Matthew 26:42Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

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).’

Mark recorded that the Savior spoke the same words as He had previously (Mark 14:39). It is likely that He uttered both.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!