39 And having gone forth, he went on, according to custom, to the mount of the Olives, and his disciples also followed him, 40 and having come to the place, he said to them, 'Pray ye not to enter into temptation.' 41 And he was withdrawn from them, as it were a stone's cast, and having fallen on the knees he was praying, 42 saying, 'Father, if Thou be counselling to make this cup pass from me—; but, not my will, but Thine be done.'— 43 And there appeared to him a messenger from heaven strengthening him; 44 and having been in agony, he was more earnestly praying, and his sweat became, as it were, great drops of blood falling upon the ground. 45 And having risen up from the prayer, having come unto the disciples, he found them sleeping from the sorrow, 46 and he said to them, 'Why do ye sleep? having risen, pray that ye may not enter into temptation.'
47 And while he is speaking, lo, a multitude, and he who is called Judas, one of the twelve, was coming before them, and he came nigh to Jesus to kiss him, 48 and Jesus said to him, 'Judas, with a kiss the Son of Man dost thou deliver up?' 49 And those about him, having seen what was about to be, said to him, 'Sir, shall we smite with a sword?' 50 And a certain one of them smote the servant of the chief priest, and took off his right ear, 51 and Jesus answering said, 'Suffer ye thus far,' and having touched his ear, he healed him. 52 And Jesus said to those having come upon him—chief priests, and magistrates of the temple, and elders—'As upon a robber have ye come forth, with swords and sticks? 53 while daily I was with you in the temple, ye did stretch forth no hands against me; but this is your hour and the power of the darkness.'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Luke 22:39-53
Commentary on Luke 22:39-46
(Read Luke 22:39-46)
Every description which the evangelists give of the state of mind in which our Lord entered upon this conflict, proves the tremendous nature of the assault, and the perfect foreknowledge of its terrors possessed by the meek and lowly Jesus. Here are three things not in the other evangelists. 1. When Christ was in his agony, there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. It was a part of his humiliation that he was thus strengthened by a ministering spirit. 2. Being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Prayer, though never out of season, is in a special manner seasonable when we are in an agony. 3. In this agony his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down. This showed the travail of his soul. We should pray also to be enabled to resist unto the shedding of our blood, striving against sin, if ever called to it. When next you dwell in imagination upon the delights of some favourite sin, think of its effects as you behold them here! See its fearful effects in the garden of Gethsemane, and desire, by the help of God, deeply to hate and to forsake that enemy, to ransom sinners from whom the Redeemer prayed, agonized, and bled.
Commentary on Luke 22:47-53
(Read Luke 22:47-53)
Nothing can be a greater affront or grief to the Lord Jesus, than to be betrayed by those who profess to be his followers, and say that they love him. Many instances there are, of Christ's being betrayed by those who, under the form of godliness, fight against the power of it. Jesus here gave an illustrious example of his own rule of doing good to those that hate us, as afterwards he did of praying for those that despitefully use us. Corrupt nature warps our conduct to extremes; we should seek for the Lord's direction before we act in difficult circumstances. Christ was willing to wait for his triumphs till his warfare was accomplished, and we must be so too. But the hour and the power of darkness were short, and such the triumphs of the wicked always will be.