Unidentified artist (Flemish, 17th century). The Taking of Christ. Circa 1620. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Public domain, https://collections.mfa.org/download/34311.
Tom Faletti
September 17, 2025
Matthew 26:36-46 The agony in the garden of Gethsemane
They left the city after singing a hymn (v. 30). In the seder, Psalms 115-118 were sung after the meal. They walked out, across the Kidron Valley, to the Mount of Olives. There, they go to a garden known as the garden of Gethsemane. “Gethsemane” means “oil press,” so perhaps there was an oil press there for gathering oil from the olive trees that grew on the Mount of Olives.
Jesus decides to go away from the big group to pray by himself. Who does he ask to come with him?
How does Jesus feel?
What is Jesus’s first prayer (v. 39)?
What is Jesus’s second prayer (v. 42)?
How is the second prayer different from the first?
The first prayer is more focused on the possibility that “this” might be avoided; the second prayer is more focused on how to deal with it. The first prayer suggests the possibility that Jesus’s desire might conflict with the Father’s will; the second prayer is focused entirely on doing the Father’s will.
How can Jesus’s prayer be a model for us when we are facing difficult circumstances?
Jesus knows (vv. 45-46) that his betrayal is about to be put into action. How would you describe his state of mind?
How do you think God feels about the difficulties you encounter? What is his state of mind as you face difficult circumstances?
What does this time in the garden of Gethsemane tell you about your relationship with God? What is Jesus inviting you to do?
Matthew 26:47-56 Jesus is arrested, the disciples resist and then desert him
Judas’s act of betrayal involved telling the chief priests where they could find Jesus away from the crowds, in order to arrest him without enraging a crowd.
How does Judas greet Jesus?
How does Jesus greet Judas?
What does it tell you about Jesus, that even in the act of being betrayed, he calls Judas “Friend”?
In verse 51, how does one of Jesus’s disciples respond?
John 18:10 tells us that this disciple was Peter. Considering that Judas came with a crowd armed with swords and clubs, what does this tell you about Peter?
How does Jesus respond in verse 52?
What does “those who take up the sword die by the sword” mean to you?
How might that statement guide you in your life?
What does Jesus say about angels in verse 53?
In verse 54, Jesus says that the Scriptures say it must happen this way. What does that mean to you?
In verse 55, Jesus gets a bit testy with the crowd regarding their method of arresting him. What is he implying about their motives?
In verse 56, Jesus repeats that all that is happening is fulfilling the Scriptures. How does it affect your faith, knowing that parts of the Old Testament gave witness to what would happen to Jesus even though the Old Testament authors did not comprehend the fullness of what they were writing?
Jesus sees these specific events in his life as part of a bigger picture, the bigger story arc of his life. What can you do to keep in mind the bigger picture of your life when you are facing difficult circumstances?
Matthew ends this section by noting that at this point the disciples fled. Jesus has just made it clear that he is not going to resist what is coming. Can you stick with Jesus in your life even in times where God is not going to protect you from suffering or illness or rejection or death? What will you need to do in order to be ready to stick with him, and not run away, when the difficult times come?
Take a step back and consider this:
It is amazing to think that God guided a variety of prophets over a period of centuries to write down things that had meanings they could not have fully comprehend. Often, they wrote things about their own times that could be seen later as also applying to Jesus. Other times, they wrote things that were directly prophetic in nature, but they had no idea when, how, or through whom those things would come to pass.
Yet God honored their unique voices and free will in those books. He did not just turn off their brains, put them in a trance, and dictate words to them. We hear the voices of the authors in the Word of God, even while we hear the Author behind them.
God also allows us to make free decisions about what we say and do, and yet when we allow ourselves to be guided by him, he does things that may have implications and impacts we never dreamed of.
Where have you seen the hand of God in your own life, guiding you in your present to bring you to your future without dictating your decisions for you?
Does this make it easier for you to trust God about your future? Explain.
Bibliography
See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography.
Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this.