39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus left the upper room with His disciples and they headed to the Mount of Olives. They went to the garden of Gethsemene though Luke doesn’t name the place. There Jesus asked His disciples to pray that they would not fall into temptation. This was going to be a time of great testing for them and Peter had already shown a self-confidence that he would not fall where Jesus had warned he would. Jesus then withdrew a short way away and prayed in His humanity that by some way He might not have to go through the suffering and death He was destined for but He remained resolutely committed to the Father’s will. An angel was sent to strengthen Him. He continued to pray in agony and with such fervour that his sweat was like drops of blood. When Jesus returned to His disciples he found them sleeping. He again encouraged them to be spiritually alert and pray that they would not fall into temptation.
While Jesus was still speaking to His disciples, a crowd came to arrest Him. Judas came up to identify Jesus with a kiss and Jesus confronted Him directly on the deception of a kiss of betrayal. The disciples sought to defend themselves and Peter even lashed out cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant’s ear. But Jesus wasn’t going to put up a fight. He wasn’t going to put up any defense. Instead, He continued to show compassion by healing the servant’s ear. Then Jesus asked the crowd a question to reveal their disposition. He had taught openly in the temple but they came cowardly in secret. This was their time, a limited time for darkness to prevail—but not ultimately.
How much praying do you do before you embark on anything of significance? Do you agonise in prayer even if you know God’s will? Do you tend to move ahead with self-confidence rather than a prayer-filled God-confidence?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Daniel in the Lion’s Den: Daniel 6