Jesus Goes With His Disciples to Pray
November 23, 2019
Commentary
Gethsemane was a lush garden east of the city of Jerusalem near the slopes of the Mount of Olives (v. 36). Jesus often went there for peace and quiet. On this occasion He takes Peter, James and John further into the garden (v. 37). Isaiah called the coming Messiah “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3), and in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced sorrow like He had never known. Truly, “He was in all points tempted as we are” (Heb. 4:15). He then stops and asks these three to keep watch while he separates Himself from them to pray (v. 38). When He prays for the cup to pass from Him it is not due to His fear of death. The cup represents the wrath of God against sin which was soon to be placed on Him, on the cross. The sin of the world was poured on Christ as He became “sin for us” (II Cor. 5:21). He submitted His will to the will of His Father (v. 39).
When Jesus returned to the three He found them asleep (v. 40). He woke them up and reprimands Peter for not watching while He was praying. He encourages them to watch and pray but at the same time acknowledges the weakness of the human flesh (v.41). He goes off by Himself to pray two more times but each time He returns He finds them asleep (vv. 42-46).
Because these disciples are not prayerfully watching, they will not be prepared for what is about to happen. Man who knows the Lord and has the Spirit of God may have good intentions, but he must have control over his body (Rom. 12:1) in order to experience spiritual victory. Have you ever been challenged to pray urgently for something for at least an hour, only to find yourself falling asleep after a few minutes. It is so true that often the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We really can’t do anything until we pray but after we pray we can do more than pray.
Application
What has Jesus asked us to do (Matthew 28:19-20)? If He returned today would He find you doing what he has asked? Are there any priorities that need to be changed in your life?
Matthew 26:36– 46 (NET)
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray 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 this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.” 43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”
Illustration: The Need For Revival
There are no shortcuts when it comes to revival. The church desperately needs revival, but it is not going to come by easy methods. Evan Roberts prayed eleven years before the Welsh Revival broke out, and his ministry during that remarkable time broke him physically. More than one hundred thousand people were converted to Christ during that mighty awakening, but it was not the result of manufactured meetings (they were spontaneous) or manmade promotions. True revival goes deeper than that. (Warren Wiersbe, God Isn’t In a Hurry, (Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI, 1994), p. 14).