53. (Verse 41.). Third, as regards the devotion of prayer on the part of the manner of praying, he adds: And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and kneeling down he prayed: in which he shows the devotion and humility and reverence of the heart. Whence Bede: " He prayed on bended knees, so that he might show the humility of mind through the posture of the body." And this indeed was fitting: for such prayer is most pleasing, according to that passage in Ecclesiasticus thirty-five: "The prayer of him who humbles himself shall pierce the clouds, and until it draws near, he shall not be consoled"; whence also in the Psalm: "He has regarded the prayer of the humble and has not despised their petition"; and therefore Judith nine: "The prayer of the humble and the meek has always been pleasing to you." In this manner Paul prayed, Ephesians three: "I ask that you do not lose heart in my tribulations for you. For this reason I bend my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named."
And note that he says that he was withdrawn from the disciples about a stone's throw, not only for the sake of privacy, but also for the sake of the mystery: because by this it was signified that that cornerstone was to be separated from the disciples for a little while and would soon return, which the hiding of the paten in the Mass signifies. —Or it certainly signifies that in order for one to pray devoutly, it is necessary that one be torn away from carnal affections; whence Isaiah twenty-eight: "Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand the message? Those weaned from milk, those torn from the breasts." And this tearing away cannot happen except through a certain force and violent motion; and on account of this force of the spirit interceding, it is said in Romans eight: "It is the Spirit who intercedes for us with unutterable groanings." 54. (Verse 42.). Fourth, as regards the discretion of prayer, he adds: Saying: Father, if you will, remove this cup from me. By this cup is understood the passion, because in a cup drink is drunk in measure, according to that passage of the Psalm: "You shall feed us with the bread of tears and give us drink in tears in measure." This cup Christ drank when he voluntarily tasted the passion; the Psalm: "He shall drink from the torrent along the way," etc.; and Matthew twenty: "Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?" This cup Christ willed to drink by the will of reason, but shrank from by the will of sensuality. —Whence because reason ruled over sensuality, he therefore adds: Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done: in which it is apparent that he was petitioning with discretion, because he was subjecting the will of the flesh to the will of reason and to the will of the Divinity, according to that passage in John six:
"I came not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me." It appears therefore that reason, as a discreet and skilled advocate, put forward the prayer on behalf of sensuality, while nevertheless preserving the form of divine law. Now the Lord prayed this in order to show in himself the truth of his humanity, to condescend and give a pattern to his weak members. Hence Bernard: "I recognize the voice of the sick in the physician, I consider the charity, I am amazed at the compassion, I tremble at the condescension." For this is wonderful, how he deigned thus to take upon himself our infirmities.
It can also be explained that Christ prayed on behalf of his members, that he asks that the cup be taken away, that is, the scandal of the passion, or the fear of death.
In another way, as Bede explains, for the Jews: either that this death not be inflicted upon Christ through the Jews, lest they be so blinded, or that those who have been blinded might be called back; and this is for the cup to be taken away from them. Then the sense is: from me, that is, from those who are mine.
55. (Verse 43). Fifth, as to the vigor of prayer, he adds: And there appeared to him an Angel from heaven, strengthening him. The Angel appeared for strengthening, not on account of his own need, but for our strengthening. Hence the Gloss: "If he is sorrowful for us, that is, he is sorrowful on our account, it is necessary that he also be strengthened on our account and for us," so that from this it may appear that Angels strengthen those who pray, as it is said in Daniel 10: "One like the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me and said: Do not fear, man of desires; be strengthened and be firm. And when he spoke with me, I recovered my strength and said: Speak, my Lord, for you have strengthened me." This strengthening of the Angels therefore obtains vigor for us.
On account of which, to signify this, he adds: And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly. Gregory: " He was in an agony, signifying that the soul is rightly terrified when it finds close at hand that which it cannot change for eternity." For in this there is a wondrous struggle between nature and grace, between reason and sensuality; which agony indeed the holy Martyrs had, and just men have, according to that passage in 1 Corinthians 9: "Everyone who contends in the contest abstains from all things." "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so I fight, not as one beating the air." Moreover, the stronger this agony is, the more strongly one must persist in prayer. Hence above in chapter 18: "He spoke to them, that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart"; and above in chapter 6 it is said that "he was spending the night in the prayer of God."
