When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39, NKJV), the disciples He brought with Him had fallen asleep. So how do we know what transpired?
The Savior’s agonizing prayer in Gethsemane is one of several Gospel episodes that might puzzle readers. After all, these events seemingly had no human witnesses—at least none who could later relay the details to the apostles who wrote the Gospels!
Consider other examples: How did Matthew and Luke learn about the devil’s temptation of Christ in the wilderness? Who recounted Jesus’ private conversations with Nicodemus (John 3:1–21) and the Samaritan woman (John 4:5–26) to the Apostle John, since no disciples were present? How did the evangelists know the specifics of Jesus’ interrogations by the high priests, Pontius Pilate, and Herod? The apostles were absent during these trials and unlikely to have spoken with Pilate or Caiaphas afterward. Even Judas’ secret visit to the high priests—how did the disciples learn of his betrayal?
Let us acknowledge: Only the Lord Himself and the Gospel authors hold definitive answers. Yet we might ask even sharper questions: How did the writer of Genesis know the details of God creating the world and humanity (Genesis 1:1–31, 2:8)? That event had no earthly witnesses! Who observed Cain murdering Abel (Genesis 4:3–15), when only their parents, Adam and Eve, existed—and surely would have intervened? How did the author of Job record the divine dialogue between God and Satan (Job 1:9)?
In other words, we face a choice. Either we treat Scripture solely as a historical document—demanding witness testimony and empirical verification for every event—or we embrace it as divine revelation. The latter means accepting that biblical writers received some truths not through human observation but directly from God.
Take Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. The renowned American scholar Bruce Metzger argued that Jesus Himself likely recounted this to the apostles. Metzger saw no reason to doubt its historicity: “No one in the early Church would invent such a story about the Messiah, since Satan’s temptation played no role in Jewish messianic expectations.” As for Jesus’ trial before the high priests, the Apostle John may have witnessed part of it. John mentions knowing the high priest’s household, allowing him entry into the courtyard (John 18:15–16). Yet it is equally plausible that Christ revealed these details after His Resurrection. Scripture tells us the risen Savior appeared to the apostles for forty days, “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3) and opening their minds to understand the Scriptures: “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day” (Luke 24:46).
So what of the Garden of Gethsemane?
Let us first recall the Gospel accounts of Christ’s prayer before His arrest:
“Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.’ He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.’ Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. Then He came the third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand’” (Mark 14:32–42).
Mark’s account aligns closely with Matthew’s (Matthew 26:36–46). Luke adds a poignant detail: “Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:43–44).
At first glance, such vivid details suggest eyewitness observation. Yet the Gospels plainly state the disciples slept. The Byzantine theologian Euthymius Zigabenus (11th–12th century) proposed that the risen Christ Himself recounted His prayer to the apostles during His 40 post-Resurrection appearances.
Most scholars, however, argue that the apostles did witness portions of the event. Luke notes Jesus withdrew only “about a stone’s throw” (Luke 22:41)—roughly 7–10 meters—from Peter, James, and John. Christ intended them to see His struggle: though anguished and reluctant to die, He surrendered His human will to the Father’s. “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).
Could the Lord, who deliberately brought His closest disciples to Gethsemane to witness His final battle with temptation, have allowed them to see nothing? Unlikely.
Bible scholar Alexander Lopukhin (1852–1904) wrote: “The disciples likely strained to follow Christ’s prayer at first, but their exhaustion deepened in that sleepless, terrifying night. ‘Their eyes were heavy with sorrow’ (Luke 22:45), even as Christ’s enemies kept vigilant watch.”
Metropolitan Hilarion, author of Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, echoes this view: “One might ask: How did the evangelists know these details if the disciples slept? First, not all three slept the entire time—perhaps one woke briefly, then another. Second, Jesus returned three times, rousing them each time. Even half-asleep, they could not miss His visible distress. Third, He prayed nearby—a stone’s throw away—so they saw Him. Finally, He likely prayed aloud, even cried out, much as He later did on the cross.”
What does this teach us?
The apostles themselves likely witnessed Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane. Though they drowsed, they glimpsed the heart of the matter: the Savior overcame His very human fear of the agonizing death that awaited Him.
This explains why the episode appears in the Gospels. Yet Scripture’s deeper truth remains: the Bible is not merely a collection of eyewitness accounts. It is divine revelation. Many events it describes—even those with human witnesses—transcend historical verification. Trusting them ultimately rests on faith. For Christians, the Gospels are not memoirs of a remarkable man, but a gift from God Himself. Long before His Ascension, Christ ensured we would never lack the saving truth: “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:25–26).
Before Gethsemane, Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit—the “Spirit of truth” who would remind them of His teachings (John 14:17). This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost. Empowered by the Spirit, these once-timid fishermen boldly proclaimed the Gospel, quoting Scripture and even speaking foreign tongues: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4). How could uneducated Galileans suddenly speak new languages? Only through the Spirit’s grace!
This same Spirit guided the evangelists as they wrote. Whenever we question Scripture’s reliability, we must remember: the Gospels are not human inventions, but God-breathed truth (2 Timothy 3:16). They are the joyful assurance that Christ, who conquered death, remains with us through His Spirit—guiding, teaching, and filling our hearts with the light of His Resurrection.
Translated by The Catalogue of Good Deeds
Source: https://foma.ru/otkuda-my-znaem-o-chem-molilsja-hristos-v-gefsimanskom-sadu-esli-apostoly-spali.html
