He came the third time and said to them, “From now on, sleep and rest, for the end has come. The hour has come, and now, the Son of Man is being handed over into the hands of sinners.”
For the third time Christ comes to the disciples and declares that the hour has come. Their sleep had already revealed human weakness, and Christ’s struggle in prayer had ended in perfect obedience. The words “From now on, sleep and rest” show that the time for staying awake has passed, because the hour of temptation has already come. The words “The Son of Man is being handed over into the hands of sinners” reveal the depth of His humility: the Holy One is delivered into the hands of sinners so that sinners may be saved. Christ does not flee and does not hide, but with a ready heart He goes toward those who betray Him, because the Father’s will has been fully accepted in prayer.