Jerome — Commentary on Scripture

And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

(Vers. 30.) And having sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. This is what we read in a certain psalm: All the fat of the earth have eaten and adored (Ps. XXI, 30). According to this example, whoever is satisfied with the Savior's bread and intoxicated with the chalice can praise the Lord and ascend to the Mount of Olives, where there is refreshment from labors, consolation from sorrow, and knowledge of true light.

After this example of the Saviour, whosoever is filled and is drunken upon the bread and cup of Christ, may praise God and ascend the Mount of Olives, where is refreshment after toil, solace of grief, and knowledge of the true light.

He foretels what they should suffer, that they might not after it had befallen them despair of salvation; but doing penitence might be set free.

And He adds emphatically this night, (1 These. 5:7.) because as they that are drunken are drunken by night, so they that are scandalized are scandalized by night, and in the dark.

This is found in Zacharias in words different; it is said to God in the person of the Prophet, Smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered abroad. (Zech. 13:7.) The good Shepherd is smitten, that He may lay down His life for His sheep, and that of many flocks of divers errors should be made one flock, and one Shepherd.

It is not wilfulness, not falsehood, but the Apostle's faith, and ardent attachment towards the Lord his Saviour.

Matthew 26:31 · 2 passages

Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

“For it is written, ‘I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ” Zechariah the prophet says the same thing, only differently; and if I am not mistaken, God is addressed in the person of the prophet: “Strike the shepherd that the sheep may be scattered.” In harmony with these words is the psalm, which is recited in its entirety to the Lord: “For they persecute him whom you have struck.” The good shepherd is struck, however, that he may lay down his life for his sheep and that out of many flocks of wandering sheep there may be one flock and one shepherd.

(Verse 31.) Then Jesus said to them: All of you will be scandalized by me in this night. He predicts that they will suffer, so that when they have suffered, they will not despair of salvation, but by repenting, they will be freed. And he specifically added, in this night you will be scandalized; for just as those who get drunk, get drunk at night: likewise those who are scandalized, endure in the night and in darkness (I Thess. 5). But let us say: The night has passed, and the day is at hand (Rom. 13:12).

Matthew 26:32

But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

(Verse 32.) For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. This is also written in different words by the prophet Zachariah; and (if I am not mistaken) it is said by the voice of the prophet to God: Strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered (Zech. 13:7). In the sixty-eighth Psalm, which is completely devoted to the Lord, this meaning is also in agreement: For those whom you have struck, they have pursued. But the good shepherd is struck, so that he may lay down his life for his sheep; and out of many flocks of errors, one flock is made, and one shepherd (John. X) . This testimony is further explained in the book that we wrote about the Best Way of Interpretation.

Matthew 26:33

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

(Verse 33.) But Peter, answering, said to him: Even if all shall be scandalized in thee, I will never be scandalized. It is not rashness, nor falsehood; but it is the faith of the apostle Peter, and a fervent affection towards the Lord and Savior, of whom we have spoken above.

Matthew 26:34

Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

(Verse 34.) Jesus said to him: Truly I say to you, that in this night before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. And Peter, with fervor of faith, promised, and the Savior, as if God, knew the future. And note that Peter will deny in the night, and deny a third time. But after the rooster crowed, and the darkness diminishing, the approaching light was announced, he turned and wept bitterly, washing away the stains of denial with tears of repentance.

Matthew 26:36-38 · 3 passages

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

Gethsemane is interpreted, 'The rich valley;' and there He bade His disciples sit a little while, and wait His return whilst He prayed alone for all. (non. occ.) But we say that passible man was so taken by God the Son, that His Deity remained impassible. Indeed the Son of God suffered, not by imputation but actually, all that Scripture testifies, in respect of that part of Him which could suffer, viz. in respect of the substance that He had taken on Him. The Lord therefore sorrowed not from fear of suffering, for for this cause He had come that He should suffer, and had rebuked Peter for his fearfulness; (Matt. 14:31.) but for the wretched Judas, for the offence of the rest of the Apostles, for the rejection and reprobation of the Jewish nation, and the overthrow of unhappy Jerusalem. Our Lord therefore sorrowed to prove the reality of the Man which He had taken upon Him; but that passion might bear no sway in His mind, He began to be sorrowful by pro-passion;s for it is one thing to be sorrowful, and another to be very sorrowful. He is sorrowful not because of death, but unto d…

Gethsemane is interpreted, 'The rich valley;' and there He bade His disciples sit a little while, and wait His return whilst He prayed alone for all.

