Why Did Jesus Pray "Remove This Cup” In The Garden Of Gethsemane?

"And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." (Mark 14:32-42 ESV)

Throughout history, there have been several explanations given regarding why Jesus asked God, the Father, to remove the cup from Him. Most of them infer that Jesus was afraid to die and wanted another way to be a sin offering so He could avoid the suffering to come and drink the wrath of God. There is also a provocative theory that Gethsemane was the last temptation of Jesus by the devil, even though there is no direct Scriptural evidence of this taking place.

The Garden of Gethsemane is on the Mount of Olives and was a "Sabbath day's journey" from the city (Acts 1:12 ESV). It is located on a mountain ridge about 200 feet above sea level east of Jerusalem that overlooks the city and is covered with olive trees. The word "Gethsemane" in Aramaic means 'oil press.' Olives are gathered and stored to ferment and are either stepped upon or put in a mill to crush them and extract the oil. There, King Solomon erected a "high place" to worship foreign gods, which angered God (1 Kings 11:7). King David and his men fled Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives after his son Absalom rebelled with an uprising (2 Samuel 15:13-30). The Prophet Zechariah prophesied that "a day of the Lord" would be coming when the Lord would stand upon the Mount of Olives, ready for battle, and be King over the whole earth (Zechariah 14:1-9).

The Garden is mentioned in all four Gospels, where Jesus would go for rest and prayer. On His last visit there, Jesus told the Disciples to "sit here while I pray" (Mark 14:32 ESV). He asked them to keep watch because His "soul" (Gk: psuche – in context, regarding the body and emotions, not the eternal spirit) was "overwhelmed with sorrow (Gk: 'perilipos'- intense grief and sadness) to the point of death" (Gk: thanatos' – the death of the body)" (Vs. 34). He walked about a stone's throw from them, "fell on His face and prayed for about an hour and said, "My Father," (Gk: 'pater' from the root "pa" meaning nourisher, protector, upholder) "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matt 26:39 ESV).

Jesus returned to the Disciples and found them sleeping even though they had previously promised to be faithful to death. He said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Vs. 40-41).

Jesus left the Disciples to pray again for a second time, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it (Gk: 'pino' to consume fully), your will be done" (Mark 14:40 ESV)

Once again, for the third time, Jesus went back to His closest friends and "found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy" (Vs. 43) and went to pray "for the third time, saying the same words again (Vs. 44). After praying, Jesus went to them and said with unwavering resolve, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand" (Matthew 26:45-46 ESV). Jesus could have spent up to three hours praying in the Garden.