Beginner’s Online Bible Study: Jesus Prays in Gethsemane Matt 26:36-46 // Mark 14:32-42 // Luke 22:39-46
36Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”37He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.38He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
40Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?41Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the dbody is weak!”
42Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”43When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.45Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.46Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
Jesus is grieved about what was about to happen. His soul is crushed. But the God-Man shows us how to be submissive and obedient. He could have walked away from the entire mess, went back to heaven, and told his father to forget the whole thing. But he didn’t. His desire was to do the Father’s will. His desire too do his Father’s will was greater than his grief and distress. Many scholars believe that this is the true moment our salvation was won. That once the decision was made, the rest was all a matter of “follow through”.
And his closest friends and disciples seem to not have a clue about what is going on. This great moment in which the decision to save us all from eternal damnation is made, is completely lost on the disciples. I am certain that many times in our lives we are completely oblivious to the spiritual importance of the moment. Are souls saved and lost by a simple word or act on our part and we are unaware of what is happening? Could we be so blind? Could we bear to know the weight of our daily actions?
And lastly, we should note again the importance of prayer in our lives. Jesus tells Peter to pray that he will not give into temptation. Prayer, fellowship with God, will bring is through.
Father, give me burning desire to do Your will. Make my desire to do Your will stronger than my many fears and worries. Open my eyes to the actions around me and let me see the importance of my words and decisions. Help me to so firmly decide to follow you, that the rest is simply “follow through”. *obbs*