56. (Vers. 44.). Sixth, as to the anxiety of prayer, it is added: And his sweat became like drops of blood falling down upon the ground. From which it is apparent that with wondrous sighs and cries of the heart and anxious desires he was crying out to God, according to that verse of the Psalm: "O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you." Moreover, the blood was flowing down upon the ground to show that he was praying for the Church and desired to pour out his blood for her; Job 16: "O earth, do not cover my blood, nor let my cry find in you a place to hide."
Now it should be noted that the Lord poured out his blood for us in circumcision, prayer, flagellation, coronation, crucifixion of hands and feet, and the opening of his side, so that that verse of the Psalm might appear true: "With the Lord there is mercy, and with him plentiful redemption." Whence that verse of Isaiah 63 was verified: "Why then is your garment red, and your vestments like those of them that tread in the winepress?" Truly red was that most sacred body, which was so many times reddened for us with sacred blood. This blood intercedes for us, according to that verse of Hebrews 12: "You have come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the sprinkling of blood that speaks better than Abel"; because the blood of Abel cried out for vengeance, according to that verse of Genesis 4: "The voice of the blood of your brother Abel cries to me from the ground"; but this blood cried out for remission; Matthew 26: "This is my blood, which shall be shed for many unto the remission of sins."
57. (Vers. 45.). Seventh, as to the circumspection of prayer, he adds: And when he had risen from prayer and had come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow. For he so prayed to God that he nevertheless did not forget his sheep; indeed, he interrupted his prayer three times in order to return to rouse his disciples: whence it is said in Mark 14 that "he came the third time and found them sleeping." In this the wondrous solicitude of Christ for his disciples is apparent, as a hen is solicitous for her chicks: Deuteronomy 32: "As an eagle provoking her young to fly and hovering over them." 58. (Vers. 46.). Whence it is also added: And he said to them: Why do you sleep? Arise and pray, lest you enter into temptation. He rebukes their drowsiness, which was similar to the drowsiness of Jonah himself; Jonah 1: "Jonah went down into the inner part of the ship and was sleeping in a deep sleep. And the captain came to him, saying: Why are you weighed down with sleep?" So also the Lord said to Peter in Mark 14: "Simon, do you sleep? Could you not watch one hour with me?" However, they were sleeping not from excess, like that man of whom Proverbs 23 says: "You shall be as one sleeping in the midst of the sea and as a drowsy helmsman who has lost the rudder," but only from sorrow: whence Matthew 26: "Their eyes were heavy with sorrow."
In this, therefore, the wondrous circumspection of Christ at prayer is apparent, because He returned three times to the disciples to rouse them and again three times returned to pray to God; so that He might manifestly show that He was most devoted and most vigilant both toward His subjects and toward God, as a most excellent prelate.
It is also intimated in this, that Christ prayed the same words three times, that our prayer ought to be directed to the Triune God; it ought to be against the threefold kind of temptations; it ought to be according to the threefold act of the powers of the image of our mind, and according to the threefold theological virtue, namely faith, hope, and charity; it ought to be for the sake of the threefold good to be obtained, namely pardon, grace, and glory, or goodness, knowledge, and discipline, according to that verse of the Psalm: "Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge."
In this, moreover, that He visited them three times, it is signified that the Lord visits souls three times, namely by strengthening the irascible power, by sending in zeal, the rational power, by pouring in light, and the concupiscible power, by inflaming desire. On account of which, Job thirty-three: "God works all these things three times with each person, to bring back their souls from corruption and to enlighten them with the light of the living."—And thus this part is completed, which concerns the preambles to the Passion.
Second, concerning the Passion with respect to its six concomitants.
