Today's main idea: Jesus knows his disciples will fail him, yet he gives himself for the forgiveness of sins. In his sorrow, prayer, and willing obedience, we see the Savior we can trust with both our sin and our weakness.
Read Slowly
Main reading: Matthew 26:17–56
Follow Jesus from the Passover table to Gethsemane and then to his arrest. Notice what he gives, what he knows, what he asks of the Father, and what he chooses when his disciples fail.
In Day 25, Jesus called his followers to watch and pray through coming trouble. Today we hear that call in a garden, where Jesus himself prays in deep distress. We see what dependence on the Father looks like when obedience is costly.
Jesus Knows the Betrayal Before It Happens
The disciples ask where they should prepare the Passover meal. This meal remembers God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Jesus directs them to a house in the city and says that his time is near. They do as he tells them.
During the meal, Jesus announces that one of the Twelve will betray him. They become deeply sorrowful and begin asking whether he means them. The betrayal will come from someone close enough to share his food.
Jesus says that the Son of Man will go as Scripture has written, and he pronounces a terrible judgment on the betrayer. God's saving purpose is moving forward, and Judas remains responsible for his betrayal. Jesus' severe words show how seriously he takes this evil.
When Judas asks whether Jesus means him, Jesus confirms it. Judas can conceal his purpose from the others, but Jesus knows what he is doing.
This scene invites us to come honestly before Jesus. Being familiar with him, knowing religious language, or sharing life with his people cannot make a hidden wrong harmless. When we know we are choosing something sinful, we can acknowledge it, turn from it, and ask for his mercy.
Remember: Because Jesus knows what I hide, the faithful response is to come to him honestly and turn from sin.
Jesus Explains Why He Will Give His Life
Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples. He identifies it as his body and tells them to eat. He then gives thanks over a cup and tells them all to drink. He calls it his blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Before the disciples witness his death, Jesus tells them what it will accomplish. His life will be given so that sins can be forgiven. At a meal remembering God's deliverance, he places his own approaching sacrifice at the center.
A covenant is a binding relationship established by God through his promises and commitments. In Exodus 24:8, Moses uses the words “blood of the covenant” when God's covenant with Israel is confirmed. Jesus now speaks of his own blood in those terms.1
This also connects with Jeremiah 31:31–34, where God promises a new covenant, his law written on people's hearts, and forgiveness of their sins. The forgiveness Jesus announces belongs to this great promise of restored relationship with God.
Look at the people receiving the meal. These are disciples whose courage will soon fail. Stanley Saunders draws attention to the mercy of Jesus giving this meal within a community already coming apart.2 Their need for forgiveness is about to become painfully clear, and Jesus has already told them where forgiveness comes from.
He also promises to drink with them again in his Father's kingdom. The meal looks toward both his death and a future shared with him. After singing a hymn, they leave for the Mount of Olives.
For us, receiving this mercy means admitting our need and trusting what Jesus has given for us. We can confess a specific sin without trying to make ourselves look better first. Gratitude for costly forgiveness can then shape how we treat another person who needs mercy.
Remember: My hope for forgiveness rests on the life Jesus gives, and receiving his mercy teaches me to show mercy.
Jesus Sees Beyond His Disciples' Failure
Jesus tells the disciples that all of them will fall away that night. He quotes Zechariah 13:7, where the shepherd is struck and the sheep scatter. He identifies himself as that shepherd and prepares them for what his arrest will reveal about their weakness.
Then comes a promise that is easy to hurry past: after he is raised, he will go ahead of them to Galilee. Before their failure happens, Jesus speaks about a meeting beyond it. The struck Shepherd will live again, and he still speaks of leading his disciples.
Peter responds by insisting that he will remain faithful even if everyone else falls away. Jesus tells him that he will deny him three times before the rooster crows. Peter insists that he is ready to die with Jesus, and the other disciples make the same promise.
Their confidence cannot change what Jesus knows. Peter compares himself favorably with the others, yet he needs the warning just as much as they do. Greg Carey points out how the group's confident promises give way to shared abandonment when the crisis arrives.3
There is wisdom here for us. We can take our desire to follow Jesus seriously while admitting that we need help to do it. A temptation we think we would never give in to deserves honest attention. We can listen when Jesus corrects us and ask for strength before the difficult moment comes.
His promise also gives a failing disciple somewhere to turn. The Jesus who knows our weakness is the same Jesus who speaks of life and fellowship beyond it.
Remember: Jesus knows my weakness better than I do, so I can receive his warning and depend on his mercy.
Jesus Brings His Deepest Sorrow to the Father
In Gethsemane, Jesus takes Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him. He becomes sorrowful and troubled and tells them that his sorrow is overwhelming. He asks them to remain with him and keep watch.
Jesus then goes a little farther, falls on his face, and prays. He asks his Father whether the cup can pass from him, while yielding himself to the Father's will. His distress is real, and his trust is real. He brings his desire for relief into the relationship in which he will obey.
The cup describes the suffering ahead. It also recalls the cup of God's wrath in Isaiah 51:17, an image of God's judgment against sin. Read alongside Jesus' words about giving his blood for forgiveness, the garden shows the weight of what he is accepting for sinners. Douglas Sean O'Donnell develops this connection between the cup and the judgment Jesus bears.4
The table and garden illuminate each other. Jesus gives his disciples a cup that speaks of forgiveness; he accepts the suffering through which that forgiveness will come. Knowing him means seeing the cost of his love as well as receiving its benefit.
Jesus returns to prayer three times. In his second prayer, he accepts that if the cup can pass only by his drinking it, the Father's will should be done. He continues to address God as his Father while facing what is most painful.
