36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (Matthew 26:36 – 46, New International Version)
Theme: Discipleship
Context:
Thanks for your comments yesterday regarding unity, including the link to the song, “We are One in the Spirit.” In our individualistic societies with many fractured local churches, it is easy to forget how important unity is to the identity and mission of disciples of Jesus. As is evident in your comments, John 17 reveals the importance of unity to Jesus and by extension, to us.
We will now turn our attention to Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew’s account, Jesus prayed three times and asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him, but they could not stay awake. Jesus’ suffering, His request to His father for the cup to be taken from Him, and His submission to the will of His Father have been the topics of many Christological and trinitarian debates. Except for recognizing that there is considerable mystery surrounding the interplay that occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane between man’s finite domain and God’s infinite domain, we will not be engaging in the theological debates in this discussion. Instead, our focus is on the interactions between Jesus and His disciples.
During intense sorrow and suffering, Jesus was persistent in prayer and persistent in encouraging His disciples to pray. Put yourself in the Garden of Gethsemane for a moment. Imagine knowing that you are soon going to be unjustly tortured and killed. Then, imagine sharing your sorrow with some of your closest friends and asking them to watch and pray with you. Finally, imagine that instead of watching and praying, your friends fall asleep. Despite the inability of your friends to watch and pray with you, would you patiently continue to encourage them to pray and keep checking up on them?
Bible Passage:
Our Scripture passage today presents Matthew’s account of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane just before He is betrayed by Judas. Please prayerfully read the passage and answer the questions below.
Questions:
- Why did Jesus want His disciples to watch and pray with Him?
- What stands out to you about Jesus’ interactions with the exhausted disciples?
Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else. Please leave a comment on the blog.
March 28, 2024 at 3:06 am
Jesus wanted his disciples to watch and pray with him because at this time he was overwhelmed with fear and anxiety as he will be betrayed by one of the disciples. This was the time, we can see the Human side of Jesus. The very reason, why He can fully understand human beings , His creation because he went through such ordeals, feeling weak and sorrow while praying and asking God for His will be done. I guess God allowed Jesus to live on earth as a man for this is vital in his being the Messiah and Savior of the world.
What stood out to me in this situation was Jesus being consistent with His love for the disciples and his determination to stay calm despite feeling overwhelmed by the betrayal, knowing that he will be unjustly tortured. I admire how Jesus finds comfort in trusting , praying to His father and submitting everything to Him, the one who was and is in control of everything. I was encouraged by Jesus’ determination to show to his disciples the need for praying without ceasing, and asking for God’s will to be done especially in such challenging situations where only God could calm and pacify his children. To me that was significant.
March 28, 2024 at 7:16 am
Jesus wanted his disciples to watch and pray with Him in an effort to keep them steadfast in their faith and service to Him. The fact that they had fallen asleep was indicative of the weakness of their flesh, which would also be a source of temptation to them in the future. Jesus’ words also foreshadowed the alertness and prayer that the apostles would need in the face of the persecution that they themselves would be subject to in the coming days and years after Jesus ascended back to heaven following His death and resurrection. Jesus still showed His love for the disciples as He calmly and without chastising asks the obvious “ are you still sleeping and resting” He tells them their folly, in sleeping away the time which they should have spent in preparation now the event found them not ready, and probably terrified.
March 28, 2024 at 7:16 am
Jesus wanted his disciples companionship and support in his time of need. Above all he asked the disciples to pray because they needed to be strengthened in the inner being fir the temptations and trials that lie ahead. I was touched by Jesus’ compassion for his exhausted disciples. I believe He spoke to them tenderly and did not give up on them but I instead repeated his request to watch and prayer. He remained calm and kept his cool even when his disciples “did not live up to expectations” is the way I think of this humanly speaking.
March 28, 2024 at 7:52 am
Jesus may have wanted His disciples to watch and pray with Him to learn or to assist in praying. They would have learned that sometimes you need to pray privately while others pray for you separately. And could have been as simple as will you deny the human need of sleep to intercede for a friend?
What stands out to you about Jesus’ interactions with the exhausted disciples? His patience-3 times. His vulnerability in sharing “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” His struggle with being fully God in the flesh- The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
March 28, 2024 at 8:09 am
Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
This verse makes me think Jesus wanted the disciples to watch and pray with him because he knew what He was about to go through and wanted more people to pray to God on his behalf.
Reading this verse makes me think of myself. I naturally pray to God when I need him. However, if I ask other people to pray for me, it’s because I am overwhelmed, sad, or might even be feeling hopeless to the point where I feel like I need additional prayers and pleas going to God on my behalf. Even though I know that God is hearing my prayer, there’s a part of me that feels like hearing the prayers of others on my behalf may make a difference.
I don’t know Jesus’s tone or attitude when he asked his disciples if they were still resting and sleeping. I would probably be frustrated if I am in the situation Jesus is in and I asked friends or family to watch and pray, and instead, they go to sleep. However, I think Jesus would probably be more understanding and compassionate, and realize they were tired and not be annoyed or upset with them. Jesus knew whether his disciples prayed on his behalf or not, His Father heard his prayer, and His (God’s) will would be done either way.