He had just eaten the Passover Supper with His disciples; He had told them and us, to "do this, as oft as ye take it, in remembrance of ME," and then, after they had sung a hymn, or psalm, they went down the steep path from one of the gates leading out of Jerusalem, to go to the Mount of Olives. Just at the bottom of the valley there lay the Garden of Gethsemane; and the Lord Jesus, who knew all that was going to happen to Him the next day,—how He would be mocked and beaten and crucified—wanted to pray to His Heavenly Father before He was betrayed into the hands of the Jews. So He turned into the garden beneath the olive trees, telling some of His disciples to wait outside, but taking Peter and James and John into the garden with Him. He was very, very sorrowful, so He bade them wait near Him and watch. Then He went a little further on, and fell on the ground and prayed to His Father that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from Him. He knew that all things were possible with God, but He did not want to have His own will, if His dear Father in Heaven wished anything different. He had come to earth to do His will perfectly. Then after His prayer, He rose and went to His disciples. But he found them asleep! They had not watched as He bade them. So He said to Peter, "Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour?" And then He told them to watch and pray lest they should enter into temptation. He said He knew they were willing to do it, but they had tired bodies, and this made it the more necessary to be watchful. So He went away again and prayed to His Father in an agony that the bitter cup might pass from Him. We cannot fully understand all that is meant by that bitter cup. It is enough for us to know that our blessed Lord dreaded it above everything. But even in the midst of that misery, He could say, "Oh, My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me except I drink it, Thy will be done!" And there appeared an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. Still again a third time He went away and prayed the same prayer, but all the while His disciples were fast asleep! At last Jesus rose up from prayer, and when He came to His disciples He told them that now He was going to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. As He was speaking, a great band of men, led by wicked Judas, came hurrying into the garden. Now Judas had said to the chief priests (when he sold Jesus to them for thirty pieces of silver), "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He; hold Him fast." The Lord Jesus, who is God as well as man, could easily have escaped from their cruel hands. He told them He could have prayed to His Father, and He would have sent Him thousands and thousands of angels. The band of men and officers from the chief priests were so amazed at the majesty of Jesus, that they went backward and fell to the ground. But Jesus was ready to die for us; for how else could we be saved?