Verse 35
And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.
The problem of Jesus' overwhelming grief and sorrow, humiliation, and repugnance was brought to the Father in prayer, with the agonizing request that "if possible" the hour might be taken away, "the hour" here being a reference to the approaching crucifixion, called also the "cup."
If it were possible ... But are not all things possible with God? Yes! except that the human family had fallen into such a state that only God could redeem them, and that at awful cost to himself. The complete answer to this question cannot be fully known by men; but in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was crystal clear that the death of Christ could not be avoided, short of abandoning the whole project of human salvation; and Christ even considered that (Matthew 26:53). See my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 26:53ff.
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