Part of the Gospel of Luke Bible study. Read it with the Luke 22 summary and outline.
The Mount of Olives was a place Jesus knew well. He had ridden down it on Palm Sunday, taught on it about the end of the age, and slept there each night of his last week. But in Luke 22:39–46, the familiar place becomes the scene of his deepest anguish. This is Luke's account of the night Jesus prayed in the place the other Gospels call Gethsemane.
Quick Answer & Summary
In Luke 22:39–46, Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives after the Last Supper, "as was his custom." He tells his disciples, "Pray that you may not come into the time of trial," then withdraws about a stone's throw, kneels, and prays: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done" (22:42). An angel strengthens him, and in his anguish his sweat becomes "like great drops of blood." He returns to find the disciples "sleeping because of grief" and urges them again to pray. Moments later, Judas arrives.
One a place of prayer and solace, the Mount of Olives becomes a place of treachery and denial.
Teaching on Luke 22:39–46
The point of this passage is simple: in the hour of trial, Jesus prays, and he calls his followers to pray with him. Luke frames the scene with the same command at the beginning and the end (22:40, 46). Between those bookends, Jesus shows what that prayer looks like.
Three ideas carry the teaching:
Prayer is how Jesus faces the trial. Luke's Jesus prays at every turning point, from his baptism to the cross. Here, praying is not a prelude to obedience; it is the place where obedience is won.
Honest prayer and surrender belong together. Jesus asks for the cup to be removed and accepts the Father's will in the same sentence.
God strengthens without always removing. The angel does not take the cup away. Jesus is given strength to drink it.
Luke 22:39–46 at a Glance
| Where | The Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem; Matthew and Mark name the spot Gethsemane |
| When | Thursday night of Holy Week, right after the Last Supper |
| Who | Jesus, the eleven disciples, and an angel from heaven |
| Key verse | "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done." (22:42) |
| Frame | "Pray that you may not come into the time of trial" (22:40 and 22:46) |
| Only in Luke | The angel, the sweat "like great drops of blood," and the disciples "sleeping because of grief" |
| Before | Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial and the Two Swords (Luke 22:35–38) |
| After | Jesus' Arrest and Judas' Betrayal (Luke 22:47–53) |
| Parallels | Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; compare John 18:1–11 |
Luke 22:39–46 Verse by Verse
"As Was His Custom" (Luke 22:39)
"He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him."
Jesus leaves the upper room and goes where he has gone every night that week. Luke has already told us that "at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives" (21:37). Because it was his custom, Judas knew exactly where to find him. Jesus does not hide. His steps toward the Mount of Olives are steps toward the cross, taken willingly.
The place carries history. When King David fled Jerusalem during Absalom's revolt, he went "up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went" (2 Samuel 15:30). Both David and the Son of David climb this hill in sorrow, betrayed by someone close. What had been a place of rest now becomes a place of anguish. See 6 Mountains in the Bible.
"Pray That You May Not Come into the Time of Trial" (Luke 22:40)
"When he reached the place, he said to them, 'Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.'"
These are almost the exact words Jesus taught his disciples in the Lord's Prayer: "And do not bring us to the time of trial" (Luke 11:4). Now the time of trial has come. See Jesus Teaches the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1–13).
There is another echo. After Jesus resisted temptation in the wilderness, Luke says the devil "departed from him until an opportune time" (4:13). Earlier in this chapter, Luke tells us "Satan entered into Judas" (22:3), and Jesus has just warned Peter that "Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat" (22:31). The opportune time has arrived. See The Temptation of Jesus (Luke 4:1–13). Jesus' first concern is not for himself but for his friends. He knows their faith is about to be shaken, and his command to pray is an act of grace.
A Stone's Throw (Luke 22:41)
"Then he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, knelt down, and prayed."
Jesus goes far enough to be alone, but close enough to be heard. Luke says he "knelt," where Matthew and Mark say he fell on his face. Jews of Jesus' day usually prayed standing, as in the regular prayers said each day. Kneeling marks the urgency of this moment. Luke will use the same posture for Stephen (Acts 7:60) and for Paul (Acts 20:36), as if the church learned to pray this way from Jesus in the garden.
His solitude matters too. His friends are a stone's throw away, but he faces this alone. It is the first step of the isolation he will feel on the cross.
"Not My Will but Yours" (Luke 22:42)
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done."
This is one of the most important prayers in Scripture. In the Old Testament, the "cup" is often the cup of God's judgment (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17). Jesus, fully human, asks to be spared what lies ahead. Then he surrenders: "not my will but yours be done."
