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Explanation for:
Matthew
26
:
42
Again the second time, he went and prayed, saying: My Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must drink it, thy will be done.
9
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"In His second prayer, He asks that if Nineveh's salvation necessitates the fig tree's withering, then may the Father's will be accomplished. This request aligns with the Son's will, as He expresses through the prophet, ‘I desire to do Thy will, O my God (Psalm 39:9).’"},{"author-name":"Hilarius of Poitiers","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88cb92f12b3278598f946_Hilarius%20of%20Poitiers.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The fact that Jesus, upon His return, finds His disciples asleep, reprimands them once, remains silent during His second visit, and instructs them to rest on the third occasion can be interpreted as follows: first, after His Resurrection, He chastised them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, as those who witnessed His rising did not believe (Mk. 16:14); second, when the Holy Spirit was bestowed, He discovered them in slumber, for their eyes were too heavy to perceive the freedom offered by the gospel—they had been constricted by their attachment to the law for some time, and their faith remained dormant; and third, with His return in radiant glory, He granted them serenity and peace."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Mark recorded that the Savior spoke the same words as He had previously (Mark 14:39). It is likely that He uttered both."},{"author-name":"Philaret (Gumilevski)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c896f4b6fd32caa244b5d7_Philaret%20(Gumilevski).png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The initial occasion the Savior prayed, He pleaded, \\"If it is possible, let this cup pass from me.\\" During the second and third instances, He similarly implored, \\"If this cup cannot pass from me, unless I drink it, let Your will be done.\\" The contrast in His prayers is clear; in the first, there was a stronger yearning to avoid the cup, a deeper desire for self-preservation, and less tranquility of spirit. In the latter prayers, however, there was greater submission to heavenly will, along with a steadier resolve and inner peace. The Apostle Paul affirms that Christ Jesus, having offered prayers with deep cries and tears, was saved from His apprehension (Heb. 5:7). According to St. Luke's account (Luke 22:43), an angel descended from heaven, providing Him with strength. Thus, the outcome of the Gethsemane prayer served to fortify Jesus' human nature for His arduous mission, enabling Him to endure till He accomplished His redemptive task on Golgotha. Oh sinners! Do we often contemplate or ever consider why the Son of God endured agony in the Garden of Gethsemane? How blind and unfeeling we are, clinging to the very sins that caused Him such torment! What anguish and afflictions do we tolerate while overlooking the sufferings of our Savior, who bore our transgressions? Have mercy, have mercy upon us, O boundless Mercy! Through Your trials, we implore You, instill in us a dread of the sins that so filled You with terror; ignite within us a vehement loathing for the depravity of our treacherous hearts. Illuminate our dimmed understanding, so we may perceive the gravity of our sins in light of God’s holiness, and shudder at the dreadful consequences our iniquities prepare for us in the unyielding judgment of Truth. O Son of God! If You, clad in the garments of our sins, are cast down to the ground, deemed unworthy to converse with Your Father, how can my sinful soul, cloaked in the filth of transgressions, presume to remain indifferent before infinite holiness? Even when it confesses its sins to its spiritual father, it remains as cold as stone, as motionless as a lifeless corpse. Oh, the magnitude of our guilt in our indifference before a holy and righteous God. We fail to understand, we fail to grasp what sin signifies for us; we consume wickedness as if it were water; today, as in the past, we are thoughtlessly swept away by the distractions of this sinful world. Lord, send forth Your life-giving Spirit upon our apathetic souls, that they may awaken to heartfelt sorrow for our sin and poverty, and nurture a fervent, sincere expectation of Your all-powerful grace. Amen."},{"author-name":"Jewgenij A. Popow","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Our Lord Jesus Christ, through His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, guides us not to despair when our prayers seem unanswered. History shows that even some of the most esteemed saints faced the silence of heaven; for instance, Moses, who desired to enter the Promised Land but was denied that fulfillment (Deuteronomy 3:26). Similarly, the holy ancestors Joachim and Anna did not witness the realization of their prayers for many years (Chet-Min. under 9 September). Perhaps our prayers lack the fervor we believe they should have, leading us to think they should achieve their purpose on their own. It is also possible that what we see as beneficial may not align with God's plan for us; we may even observe the opposite of what we requested coming to pass. This barren state of our prayers may reveal their true efficacy. It could also be the case that the appointed time for our requests has yet to arrive, or that the Lord, in His divine wisdom, is teaching us to be patient in our supplications, encouraging a deeper commitment to prayer overall. Furthermore, He is preparing for us the gift and grace we have long sought. Often, this preparation occurs at a moment when we have exhausted all human means and hope for assistance. Regardless of how tangible our prayers seem or how noble their intentions may be, supported by the intercession of the Mother of God, remembrance during the proskomidia, or during the liturgy, we must not allow ourselves to become despondent to the point of abandoning our petitions or regretting our faith in them. Our future is beyond our sight: a time will come when many things that seem unclear in our lives will be unveiled. Thus, we echo the sentiment: \\"Not as I will, but as You will\\" (Matthew 26:39)."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Lord withdrew from the disciples once more to pray, saying, ‘MY FATHER! IF THIS CUP CANNOT PASS ME BY WITHOUT MY DRINKING IT, LET YOUR WILL BE DONE!’ Although the essence of the prayer remained constant, a transformation had occurred within the heart of the divine-human being praying. No longer does He directly plead for the alleviation of the suffering cup; the depth of the sacred necessity of the cross is more profound. The prior thought, “all things are possible to Thee,” becomes subdued; instead, His devotion to the divine will is expressed with greater clarity and fervor. His own desires visibly diminish and begin to morph into a complete surrender to the decree of heaven. Never before had the unity of the Godhead and humanity been so evident in Him as in that agonizing moment. It marked the peak of Christ’s profound humility. In this moment, the pure, sinless nature of humanity, embodied in Jesus Christ, willingly submitted to the divine will. The Lord, who, as a mortal, had refrained from accepting the cup of suffering, now embraces it from the hand of the heavenly Father, who does not experience suffering. His profound humility compels Him to return to His friends, seeking solace and support in their prayers; His love is compassionate towards their frailty and cannot overlook them in the midst of His own trials—yet again, He finds them asleep!"},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Having received no solace from His followers, Christ distanced Himself, once more knelt down, and resumed His prayers. However, at this moment, He ceased to plead for the cup of suffering to be taken away and instead chose to humbly submit to the will of His Father. My Father, if this cup cannot pass me by.... Thy will be done."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In a moment of deep anguish, Christ contemplated the daunting task of redemption and cried out to His Father, saying, “Abba Father, all things are possible to Thee; carry this cup past me.” Yet, He quickly surrendered to the will of the One who sent Him, declaring, “but not what I want, but what Thou wilt.” At this critical juncture, the union of His divine and human natures was never more evident. Although His human nature may seem to dominate at first glance, it is important to recognize that this moment marked the pinnacle of Christ's humble submission, as He “humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death” (Phil. 2:8), completely entrusting Himself to the Father as the representative of fallen humanity. The very capacity to submit, His profound communion with the Father regarding His will and counsel, and the ultimate victory of self-denial over human frailty serve as undeniable evidence of His divinity."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"After stepping away from His disciples, the Lord once more addressed the heavenly Father in prayer. Although the prayer's theme remained unchanged, the words conveyed a shift in His human will that had previously recoiled from suffering and death, now fully surrendering in perfect obedience to the Divine purpose: My Father, if this cup cannot pass from me unless I drink it, Thy will be done!"}]}
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