(non. occ.) But we say that passible man was so taken by God the Son, that His Deity remained impassible. Indeed the Son of God suffered, not by imputation but actually, all that Scripture testifies, in respect of that part of Him which could suffer, viz. in respect of the substance that He had taken on Him.

The Lord therefore sorrowed not from fear of suffering, for for this cause He had come that He should suffer, and had rebuked Peter for his fearfulness; (Matt. 14:31.) but for the wretched Judas, for the offence of the rest of the Apostles, for the rejection and reprobation of the Jewish nation, and the overthrow of unhappy Jerusalem.

Our Lord therefore sorrowed to prove the reality of the Man which He had taken upon Him; but that passion might bear no sway in His mind, He began to be sorrowful by pro-passion;s for it is one thing to be sorrowful, and another to be very sorrowful.

He is sorrowful not because of death, but unto death, until He has set the Apostles free by His Passion. Let those who imagine Jesus to have taken an irrational soul, say how it is that He is thus sorrowful, and knows the season of His sorrow, for though the brute animals have sorrow, yet they know neither the causes of it, nor the time for which it must endure.

Or the sleep which He would have them forego is not bodily rest, for which at this critical time there was no room, but mental torpor, the sleep of unbelief.

Gethsemane is interpreted as the “very fertile valley” where the Lord ordered his disciples to sit down and wait for him to return while he prayed alone for everyone.

(Verse 36.) Then Jesus came with them to a village called Gethsemane and said to his disciples, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' Gethsemane means 'very fertile valley,' in which he ordered the disciples to sit for a little while and wait for the Lord to return, while he prayed for everyone alone.

Matthew 26:37

And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

(Verse 37) And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sad and sorrowful. What we have said above about the passion and pre-passion is also shown in the present chapter, that the Lord, in order to prove the truth of his assumption as a man, was truly saddened, but so that the passion would not dominate his soul, he began to be saddened through pre-sorrow. For it is one thing to be saddened, and another thing to begin to be saddened. But He was saddened not by the fear of suffering, for which He had come, that He might suffer; and He had reprimanded Peter for his timidity; but on account of the most unfortunate Judas, and the scandal of all the apostles, and the rejection of the Jewish people, and the destruction of miserable Jerusalem. Hence Jonas also, grieving over the withering of a gourd or a ivy, was grieved (Jonah 4), unwilling to lose his former shelter. But if the sadness of the soul is interpreted by the heretics not as the affection of the Savior towards those who are about to perish, but as the suffering, let them answer how they explain that whic…

(Verse 37) And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sad and sorrowful. What we have said above about the passion and pre-passion is also shown in the present chapter, that the Lord, in order to prove the truth of his assumption as a man, was truly saddened, but so that the passion would not dominate his soul, he began to be saddened through pre-sorrow. For it is one thing to be saddened, and another thing to begin to be saddened. But He was saddened not by the fear of suffering, for which He had come, that He might suffer; and He had reprimanded Peter for his timidity; but on account of the most unfortunate Judas, and the scandal of all the apostles, and the rejection of the Jewish people, and the destruction of miserable Jerusalem. Hence Jonas also, grieving over the withering of a gourd or a ivy, was grieved (Jonah 4), unwilling to lose his former shelter. But if the sadness of the soul is interpreted by the heretics not as the affection of the Savior towards those who are about to perish, but as the suffering, let them answer how they explain that which is said through Ezekiel in the person of God: And in all these things you have saddened me (Ezekiel 16, Septuagint version).

