2026 Reading Plan Reflections - Day 43

“Then he went a short distance farther and fell on his face and prayed, 'My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup of suffering away from me. However—not what I want but what you want.'” Matthew 26:39 CEB

“A second time he went away and prayed, 'My Father, if it’s not possible that this cup be taken away unless I drink it, then let it be what you want.'” Matthew 26:42 CEB

“But he left them and again went and prayed the same words for the third time.” Matthew 26:44 CEB

There are moments in Scripture where theology becomes intensely personal. Gethsemane is one of them.

After the meal. After the bread and the cup. After the teaching.

Jesus walks into the garden and does exactly what He told His disciples to do: He prays.

Three times He prays the same prayer:
“My Father… not what I want but what you want.”

Those words should sound familiar. They echo the prayer He taught them: “Your will be done.”
Jesus never taught theory. He embodied it.

The Cup
In the garden, Jesus speaks of a cup. Not the cup of the new covenant they had just shared at the table. This is the cup He once asked James and John about — “Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?”

This is the cup of suffering. The cup of judgment. The cup bearing the weight of sin.

From a Wesleyan perspective, this moment reveals both the depth of human depravity and the wideness of God’s grace. Sin is not small. It is not abstract. It is not harmless. It requires atonement. The holy love of God does not ignore evil — it deals with it. Fully.

Jesus, fully human, recoils at the cost. Jesus, fully obedient, submits to the Father’s will.

This is holy love in action.

He does not rush toward suffering carelessly. He wrestles. He prays. He submits. And while He does, His closest friends sleep.

Keep Awake
Between prayers, Jesus returns to the disciples with a simple command: “Stay awake and pray so that you won’t fall into temptation.”

They had heard the Sermon on the Mount. They had witnessed miracles. They had just received the covenant meal. And still — they slept. It’s easy to judge them. Harder to admit we’re not much different.

How often do we hear truth, agree with truth, even teach truth — and still drift spiritually dull?
Wesley spoke often of watchfulness — the disciplined attentiveness of a heart seeking entire devotion to God. Holiness is not accidental. It is cultivated through grace-enabled obedience.
The disciples weren’t evil in that moment. They were weary. But spiritual dullness opens the door to temptation.
Sleep in the garden leads to scattering in the courtyard.

Jesus Leads by Example
Notice what Jesus does not do. He does not demand from His disciples what He Himself refuses to practice. He does not avoid obedience because it costs Him something. He prays. He wrestles. He submits. He obeys.

All of His teaching — every parable, every command, every warning — was preparation for this hour. And in the garden, He proves that surrender is not weakness. It is strength.

“Not my will, but Yours.”

That is the prayer of sanctification. That is the path of holiness.

The Big Picture
The disciples could not see what was unfolding. They could not yet grasp that redemption was being secured. We struggle the same way. We want clarity before obedience. We want comfort before surrender. We want resurrection without crucifixion. But in God’s economy, surrender precedes glory. The call is not simply to admire Jesus in Gethsemane. It is to follow Him there.

Pray the Hard Prayer. Don’t rush past “Your will be done.” Sit with it. Where is God inviting surrender that you’ve resisted?
Practice Watchfulness. Set aside intentional time this week for focused prayer — without distraction. Spiritual alertness does not happen by accident.
Name the Cup. What is the “cup” in front of you right now? A hard conversation? A costly act of obedience? Lay it honestly before the Father — then trust Him with the outcome.
Revisit the Lord’s Prayer Slowly. Pray it line by line. Let it shape your heart, not just your words.
Ask for Entire Devotion. In Wesleyan language: ask God not just to forgive you, but to fully align your will with His. Holiness begins where self-will ends.