2:43,44
Matthew and Mark tell of angels helping Jesus after His temptation (Matt 4:11; Mark 14:36), Luke is the only writer to mention this incident. So notice first of all that an angel did come to help. In Acts an angel came to help Peter when he was in prison. Now notice how this angel helped. He did not set Jesus free, but strengthened Him to enable Him to carry out the task that lay ahead. And the helping of the angel did not make the task any easier, rather He gave Him the strength to see it through. It lead to Jesus praying more earnestly, “Sweat like drops of blood” could either just be the size of the drops of sweat, or there may actually have been blood mingled in. Whatever the case, these are real events, genuinely experienced by the Lord.
2:45,46
As we know, the disciples were asleep, unable to keep watch, either physically or in prayer. Luke tells us that they were exhausted with sorrow. Although they did not really understand what was going on, they knew something big and traumatic was about to happen. They were wrapped up in their own feelings, with no strength left to be concerned for Jesus. This is a very human reaction. One of the many amazing things about the Easter events is that even in the midst of the most terrible events Jesus still had active concern for others: His disciples, His mother, the thief at His side. Jesus told them again to pray so as to avoid falling into temptation. So prayer is a valuable weapon in our battle against temptation.
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