinners- "Rouse! We may be going. Lo! He who is giving me up is near!" Jesus finds the disciples asleep the third time, and this time he wakes them up in preparation of the approaching mob led by Judas. v56 The high priest rends his clothes as a token of his great emotion at Jesus' perceived blasphemy. However, the act is ironic given Joel 2:13. v69-74 Peter's denial was a lot more complicated than just Peter pretending to not know Jesus. To some degree we can attempt to discern his psychology. Here are details worthy of consideration when estimating Peter's character at this point in history: Jesus warned them about taking up swords (Luke 22:36-38), and Peter and the others apparently took this quite literally (Luke 22:49). When the armed contingent came to take Jesus, Peter takes a head shot at the high priest's servant (Matt. 26:51, John 18:10). Jesus then rebukes Peter for the action (Matt. 26:52, John 18:11). Peter at this point has got to be confused and ashamed over the situation. Plus, he instigated mortal combat by taking a headshot at someone. If tried on such a crime he could easily be found guilty of attempted murder or insurrection. Peter and the rest of the disciples are still wondering if Jesus really is the messiah or not. The JST on Mark 14:36-38 makes it clear there were lingering doubts. They and the people in general were anticipating the Son of David, a deliverer like Moses, hence the Triumphal Entry. When things didnt pan out the way they wanted it to the people in general turned on Jesus and even the apostles were wondering what was going on. Peter was chosen by Jesus to take over leadership when Jesus left (Matt. 16:18), and here they were about to execute the present leader of this apparently unsuccesful, and now very unpopular, insurrectionist movement. If Peter were to take over, what would they do to him? The same thing. If the class falls to fault-finding Peter, you as a teacher would be wise to turn the conversation towards "What of Peter do we see in ourselves?" If Peter was upset with Jesus because of unfulfilled expectations, do we do the same? If Peter misinterpreted something Jesus said and then went and put himself in jeopardy by acting impulsively, have we done the same? Are we willing to get involved in something that doesnt look all that popular or succesful from the worldly perspective? Passion Week Chronology Here is the generally accepted chronology of the Passion Week, i.e., the final Passover Week of Jesus' ministry. The events are indexed against Matthew's account with some GJohn inserts: Sunday: Matt. 21:1-11 Monday: Matt. 21:12-17 Tuesday: Matt. 21:20-26:16 Wednesday: No record (some of the Tuesday discourses may be Weds) Thursday: Matt. 26:17-46, John 13-17 Friday: Matt. 26:47-27:61, John 18-19 Saturday: Matt. 27:62-66 Sunday: Matt. 28:1-10, John 20:1-23 Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. 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