The prayer begins with "Father," the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray (Luke 11:2). Even in agony, he trusts God as Father. Mark's account keeps the Aramaic word, Abba.
By submitting to the Father, Jesus begins to undo what went wrong in the first garden. Adam reached for his own will and brought death. Jesus yields his will and brings life. Read more in Jesus the Second Adam: How Gethsemane Reverses the Fall of Eden.
An Angel from Heaven (Luke 22:43)
"Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength."
God does not remove the suffering. God gives strength to endure it. Matthew and Mark say angels waited on Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:11; Mark 1:13); Luke places the angel here, at the second great trial. Divine help does not always come as escape. Sometimes it comes as strength to keep going.
Luke's angels mark the great turning points of Jesus' story: Gabriel at the announcements of John and Jesus (1:11, 26), the angels over the shepherds (2:9–14), and the two figures at the empty tomb (24:4). Here an angel stands at the threshold of the cross.
"Like Great Drops of Blood" (Luke 22:44)
"In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground."
The Greek word for "anguish" is agonia, which gives us "agony." It was used of the strain before a contest. Notice that Jesus' anguish leads him to pray "more earnestly," not less.
Luke says the sweat was "like" drops of blood, which may describe how heavily and darkly he sweated. Some doctors point to a rare condition called hematidrosis, in which extreme stress causes tiny blood vessels near the sweat glands to rupture. Either way, Luke wants us to see the depth of what Jesus endured. The crushing that Isaiah 53:10 describes has already begun.
"Sleeping Because of Grief" (Luke 22:45)
"When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief."
Only Luke gives a reason for the disciples' sleep: grief. Luke is gentler with them than Mark is. Their sorrow is real, and exhaustion is what sorrow often does to a body. But it leaves them unready. In a few hours, Peter will deny Jesus three times in the courtyard (22:54–62). See Peter Denies Jesus (Luke 22:54–62).
"Get Up and Pray" (Luke 22:46)
"And he said to them, 'Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.'"
Jesus repeats his first command. The scene ends where it began. The time for preparation is almost gone. "While he was still speaking," the next verse says, the crowd arrives with Judas at its head (22:47).
Often we are unaware of how quickly the world is changing, or of the momentum of evil, until it is right in front of us. Jesus' call to pray is a call to be ready before that moment comes.
What Luke Adds to the Story
Matthew and Mark tell this story at greater length, with Jesus returning three times to find the disciples asleep. Luke's version is shorter and more focused, and it adds details no other Gospel has.
| Luke 22:39–46 | Mark 14:32–42 | Matthew 26:36–46 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The place | The Mount of Olives, "as was his custom" | "A place called Gethsemane" | "A place called Gethsemane" |
| Who goes farther in | All the disciples, at a stone's throw | Peter, James, and John | Peter, James, and John |
| Jesus' posture | Kneels | Throws himself on the ground | Falls on his face |
| The prayer | "Father, if you are willing..." | "Abba, Father... remove this cup" | "My Father, if it is possible..." |
| How many times | Once | Three times | Three times |
| Divine help | An angel strengthens him | None mentioned | None mentioned |
| His anguish | Sweat "like great drops of blood" | "Deeply grieved, even to death" | "Deeply grieved, even to death" |
| The disciples | "Sleeping because of grief" | Asleep; "the flesh is weak" | Asleep; "the flesh is weak" |
For all four Gospels side by side, including John, see What Is the Garden of Gethsemane?
Two mountains, two prayers
Luke invites us to read this scene alongside the Transfiguration. In Luke 9:28–36, Jesus goes up a mountain to pray. His appearance changes, and Moses and Elijah talk with him about his "departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem" (9:31). The disciples are "weighed down with sleep" (9:32).
Now, on another mountain, Jesus prays again. This time there is no shining glory, only sweat and anguish. Again the disciples sleep. And instead of Moses and Elijah, an angel comes to strengthen him. The "departure" discussed on the first mountain is now hours away. See The Transfiguration (Luke 9:28–36).
Did Jesus Sweat Blood in Luke 22:43–44
The verses about the angel and the drops of blood do not appear in some of the oldest and most important manuscripts of Luke. Other early manuscripts include them, and church writers in the second century already knew them. That is why many Bibles, including the NRSV, print these verses in double brackets or add a footnote.
Scholars are divided on whether Luke wrote them or an early scribe added them. Either way, they were part of the church's memory of that night from very early on. The point of Luke's account does not depend on them: Jesus prayed, he surrendered to the Father's will, and he faced the cross.
