30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
(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 lets the disciples in on some really bad news. Not only will He be betrayed by one of them, but all of them will desert him that night. Jesus quotes the prophecy from Zech 13:7 that when the Shepherd is struck, the sheep will scatter. The good news is that their desertion won’t be permanent and Jesus would meet them again in Galilee after His resurrection. In a demonstration of pride, Peter denies that he will desert Jesus, even if all the others do, he won’t, even if it costs him his life. If only Peter had asked for help he might not have fallen so hard. For Peter it ended up worse, not only would he deny Jesus, but he would deny Him three times in a short period of time. All the disciples stood with Peter and said they would not deny Jesus. Peter was not alone in correcting the Lord.
Jesus went with His disciples to Gethsemane where He asked them to wait for Him while He went off to pray. He took Peter, James, and John with Him and asked them to remain awake and pray with Him. Jesus was deeply sorrowful, not only because of the physical pain of death by crucifixion but primarily because of the spiritual pain He would endure by being separated from his intimate relationship with the Father as he experienced spiritual death. Jesus would become “sin for us” (2 Cor 5:21). Three times Jesus prayed to express His pain and desire but always wholly willing to do His Father’s will. Even at His darkest hour, Jesus wanted his disciples to have the spiritual stamina they needed so he woke them three times to watch and pray with him but they repeatedly fall asleep.
The disciples’ actions provide a warning to us not to be too sure of ourselves and to recognise that spiritual testing is always around the corner. We would do well to humbly recognise our weakness and be quick to pray for help to face whatever is coming our way. Let us pray as Jesus did, bringing our concerns and troubles to God but always seeking His will over our own.
I liked when Jesus said, the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. It’s so true
This reminded me that we really can’t do anything by ourselves and need to rely on God to help us grow in Him because truly “the flesh is weak” and no matter how much we want to, we cannot change for the better without God’s help.
When Jesus was praying and he kept saying that it should only be done if it was in God’s will. He even said that it should be God’s wi when it meant that he would have to die. I think I just need to be more willing to do what God’s will is because it isn’t even a big as having to die