“Not My Will, But Yours Be Done”

The Gethsemane Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony, was built in 1924 at the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane. Inside the church is a rock, now enclosed by a wrought-iron crown of thorns, said to be where Christ prayed on the night before His crucifixion. The church’s ceiling domes suggest a night sky—blue with stars, accompanied by olive branches to evoke the garden.

The Garden of Gethsemane lay on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, one of Jesus’ favorite places (note “as usual” in v. 39). The Mount of Olives, a long ridge east of Jerusalem, stood some 100 to 200 feet higher than the city itself and provided a good view of Jerusalem. Not surprisingly, it had many olive trees growing there. The name Gethsemane means “olive press” or “oil press.”

The focus of today’s reading is Jesus’ prayer: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (v. 42). The “cup” was the cup of God’s wrath and the suffering for sin that Jesus was about to undergo. He was perfectly submitted to His Father’s will, but He also needed to pray in order to remain perfectly submitted. The struggle was real, for an angel was sent to strengthen Him and “His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (vv. 43–44). He had invited His disciples to pray with Him, but they had been too sad and tired to do so.

Prayer here includes watchfulness, a way to stay on guard spiritually. Jesus was tempted to resist His Father’s will. His disciples’ faith was tempted to falter in the face of crisis (vv. 40, 46). The response to both temptations: “Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Col. 4:2).

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BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He is the author of On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.