What is it about?

GingerBeer said:

Matthew 26:36-46 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me." 39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will." 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "So, couldn't you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done." 43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!"

Why did Jesus pray that way? What is it about?

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He feared the pain of death just as anyone would.

That part of Matthew also serves to illustrate the physical humanity of Jesus to counter the gnostic claim of the time that Jesus existed only as a spirit with no physical body.

Countering the gnostics of the time takes up a goodly portion of the New Testament. The writer of 2 John continued their condemnation by calling them antichrist:

2Jo 1:7 - For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

"In the flesh" is the important part of the warning.

GingerBeer said:

Matthew 26:36-46 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me." 39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will." 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "So, couldn't you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done." 43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!"

Why did Jesus pray that way? What is it about?

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It was the will of the Father Jesus take the cup. That’s the obvious. There has been debate what the cup represents.

Most believe the upcoming suffering and death. Some say yes that but also taking on the sins of mankind. Meaning not only being the sacrificial lamb but the scapegoat. See Leviticus 16 Day of Atonement.

GingerBeer said:

Matthew 26:36-46 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me." 39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will." 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "So, couldn't you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done." 43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!"

Why did Jesus pray that way? What is it about?

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Jesus knew what was going to happen. He was going to be made sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus, just like the Father, absolutely hated sin.
So He prayed that if there was any other way that His mission could be accomplished, He would have liked to have done it that way. But there was no other way for us to be restored to the Father.

GingerBeer said:

Do you think that scape goat and sacrificial lamb ideas were foremost in Jesus' mind as he was praying?

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No that was not my intent to communicate but the heavy burden of both and His sinless nature.

You were not asking me, but I am (and always have been) of the opinion that this explains it--

HTacianas said:

He feared the pain of death just as anyone would.

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Jesus was both God and Man. At times, he seems to us more like one than the other, but at other times it seems that opposite nature is more on display.

GingerBeer said:

Your reply is interesting but do you think that is what Jesus was thinking about as he was praying?

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Yes.
Jesus hated sin.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil.
Anybody who loves God hates evil/sin.
And Jesus loved the Father.
Hebrews 12:1-2 says
Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Father.

The joy that was set before Him was being able to have a relationship with us.
The shame was what He went through, all of it. The beating, being mocked, hanging on a cross, and being made sin.
All our sins were laid on Him. Isaiah 53:6

GingerBeer said:

Matthew 26:36-46 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me." 39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will." 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "So, couldn't you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done." 43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!"

Why did Jesus pray that way? What is it about?

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This is the only words we have of Christ extremely intense pray, so why do we have these words?

He is not saying them in the presence of any group, so that would suggest it was not specific to any group.

It has to be recorded for us to gleam something from it.

One thing we co get from it is: the cup seems to be going to the cross and Jesus personally did not want to go through this agony. Some have said: “Hay, He was just a short time on the cross and afterwards a thrown awaits him so He should be wanting to go”, but we know that is not true from this pray. Jesus is returning to what He had before coming to earth.

We might also reason out of God’s Love and empathy for Christ, God personally would not want Him to go to the cross.

The real question is why do we need to know this and what “other way” (alternative) would even be possible?

I do not go along with the idea I was born a sinner, but remained innocent until I personally did sin, so if I had completed my earthly objective and never sinned than Jesus would not have had to go to the cross for me. But if I could complete my objective another way (without have Christ go to the cross) would I also have provide God/Christ with another way?

God could have looked 2000 years down the corridor of time and seen I had not sinned and thus there was another way and Christ did not have to go to the cross!!! Great!!!

The problem is I did sin, so I personally cause Christ to go to the cross. It is not that Christ is spending time on the cross for everyone who ever lived sins, so my sins caused just a nanosecond of time on the cross, but I am the total reason Christ had to go to the cross, since I personally could have kept it from happening by not sinning. Should I not feel a death blow to my heart like Acts 2:27?

GingerBeer said:

...
Why did Jesus pray that way? What is it about?

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I believe he knew the pain that was going to come, and would like to have avoided it.

GingerBeer said:

"My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.

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I believe the prayer is more an example for us on how to deal with pain and suffering than Jesus thinking and asking God that it could be avoided.

My other thought is that this expresses a thought of the Son of God since before creation where it was determined that Jesus would die for creation.

GingerBeer said:

Do you think that is how it all works, God punishes Jesus on the cross because you did bad things?

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It would be totally wrong for "God punishes Jesus on the cross" and against God's character. God allows wicked people to torture, humiliate and murder Christ, but not punish Him, since Christ has done nothing wrong He cannot be "punished". Christ and God both are allowing this injustice to happen so we (the guilty) can be punished (disciplined really being the same Greek word) and yet still live. We are to be crucified as our discipline for our sins similar to the way God in heaven was crucified while Christ was on the cross out of a Loving empathy for Christ.

GingerBeer said:

That's a confusing reply.

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YES! It is not what you have heard, but has what you have heard been consistent with God, justice, forgiveness and love?
It is always wrong to punish the innocent and let the guilty go free.
Jesus was not punished nor could He be.

bling said:

YES! It is not what you have heard, but has what you have heard been consistent with God, justice, forgiveness and love?
It is always wrong to punish the innocent and let the guilty go free.
Jesus was not punished nor could He be.

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But Jesus did endure torture and punishment. He suffered the death penalty.

bling said:

It would be totally wrong for "God punishes Jesus on the cross" and against God's character. God allows wicked people to torture, humiliate and murder Christ, but not punish Him, since Christ has done nothing wrong He cannot be "punished". Christ and God both are allowing this injustice to happen so we (the guilty) can be punished (disciplined really being the same Greek word) and yet still live. We are to be crucified as our discipline for our sins similar to the way God in heaven was crucified while Christ was on the cross out of a Loving empathy for Christ.

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The wages of sin is death. Who paid the wages of sin for us?

bling said:

It would be totally wrong for "God punishes Jesus on the cross" and against God's character. God allows wicked people to torture, humiliate and murder Christ, but not punish Him, since Christ has done nothing wrong He cannot be "punished". Christ and God both are allowing this injustice to happen so we (the guilty) can be punished (disciplined really being the same Greek word) and yet still live. We are to be crucified as our discipline for our sins similar to the way God in heaven was crucified while Christ was on the cross out of a Loving empathy for Christ.

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I see the 1578 argument by the Unitarian Pelagian, Faustus Socinus, has made a comeback. His De Jesu Christo Servatore (Of Jesus Christ the Saviour).

redleghunter said:

But Jesus did endure torture and punishment. He suffered the death penalty.

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OK, Christ unjustly suffered the same disciplining punishment for sin, but it was not done instead of us. You might do a word study on all the greek words translated "for" in the English.