Matthew 26:38 · 2 passages

Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

(Verse 38.) Then he said to them, My soul is sorrowful, even to death; wait here, and watch with me. The soul is saddened and not, however, by death, but is saddened even unto death, until he frees his apostles by his suffering. And what he commanded: wait here, and watch with me, he does not forbid sleep, the time of which was not imminent with danger, but he forbids sleep of unfaithfulness, and dulness of mind. Therefore, let those who suspect that Jesus took on an irrational soul declare how he could be saddened and know the time of sadness. Although even dumb animals die, they do not know the reasons or the time until which they must be saddened.

What we said before about Christ’s suffering and what took place before it is also brought out in this chapter. It shows that the Lord, to test the fidelity of the human nature he had taken on, truly felt sorrowful. However, lest the suffering in his soul be overwhelming, he began to feel sorrowful over the events taking place just before his suffering. For it is one thing to feel sorrowful and another thing to begin to feel sorrowful. But he felt sorrowful, not because he feared the suffering that lay ahead and because he had scolded Peter for his timidity but because of the most unfortunate Judas and the falling away of all the apostles and the rejection by the Jewish people and the overturning of woeful Jerusalem. Jonah too became sad when the plant or ivy had withered, unwilling to have his booth disappear.

Matthew 26:39 · 2 passages

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

(Verse 39) And going forward a little, he fell on his face, praying and saying: My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. Having given the apostles the command to endure and keep watch with the Lord, he advanced a little and fell on his face, showing the humility of his mind in the appearance of his flesh, and he said in a gentle way: My Father, and he asked that, if possible, the cup of suffering pass from him, about which we have spoken above. But, he does not ask to be spared out of fear, but out of mercy for the earlier people, so as not to drink from the cup that they have offered. Therefore, he specifically does not say, let this cup pass from me, but let this cup pass, that is, the cup of the Jewish people, who cannot claim ignorance as an excuse, if they kill me, having the Law and the prophets, who daily prophesy about me. Yet, turning back to himself, what he had hesitantly declined from the perspective of a human, he confirms from the perspective of God the Son. However, not as I want, but as you. No, he say…

(Verse 39) And going forward a little, he fell on his face, praying and saying: My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will. Having given the apostles the command to endure and keep watch with the Lord, he advanced a little and fell on his face, showing the humility of his mind in the appearance of his flesh, and he said in a gentle way: My Father, and he asked that, if possible, the cup of suffering pass from him, about which we have spoken above. But, he does not ask to be spared out of fear, but out of mercy for the earlier people, so as not to drink from the cup that they have offered. Therefore, he specifically does not say, let this cup pass from me, but let this cup pass, that is, the cup of the Jewish people, who cannot claim ignorance as an excuse, if they kill me, having the Law and the prophets, who daily prophesy about me. Yet, turning back to himself, what he had hesitantly declined from the perspective of a human, he confirms from the perspective of God the Son. However, not as I want, but as you. No, he says, let this not be done, which I speak with human emotion; but because of what I descended to earth by your will.

Or the sleep which He would have them forego is not bodily rest, for which at this critical time there was no room, but mental torpor, the sleep of unbelief. Whence He says emphatically, This cup, that is, of this people of the Jews, who, if they shall put Me to death, can have no excuse for their ignorance, seeing they have the Law and the Prophets, who speak of Me. It is impossible that the human mind should not be tempted, therefore He says not Watch and pray that ye be not tempted, but that ye enter not into temptation, that is, that temptation vanquish you not. This is against those rash persons who think that whatever they believe they can perform. The more confident we are of our zeal, the more mistrustful should we be of the frailty of the flesh. Or otherwise; He prays a second time that if Nineveh, or the Gentile world, cannot be saved unless the gourd, i. e. the Jews, be withered, His Father's will may be done, which is not contrary to the Son's will, who Himself speaks by the Prophet, I am content to do thy will, O God. (Ps. 40:8.) Christ singly prays for all, as He s…

Or the sleep which He would have them forego is not bodily rest, for which at this critical time there was no room, but mental torpor, the sleep of unbelief.

Whence He says emphatically, This cup, that is, of this people of the Jews, who, if they shall put Me to death, can have no excuse for their ignorance, seeing they have the Law and the Prophets, who speak of Me.

It is impossible that the human mind should not be tempted, therefore He says not Watch and pray that ye be not tempted, but that ye enter not into temptation, that is, that temptation vanquish you not.

