Matthew 26:37

‘And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sore troubled.'

He now took the inner three apart with Him. It is quite clear that He feels in need of their company to support Him in what lies ahead. These are the three He usually takes with Him in unusual situations (as with the raising of Jairus' daughter, and the Transfiguration). Perhaps the description of the other two as ‘the two sons of Zebedee' is in order to stress the fact of Peter's presence, although Matthew has previously described them in this way, and it may be that it is just his way of describing them. However, in Matthew 26:40 Peter is again the one who is emphasised, even though in fact He then addresses all three. Perhaps Matthew wants us to see that Jesus is encouraging Peter in the light of what He has previously said to him.

And even as the three move away from the others it is seemingly apparent that Jesus is ‘sorrowful and sore troubled'. The agony of the night is upon Him. The words used are expressive of great emotion. They recognise that something unusual is happening. They are not used to seeing Jesus in such an emotional state.