The memory of Jesus in Gethsemane must have been strong in the Church. The gospel writers tell the story, each in his own way, and the epistle to the Hebrews recounts it like this: Jesus offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard. We get the “cries and tears” but what did the author mean by “he was heard?” After asking that the “cup be taken from him” Jesus still endured the cross. I think my prayer is heard when I get what I am asking for! The Biblical lesson is that in prayer we are not trying to change God’s mind but getting in sync with God’s will.
