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耶稣祷告时极其伤痛，祂请求天父挪去祂即将面临的、为我们所承受的苦。耶稣祷告极其恳切，以至于祂的汗水像大血点一样滴在地上。当耶稣向天哀哭求告时，祂的门徒们都睡着了。然而，祂对天父说：“不要成就我的意思，只要成就祢的意思。”（参路 22:42）

在那个可怕的夜晚，当耶稣在客西马尼园祷告时，宗教领袖们正在密谋陷害祂。在加略人犹大的带领下，圣殿的士兵们闯进园子，要强行逮捕耶稣。不过，耶稣现在已经准备好为我们舍生赴死了，祂心甘情愿地就范了。

耶稣知道，在十字架上，祂将替代我们，背负我们所有的罪，担当我们所有人应得的诅咒，好将我们从罪恶和死亡中拯救出来。

耶稣走上十字架，不在于犹大因贪婪而出卖了祂，（参路 22:1-6）也不在于宗教领袖因嫉妒而把祂交出去，甚至不在于罗马总督彼拉多因胆怯而判祂死刑。（参路 23:1-25；约 11:45-53；19:1-16）耶稣走上十字架乃是出于天父的爱！

Praying in anguish, Jesus asked his Father to take away the suffering that he would soon be facing on the cross for our sake. Jesus prayed so earnestly that his sweat fell like drops of blood to the ground. And as he raised his tearful cry to heaven, Jesus' disciples fell asleep. Yet he said to the Father, "Not my will, but yours be done."

On that dreadful night, the religious leaders were plotting against Jesus as he prayed in Gethsemane. Led by Judas Iscariot, the temple soldiers marched into the garden to arrest Jesus forcefully. But Jesus, now ready to lay down his life for us, proceeded willingly.

Jesus knew that on the cross he would take our place, carry the weight of all our sins, and take on the curse that we all deserve so that he could rescue us from sin and death.

Jesus went to the cross not because Judas betrayed him out of greed (Luke 22:1-6), nor because the religious rulers handed him over out of envy, nor even because the Roman governor Pilate sentenced him out of cowardice (Luke 23:1-25; John 11:45-53; 19:1-16). Jesus went to the cross out of love!