This is against those rash persons who think that whatever they believe they can perform. The more confident we are of our zeal, the more mistrustful should we be of the frailty of the flesh.

Or otherwise; He prays a second time that if Nineveh, or the Gentile world, cannot be saved unless the gourd, i. e. the Jews, be withered, His Father's will may be done, which is not contrary to the Son's will, who Himself speaks by the Prophet, I am content to do thy will, O God. (Ps. 40:8.)

Christ singly prays for all, as He singly suffers for all. Their eyes were heavy, i. e. an oppression and stupefaction came on as their denial drew near.

He prayed the third time, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established.

Matthew 26:40 · 2 passages

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

(Verse 40.) And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, 'So you could not watch with me one hour? He who said above, 'Even if all are scandalized in you, I will never be scandalized,' now cannot overcome sleep due to the magnitude of sorrow.'

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” It is impossible for the human soul to avoid temptation. Hence we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation,” which we are unable to withstand. We do not refuse to face temptation entirely but pray for the strength to bear up under it. Therefore he does not say, “Watch and pray that you may not be tempted” but “that you may not enter into temptation,” that is, that temptation may not overwhelm you and hold you in its grip. For example, a martyr who has shed blood by professing faith in the Lord was certainly tempted but was not ensnared in the net of temptation. One who denies the faith, however, has fallen into the snares of temptation.“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This is aimed at those rash people who think that whatever they believe, they can obtain. Therefore, as much as we trust in the ardor of our spirit, so too should we fear the weakness of the flesh. And yet, according to the apostle, the works of the flesh are mortified by the Spirit.

Matthew 26:41

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

(Verse 41.) Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. It is impossible for the human soul not to be tempted. Hence, in the Lord's Prayer, we say: Lead us not into temptation, which we cannot bear (or be able to bear) (Matthew 6:13; Luke 11:4). Not completely rejecting temptation, but praying for the strength to endure it. Therefore, at present, it does not say: Watch and pray, lest you be tempted; but, lest you enter into temptation, that is, lest the temptation overcomes and conquers you, and keeps you within its grasp. For example, the martyr, who sheds his blood for the confessing the Lord, is indeed tempted; but he is not caught in the snares of temptations. However, whoever denies, falls into the traps of temptation. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak. This is against the reckless ones, who think they can achieve whatever they believe. Therefore, as much as we trust in the ardor of the mind, so much do we fear the fragility of the flesh. But nevertheless, according to the Apostle, in the spirit the works of the flesh are put to death (1 Peter 3)…

(Verse 41.) Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. It is impossible for the human soul not to be tempted. Hence, in the Lord's Prayer, we say: Lead us not into temptation, which we cannot bear (or be able to bear) (Matthew 6:13; Luke 11:4). Not completely rejecting temptation, but praying for the strength to endure it. Therefore, at present, it does not say: Watch and pray, lest you be tempted; but, lest you enter into temptation, that is, lest the temptation overcomes and conquers you, and keeps you within its grasp. For example, the martyr, who sheds his blood for the confessing the Lord, is indeed tempted; but he is not caught in the snares of temptations. However, whoever denies, falls into the traps of temptation.

The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak. This is against the reckless ones, who think they can achieve whatever they believe. Therefore, as much as we trust in the ardor of the mind, so much do we fear the fragility of the flesh. But nevertheless, according to the Apostle, in the spirit the works of the flesh are put to death (1 Peter 3).

Matthew 26:42

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

(Verse 42.) Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, saying: Father, if this chalice cannot pass away, unless I drink it, let your will be done. He prays for the second time, that if Nineveh cannot be saved in any other way, unless the gourd withers, let the will of the Father be done, which is not contrary to the will of the Son, as he himself said through the prophet: To do your will, O God, I desired (Ps. 39:9).

Matthew 26:43-44

And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

(Verse 43, 44.) And he came again and found them sleeping. For their eyes were heavy. And leaving them, he went away again and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing. He alone prays for all, just as he alone suffers for everyone. But the apostles' eyes grew weak and burdened by imminent denial.