The Son of God in Deep Distress (Matthew 26:36-46).

Class Outline:

Thursday February 19, 2026

 

Gethsemane literally means oil press. 

 

MAT 26:36-41

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."  37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me."

 

39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."  40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?  41 "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

 

He tells 8 disciples to remain and three to follow. These are the same words Abraham spoke to his servants on a hill near here as he took only Isaac farther for the sacrifice of his beloved son. 

 

GEN 22:5

And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder.

 

Glory and suffering:

 

All three also saw Jesus’ glory on the Mt. of transfiguration. 

 

It is as if Jesus wanted his innermost core of disciples present at the two main displays of His deity in Transfiguration and His humanity in Gethsemane.

 

Glory is more appealing to the human soul than suffering. We have a hard time seeing glory in suffering.

 

The role of the disciples in the passion narrative is to represent us all.

 

Prayer in turmoil:

 

Gethsemane also teaches that some of Jesus’ inner turmoil was resolved here. In suffering, much depends on how a person decides to face the suffering.

 

Once a position is discovered as the will of God, one can sometimes handle what comes with more poise (JAM 1:2). 

 

Jesus is God. Why does He find prayer so necessary? The divinity of the Son of God chose to share in humanity completely.

 

And prayer worked. He was moved from excessive grief and distress to absolute poise.

 

The true humanity of Christ blazes forth in Gethsemane. 

 

MAT 26:37

and began to be grieved and distressed.

 

“grieved” (lupeo): sorrowful, grieve, pain, distress, depression. 

 

“distressed” (ademoneo) = be in anxiety, distressed, troubled.

 

Christians generally do not like looking at their Lord like this. Their rejection of it is understandable, but there is no reason to alter it.

 

The word “began” is here, and it is because this is where His passion really began. His hour had come.

 

Mark uses the word for shock or astonishment instead of grief, meaning that something like horror had come over Him. 

 

MAR 14:33

began to be very distressed [ekthambeo: to throw into terror (Vine’s)] and troubled

 

He would bear this terror and distress because everything He was doing was for us.

 

ISA 53:12

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,

And He will divide the booty with the strong;

Because He poured out Himself to death,

And was numbered with the transgressors;

Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,

And interceded for the transgressors.

 

ISA 61:3

To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a garland instead of ashes,

The oil of gladness instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. 

 

Not all sorrow, depression, anxiety, angst, distress is a sin.

 

Salvation from the love of God:

 

These few hours in Gethsemane say so much about His love for the Father, His love for us, and so much about how they come directly from His humanity. 

 

If He is not true humanity, He cannot be our Mediator. Take His humanity away and you take away humanity’s salvation. 

 

The emotions in Gethsemane do not shame His humanity, they prove it; they tell us that Jesus drank our cup to empty, that He really was one of us. 

 

The Holy Spirit had the gospel writers record the words that made plain that the Son of God was crushed emotionally, that He sought the company of His friends, and that He found the power to push away despair and grab on to hope through the power of prayer. 

 

How can you not love that?

 

The Lord experienced the limit of human emotion:

 

Jesus Christ knows exactly what you go through at your physical and emotional limits because He experienced His own. 

 

HEB 2:14-18

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

 

HEB 4:14-16

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

HEB 5:7-9

In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. 8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

 

Conclusion:

 

Mourning, distress, sorrow are necessary. They are not the only thing. The paradox of Christianity is that you experience then at the right season and joy at another season.

 

Don’t seek to diminish them (paganism). Don’t seek one and not the other (dualism).

 

Chesterton’s definition of Christianity:

“A superhuman paradox whereby two opposite passions may blaze beside each other.”

 

You need to behold the Lord in all His weakness. Don’t change it like some want to. Don’t add to it. Don’t even try to make all sense of it. Just look at Him there.

 

Matthew wrote this in a way that is designed to have you join them in that Garden.