59. While He was yet speaking, behold, a crowd etc. After he described the preambles to the Passion, here secondly he describes the concomitants. Now these were six, namely the apprehension of Christ, the mocking of the one apprehended, the accusation of the one mocked, the condemnation of the one accused, the crucifixion of the one condemned, and the death and burial of the one crucified. According to this, therefore, this part has six sections; in the first of which the apprehension of Christ is treated. In the second, His mocking, at: And the men who were holding Him etc. In the third, the accusation, at: And the whole multitude rising up, chapter twenty-three. In the fourth, the condemnation, at: But Pilate, having called together etc. In the fifth, the crucifixion, at: And there were also others being led etc. In the sixth, the death and burial, at: And it was about the sixth hour.
Concerning the apprehension of Christ, two things are said.
Since, moreover, Christ in His apprehension was betrayed by a disciple and denied by Peter, therefore this part has two sections, in the first of which the manner of the apprehension is treated; in the second, the denial of Peter, at: And apprehending Him, they led Him etc.
Concerning the manner of the apprehension, four things.
In setting forth, therefore, the manner of the apprehension, four things are introduced, namely the treachery of the betrayer, the zeal of the disciples, the power of the Savior, and the deceit of the Jews.
60. (Vers. 47.). First, therefore, as to the fraud of the betrayer he says: While he was yet speaking, for the admonition of the disciples: whence Matthew 26: "Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go: behold, he who shall betray me is at hand."
During these words Judas arrived: whence he also adds: Behold, a crowd, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, as a leader of the wicked: Acts 1: "The Scripture must be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the leader of those who apprehended Jesus." He therefore led them to the place, according to that of John 18: "And Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often gathered there with his disciples." - He was also the leader in capturing Christ: whence he adds: And he drew near to Jesus to kiss him, to give the sign of betrayal; whence Matthew 26: "He who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying: Whomsoever I shall kiss, he it is, seize him."
61. (Vers. 48.). This sign was truly that of betrayers, because it is a sign of love, and yet it proceeded from the perversity of the heart: and therefore he adds: But Jesus said to him: Judas, do you betray the Son of man with a kiss? namely, exposing the betrayer's intent. The Lord, however, received the kiss from Judas, although he knew it was treacherous, so that he might always show the greatest benignity in himself. Whence the Gloss: "The Lord received the kiss, so that he might move the betrayer all the more, to whom he would not deny the offices of love."
Whence it is said in the Psalm: "With those who hated peace, I was peaceable," etc.; and Matthew 26: "Who said to him: Friend, why have you come?" From this, moreover, the remarkable perversity of the betrayer is apparent: whence Jerome: "Judas slips from the pinnacle of apostleship into the depths of betrayal, and is deterred neither by the familiarity of the banquet, nor by the dipping of the morsel, nor by the grace of the kiss, from betraying as a mere man the one whom he knew to be the Son of God." The reception of the kiss, therefore, on Christ's part was one of benignity, but on Judas's part was one of remarkable deceit. As a figure of this, in 2 Kings 20, Joab said to Amasa: "Hail, my brother. And he took hold of his chin, as if to kiss him, and struck him in the side, and he died." And this is the kiss of the impious betrayer; therefore Proverbs 27: "Better are the wounds of a friend than the deceitful kisses of an enemy."
62. (Vers. 49.). Second, as to the zeal of the disciples he adds: But those who were around him, seeing what was about to happen, said to him: Lord, shall we strike with the sword? For the disciples, kindled with zeal of love for Christ, were inflamed for his defense, but they hesitated on account of what they had been taught by him — to show all patience, according to that of Matthew 5: "Whoever strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other also"; but Peter was so fervent that he neither asked nor waited for a response.
63. (Vers. 50.). Whence he adds: And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. This, however, was Peter. Hence three Evangelists do not name him out of reverence, but John names him to intimate his fervent zeal; whence John 18: "Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the high priest." In this deed, Peter's zeal is praised; whence the Gloss: "Peter was zealous with the same ardor of mind as Phinehas," of whom it is said in Numbers 25 that on account of the zeal with which he pierced through the fornicators, he obtained an everlasting priesthood. Here, however, the zeal is praised, not the deed; whence Matthew 26: "Put your sword back into its sheath: for all who take the sword shall perish by the sword."