Luke chapter 22

vs 41

I'm guessing a stone's throw is a unit of measurement and not an idiom back then.

Jesus too is praying, which we can assume he did regularly on the Mount of Olives I think.

vs 42

Who recorded the words of Jesus' prayer, if everyone was a stone's throw away? I guess Jesus could have told them what he said afterward, or perhaps his prayer was so loud they could hear him. Prayer has been different through the ages - it is possible that he was praying loudly.

This whole prayer is drafted in words that speak expressly to God's will first. Jesus wants only to do God's will. But this prayer also raises some interesting questions - if Jesus is God, then how can his will be different from God's will? "Not my will" indicates that Jesus has a will, and "but yours" indicates that it's different from God's will. I've heard some explainations. I don't think it matters - I don't think Luke is trying to raise a trinitarian conundrum, but instead to show that Jesus was freaking out, but that he still wanted to do God's will.

vs 43

God helps out. He certainly doesn't do that for everyone, sending an angel I mean.

vs 44

How much did the angel actually achieve, if this is still happening? Was it really blood? Sure, why not. There have been many other documented times when someone faced with death has sweat blood. But I don't think it's got some secret hidden meaning. He was just really anguished. Anxious. You know what I mean. Just imagine what he'd have been like without the angel strenghening him.

vs 45

Not that it's not just that they're tired and lazy. They are sorrowful. Especially if they had heard the words of Jesus, his pleading, his crying out to God, his desire not to die. It's been a sombre, morose evening for them, and now Jesus is crying and weeping and calling to God in anguish. These guys are wracked with sorrow for their teacher. So much so that they basically pass out from exhaustion.

vs 46

I think we can assume Jesus knows why they are sleeping, but perhaps figures that if they pray, they can get strength from God to stay awake. Again he talks about temptation. Is it the temptation to sleep? To flee when the time comes? Just temptation generally? I assume it was clearer to them at the time, but Luke's obviously put this here for a reason.

vs 47

No one had noticed that Judas was gone, or else it was normal for one or more of the twelve to disappear for some reason or another. Perhaps he'd said he had gone to the bathroom.

This is not some sort of homo-erotic porno kiss, as revisionist historians seem to want to make out. It's just a middle eastern kiss, and if you go there you'll get plenty of them still today.

vs 48

Jesus knows what's happening though. Those words must have stung Judas pretty bad.

vs 49

Remember, it's not just a few people with Judas - it's a crowd. Not a crowd of normal city-dwellers either, because they liked Jesus, and the whole point of Judas' betrayal was so they could find him at a time where he wouldn't be surrounded by the populace.

So obviously a couple of the disciples (most people guess Peter and John) are militating for a melee, and keen to whip out their swords and cause some carnage.

vs 50

One of them doesn't wait for Jesus' reply, and launches in! Someone's ear comes off in the fray. And surprisingly, whoever let the blow fly doesn't get mobbed and killed by the crowd, so we can assume I think that they weren't expecting a fight.