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.