Christianity - A Journey from Facts to Fiction — Page 42
42 Christianity – A Journey from Facts to Fiction and praying and beseeching God the Father to take away the bitter cup of death from him. He severely reproached one of his disciples when he caught him in the act of dozing off after spend- ing such a fateful long day and suffering through a dark gloomy night which bade ill for him and his holy master. The Biblical account of this incident goes as follows: Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsem´ane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go yonder and pray. " And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zeb´edee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me. " And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, "My father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. " And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and 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. " Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, thy will be done. " And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. (Matt 26:36–44) Alas, as the Christian story unveils itself, the prayers and be- seeching of neither Jesus as nor his disciples were accepted by God the Father and willy-nilly, despite his strong protestations, he was at last crucified. Was he the same person, the same prince of