The Passover Night of Vigil by Jesus

 

The Passover meal ends with cups of wine and singing. But Jesus takes the ceremony to the Garden of Gethsemane and continuers the request of the Ancient Passover, one last requirement; that of staying vigilant.

Matthew 26:36-46           The Prayer in the Garden

³⁶ Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,, and He told the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. ³⁸ Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow — to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.” ³⁹ Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

⁴⁰ Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He asked Peter, “So couldn't you keep watch with Me for one hour? ⁴¹ Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” ⁴³ And He came again and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open.

⁴⁴ After leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the time is near. The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up; let’s go! See, My betrayer is near.”

But this midnight vigil that Jesus asks his disciples to stand watch with and pray, is prescribed in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Exodus 12:39-42

³⁹ The people baked the dough they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, since it had no yeast; for when they had been driven out of Egypt they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ The time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years. ⁴¹ At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the Lord’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² It was a night of vigil in honor of the Lord, because He would bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is in honor of the Lord, a night vigil for all the Israelites throughout their generations.