For us, his prayer gives permission to speak honestly about what we dread. We can ask for relief and still entrust ourselves to God. A hard conversation, a costly act of obedience, or a season of grief can become the subject of repeated, honest prayer.
Remember: I can tell the Father what hurts and ask for relief while trusting him with the obedience before me.
Jesus Teaches Willing Disciples to Depend on God
Between his prayers, Jesus returns and finds the disciples sleeping. He asks Peter why they could not keep watch with him for one hour. He tells them to watch and pray so that they will not enter into temptation.
His words about a willing spirit and weak flesh describe the gap between their intentions and their strength. They have promised to die with him, but they cannot stay awake with him. Jesus knows that good intentions need the support of prayerful dependence.
The scene places two responses to the coming trial side by side. Jesus repeatedly turns to the Father. The disciples repeatedly fall asleep. He has told them how to prepare for temptation, and they are failing to respond.
We can recognize this gap in ordinary life. We may intend to be patient but become harsh when tired. We may plan to tell the truth but become evasive when honesty feels costly. Jesus calls us to notice where we are vulnerable and seek God's help there.
Watchfulness means paying attention to the temptation in front of us. Prayer means admitting that we need God's help to meet it faithfully. Together they turn a general intention into active dependence.
Remember: Wanting to follow Jesus is a reason to pray for help, especially where I am most likely to fail.
Jesus Freely Chooses the Path That Saves
Judas arrives with an armed crowd sent by the chief priests and elders. He identifies Jesus with a kiss. A gesture of closeness becomes the signal for betrayal, and the crowd seizes Jesus.
One of those with Jesus draws a sword and cuts off the high priest's servant's ear. Jesus commands him to put it away and warns that those who take the sword will perish by it. In the parallel account, Luke 22:49–51, Jesus also touches the man's ear and heals him. Even while being arrested, he shows mercy to someone injured by his follower.
Jesus says that he could ask the Father for more than twelve legions of angels. A legion is a large military force; his point is that overwhelming help is available. He willingly accepts arrest because the Scriptures must be fulfilled.
The garden prayer now becomes visible in action. Jesus has entrusted himself to the Father's will, and he continues in that obedience when escape is within his power. He also challenges the crowd's conduct: he had taught openly in the temple, yet they have come armed as though capturing a robber.
Then all the disciples leave him and flee. Their promises fail, while Jesus continues toward the death he has described as being for the forgiveness of sins. The Savior's faithfulness carries the story forward.
For us, this calls for more than enthusiasm about defending Jesus. We need to follow his direction and learn his treatment of people. In a tense disagreement, we can refuse a cruel response, speak truthfully, and choose the mercy our Lord shows.
Remember: Following Jesus means trusting his way enough to obey him when fear pushes me toward control or retaliation.
What We Learn About Jesus
Jesus knowingly gives himself for the forgiveness of sins. He explains his approaching death as the sacrifice that brings people into covenant relationship with God, and he promises future fellowship in his Father's kingdom.
He knows the weakness of those who follow him. He warns them, calls them to prayer, and speaks of meeting them after his resurrection. His mercy is joined to an honest account of their failure.
He experiences deep sorrow and brings it to his Father. His obedience is willing and costly. When the moment of arrest arrives, he refuses a violent rescue and continues in the saving purpose of God.
How the Reading Fits Together
The table explains the garden and the arrest. Jesus' body and blood will be given for forgiveness; the scenes that follow show him willingly walking toward that sacrifice.
Two kinds of promises run through the passage. The disciples promise that they will remain faithful, and those promises fail. Jesus promises forgiveness, resurrection, and future fellowship, and he continues toward their fulfillment even as the disciples leave him.
Prayer connects intention with obedience. Jesus brings his sorrow to the Father and then faces his betrayer. The disciples' willingness gives way under pressure, showing why they need the prayer he commands.
The passage therefore calls us to both receive and respond. We receive forgiveness from the Savior who gives himself for us. We respond by coming honestly, taking his warnings seriously, and asking for help to follow him.
Take a Moment with Jesus
- What sin do I need to confess plainly, trusting the forgiveness Jesus gives rather than protecting how I appear?
- What painful situation can I bring to the Father with both an honest request for relief and a willingness to obey him?
- Where am I relying on strong intentions while neglecting Jesus' call to watch and pray?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for giving yourself for the forgiveness of my sins. You know where my intentions are stronger than my obedience. Forgive me, teach me to receive your warnings, and help me depend on you. As I face what is difficult, help me speak honestly to the Father and follow his will. Let your mercy shape the way I treat people today. Amen.
One Thing to Do
Name one situation today where you are likely to react out of fear, anger, or self-protection. Before entering it, take five quiet minutes to pray. Tell the Father what you want, ask for help to obey Jesus, and choose one specific faithful response, such as answering honestly or speaking without a cutting remark.
Carry This with You
Jesus gives himself for people whose strength fails. I can come to him honestly, receive his mercy, and ask for help to follow him today.
Sources Consulted
Source citations
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Stanley Saunders, Commentary on the Last Supper, Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, April 18, 2019. On the connection between Jesus' covenant language and Exodus, and the meal's setting amid betrayal and promised restoration. ↩
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Saunders, same commentary. On Jesus sharing the meal with disciples whose fellowship is breaking apart. ↩
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Greg Carey, Commentary on Matthew's passion narrative, Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, April 2, 2023. On the disciples' shared failure, their inability to watch, and their flight at Jesus' arrest. ↩
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Douglas Sean O'Donnell, Matthew commentary, The Gospel Coalition, section “Go to Gethsemane.” On the cup as the suffering and divine judgment Jesus accepts in obedience to the Father. ↩
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