Luke 22:39–46 Meaning for Today
Pray before the trial comes. Jesus did not wait until Judas arrived to pray. He prayed first, and when the crowd came, he was ready. The disciples slept, and when the crowd came, they ran. If Jesus, the Son of God, sought strength in prayer, how much more do we need it?
You can tell God what you want. "Remove this cup from me" is not a failure of faith. Jesus models a prayer that is completely honest about what he wants and completely trusting about the outcome. Many of us were taught to skip the first half. Jesus prays both halves.
God's strength often comes in the middle, not around it. The angel did not lift Jesus out of the garden. It gave him strength to stay. Some of our prayers will be answered the same way.
Grief makes us tired, and Jesus knows it. Luke says the disciples were "sleeping because of grief." If you are worn out by sorrow and find it hard to pray, you are in company Jesus understands. He came back to them. He comes back to us.
This passage can provide great guidance for prayer in our own suffering. At the end of my sermon, "The Hope of Our Prayer", I talk about how Jesus joins us when we go to our own Garden of Gethsemane and ask God for help.
A guardrail: what this passage does not teach
It does not teach that strong faith feels no fear. Jesus was in anguish and was not sinning. Fear brought to God in prayer is faithful.
It does not teach that every hard thing is God's will for you. "Not my will but yours" was Jesus' surrender to his unique calling to the cross. It is not a reason to stay in abuse or to stop seeking help, healing, or justice.
It does not mean unanswered prayer means weak faith. Jesus' request was not granted as he asked, and his faith was perfect.
For your own hard nights: Bible Verses About Anxiety · Bible Verses About Trust · Bible Verses About Confident Prayer
Preaching and Teaching Luke 22:39–46
In the Revised Common Lectionary, this passage is read within the Passion narrative (Luke 22:14–23:56) on Palm/Passion Sunday in Year C. It also fits naturally on Maundy Thursday and in a Holy Week prayer vigil. See Prayers of Illumination for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter.
Sermon angles:
A Stone's Throw Away: close enough to be heard, far enough to be alone; how Jesus prays in our loneliness
Both Halves of the Prayer: "remove this cup" and "not my will but yours"
Strength, Not Escape: the angel who did not take the cup away
Sleeping Because of Grief: a word to tired, sorrowful disciples
Small-group questions:
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives "as was his custom." What are your customary places or habits of prayer?
Why do you think Jesus told the disciples to pray before telling them what was coming?
Is it hard for you to tell God honestly what you want? Why?
When has God given you strength to go through something rather than taking it away?
Luke says the disciples slept "because of grief." How does sorrow affect your prayer life?
FAQ
What is the main message of Luke 22:39–46? In the hour of trial, Jesus prays honestly and surrenders to the Father's will, and he calls his followers to pray so they will not fall in the time of trial.
Is Luke 22:39–46 the Garden of Gethsemane? Yes. Luke calls it the Mount of Olives, and John calls it a garden across the Kidron Valley. Matthew and Mark give the place its name, Gethsemane. See What Is the Garden of Gethsemane?
Where is the Mount of Olives? East of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley. Jesus rode down it on Palm Sunday (Luke 19:37), taught there about the end of the age (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3), and ascended from near Bethany on its slopes (Luke 24:50; Acts 1:12).
What does "remove this cup from me" mean? The cup is an Old Testament image of suffering and God's judgment (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17). Jesus was asking to be spared the cross, if the Father was willing, while accepting the Father's will.
What does Luke 22:42 mean? "Not my will but yours be done" shows Jesus' complete trust in the Father. He names what he wants and then places himself in God's hands. It is the Lord's Prayer, "your will be done," prayed under the greatest pressure imaginable.
Did Jesus really sweat blood (Luke 22:44)? Luke says his sweat was "like great drops of blood." That may describe how heavily he sweated, or it may point to hematidrosis, a rare condition in which extreme stress causes blood to mix with sweat. Some early manuscripts do not include this verse.
Why did the disciples fall asleep? Luke says they were "sleeping because of grief" (22:45). It was late, they had eaten the Passover meal, and Jesus had just told them he would be betrayed and killed.
What does "pray that you may not come into the time of trial" mean? It echoes the Lord's Prayer: "do not bring us to the time of trial" (Luke 11:4). Jesus is urging his disciples to ask God for strength before the test of his arrest, when their faith would be shaken.
Keep Studying
Luke 22 and the Passion in Luke
Prayer in Luke
The same night in the other Gospels
Bible Facts
