PRAY

Luke 22 :41-44: And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed. Saying “ Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours be done. Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him and being in agony, He pray more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

In anticipation of what was to come, Jesus, the Son of Man, withdrew from His disciples, about a stone throw away and He knelt down to pray.  In agony, He sought our father’s face and strength to fulfill the grueling event He was about to experience. In deep distress and sorrow, He prayed 3 times saying the same words in the flesh “ take this cup away from me” but submitted to the spirit“ Not my will but yours be done” so that scripture would be fulfilled.

Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.”  The Son of Man set a precedent that His disciple should follow when being tempted. If Jesus, fully God and fully human had to pray, when He anticipated moments of weakness in the flesh, how much more, we should pray without ceasing, especially in anticipation of a moment of weakness.  The Spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak.  In the previous verse, the Lord said “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I prayed for you, that your faith should not fail and when you have returned strengthen your brethren.

What is Jesus saying? He is saying we should pray to not be led into temptation “ And led us not into temptation but delivered us from evil. “He is also saying, we should pray that our faith should not fail when being tempted. What should you do when you anticipate temptation or are being tempted? Pray! Ask the Lord to not lead you into temptation or ask the Lord to help you when in temptation.  So what is temptation?  Temptation is the fulfillment of fleshly desires that led you to make unwise or regrettable decisions; each one is tempted when he is drawn by his own desires and is enticed.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God” for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when He is drawn by his own desires and enticed. So, when you are being drawn by a desire that you know would cause you to sin or participate in a regrettable action, pray and ask the Lord to help you overcome it, endure it, or resist it, given the situation, so that the will of the Father would be accomplished through you for His glory.

John 4: 43

My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.

Matthew 26:37

My soul is exceedingly sorrowful and even to death. Stay here and watch with me.

Hebrew 4:15-16

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all point tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 2:17-18:

Therefore in all things He has to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, His is able to aid those being tempted.

Jesus prepared for what lay ahead in prayer. He told the disciples on several occasions that He would be betrayed. After He left His disciples and prayed the third time, saying the same words, He came to them and said to them “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going, see my betrayer is at hand” The disciples were exceedingly sorrowful and each of them begins to say to Him, Lord is it I”.   Remember, the 10 of the 12 disciples were displeased with James and John when they asked Jesus to sit at His right hand, and the Lord told them the greatest among them would be their servant. Their integrity, loyalty, and commitment to Him as faithful followers were in question. They must have anticipated something was about to happen, but they did not have a full understanding of what would actually take place.  Overwhelmed by sorrow and by events beyond their control they fell asleep. They did not pray to be strengthened. The Lord commanded them to watch and pray lest they enter into temptation because they needed the help of the Holy Spirit through prayer to overcome fear, overcome anger at injustice and overcome unbelief. In foresight, the Lord aware of what it takes to overcome, trap, snare, scheme, plots of the Pharisee, Sadducees, and the religious and political leaders was preparing them for what was ahead ; as He prepared to triumphantly disarm principalities and powers that influence them as permitted by the Father.

“Watch and pray, least you enter into temptation. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”

Luke 22:47-48

And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?

 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful”

Jesus called Judas out as the one who would betray him; He spoke truth in love.  Through the pages of scripture the Lord conveyed Judas’s rap sheet to attentive and listening ears; from the calling of His disciples to the last supper -He had with His disciples; the Lord had no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, rather He exposed them.  Judas, known as a traitor, a thief, the money carrier, the one Satan entered among the 12, the son of perdition, the betrayer, betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver and identified the Lord with a gesture of kiss, so that scripture would be fulfilled- In today’s context, Judas was one of the disciples (Christian) but not a practicing disciple (believer) as exemplify in the choices he made, he did not guard his heart and he did not believe in the Lord’s testimony as a result he was influenced by Satan- “for where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”

John 17:11-12

Now I am no longer in the world but these are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father, keep through your name those whom you have given me that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name, those whom you gave me I have kept and none of them is lost, except the son of perdition that scripture might be fulfilled.

Zachariah 11:12-13

Then I said to them, give me my wages; and if not refrain. So they weigh out for my wages thirty pieces of sliver.

Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said “what are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you? And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Mark 14: 42

Rise, let us be going. See my betrayer is at hand.

Luke 6:16

Judas the son of James and Judas Iscariot who also become a traitor.

Luke 49-50

When those around Him saw what was going to happen they said to Him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword? And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, permit even this and He touched his ear and healed him.

This must have been an intense moment; the disciples provoked to anger, leaned on their own understanding and struck the high priest servant. This is why the Lord commanded the disciples to pray lest they entered in temptation of expressing their anger at injustice because the wrath of man does not produce the righteous of God. From the cutting of the high priest servant’s right ear to the Lord healing the same ear at the same time must have been a sight to remembered. The Lord in absolute control enforced peace in the midst of conflict with patience while under extreme pressure.  Considering the host of heaven was at His disposal, – He could have summon legion of angels but He did not, rather, He permitted the mob to arrest Him to do the will of Him who sent Him. He demonstrated the love and compassion of God by healing the high priest servant right ear while being persecuted to fulfill His words: “but I say to you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you and pray for those who spitefully use you.” He also protected His disciples from being arrested when He went forward and revealed Himself as “I am He” to the detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priest and Pharisee and they drew back and fell to the ground.

“ He who has knowledge use word with restraint and whoever has understanding is even tempered.”  Proverbs 17:27

Luke 22:52-53

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple and the elders who had come to Him, “ Have you come out, as against a robber with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize me. But this is your hour and the power of darkness.

The religious, political and roman troops took counsel against the Lord as prophesied in the psalm why do the nation rage and the people plot a vain thing? The king of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed, saying let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heaven shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.” Jesus rebuked the mob for treating him like a criminal. 

Jesus granted them the hour because all authority in heaven and earth is given to Him. He willing lay down His life that He might pick it up again, for no power can come against Him unless its been granted to them from above. God allow the dominion of darkness to accomplished His will and not theirs because He knew the long-term eternal gain of the labor of His soul would out-weigh the temporary emotional and physical pain of suffering.   Jesus submitted to the Father ‘s will despite the opposition and threat he faced, because He knew the outcome would be to delivered us from the dominion of darkness and covey us into the kingdom of light to open our eyes and turn us from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God so that we may receive forgiveness of sin and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus.

So what is Jesus saying?

Jesus is saying when you are tempted, pray. When you think you will do something that may lead you into temptation, pray about it, resist it or rebuke it and it shall flee from you.  When you are easily drawn to something that tempts you, find scripture that deals with that particular issue, mediate on the scripture to internalize it and then submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide you in truth to do the will of the Father. Similarly, Jesus in the flesh overcame the temptation to retaliate against the roman troops, religious and political leaders  when treated unjustly; yet at the same He rebuked them for treating Him like a criminal. On a different occasion, Jesus overcame temptation with responses of scripture by setting an example that we should follow.