He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.’ [[ Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.]] When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’I have a thing for parenthetical statements. I believe if you have something to say, just say it (no really, I do). So imagine my curiosity when noticing the parenthesis in this passage. Actually, what we have here is more than a parenthesis, it's a double bracket. [[Gasp]]
I just had to see why this phrase was bracketed and what I discovered is one of those discrepancies the bible has within it. Apparently the phrase about the angels from heaven appearing and drops of sweat like blood were either added to some ancient texts or removed from others. After pondering this fact I am suddenly relieved to know that in his toughest hour, in the time that Jesus was going to be arrested, questioned in a trial, and put to death, that when the bracketed phrase is removed Jesus is actually shown to be fully human.
Isn't it when we're in our toughest times, when it seems like there's nothing we can do to get us out of the predicament we're in, when it looks like our lives will be forever changed, and if we don't make the right decision that we feel the most isolated? This is how I now see Jesus as he kneels on the Mount of Olives and prays to his God to get him through whatever is coming; a man suffering alone and reaching out for some kind of help.
We've all been there, and we all understand that nothing except facing our fears head on will get us through that time. If we remove the bracketed phrase we can still understand that it's through prayer and our unique relationship with God that our spirits are strengthened in order that we may face even our biggest trials.
Remove the brackets in your life and pray; albeit in the way you feel most comfortable. Pray for guidance when we need it most. Pray for guidance when we need it least. Pray for guidance in the hearts of everyone around you. It'll help us, them, and you get through tough times.
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