In between the Passover meal and His arrest, Jesus retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane. This daily devotion looks at how that time was His submission to all God had in His plan.
Nuggets
- Prayer strengthens us to resist temptation.
- Jesus showed us how to turn everything over to God.
- We are to submit to God completely.
- Jesus’ prayer showed us how much anguish He was in before His arrest.
- The situation grieved the disciples.
The Passover meal had been eaten, and the Lord’s Supper had been instituted. Now, it was time to wait for the show to really start.
Jesus was going to be arrested that night.
But just because Jesus was in wait mode didn’t mean He misused the time. To wait is to endure something for however long we are called to do so by the Lord.
We said in The Silence of Waiting on God that we are called to wait and rest in God, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing anything.
Resting and waiting are actions. They are conscious decisions.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Battling Temptation
“Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray" (Lk. 22: 40 CSB).
Prayer strengthens us to resist temptation.
Jesus chose to complete another action. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane in the Mount of Olives to pray.
Clarkson contended that Peter, James, and John were allowed to go further into the Garden with Jesus than the other eight did because only they were counted as worthy. I don’t think I buy that.
I think those three formed the inner circle for Jesus. He didn’t have one BFF; He had three. I think they were more the leaders of the disciples.
True, Thomas had his doubts, and some of the others really aren’t mentioned except in the list of names. But when we get right down to it, all of them ran away.
Even Peter. Even James. Even John, the beloved.
Jesus wanted the Big Three to pray for Him. He was going to be praying, sure.
But Jesus wanted the support. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Mt. 18: 20 NIV).
There was another reason why Jesus wanted the disciples to pray — it wasn’t just for Him. He wanted them to pray for themselves.
Temptation is a suggestion in our mind that would lead us to sin rather than following God’s Will. It is also that period of time between conception and execution of doing what is sinful.
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There was a huge battle going on inside of Jesus. Clarkson wrote, “At this point the cross immediately confronted him in all its awful severity, and he knew that this was the time when he must finally resolve to endure everything or to retrace his steps. This, then, was the critical hour; then was ‘the crisis of the world.’”
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So, Jesus went where He was supposed to go — to the foot of the throne. He went to have a heart-to-heart talk with His Dad.
Jesus knew what was facing Him — and what the disciples would be facing — would be a major battle. All the disciples knew for the past three years was going to get ripped out from under them.
Everyone was to have been praying that night. Only Jesus got the job done.
A Prayer of Submission
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me — nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done" (Lk. 22: 42 CSB)
Jesus showed us how to turn everything over to God.
Let’s roost a second on the prayer itself. Thy Will be done. Four simple words. Beautiful words.
Tough words. Maybe easy to say them. Hard to carry them out.
Really, that is what God wants in a nutshell. Remember, we said it wasn’t about doing or not doing. Perfection was all about being.
The perfected state indicates the combination of the spiritual graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness. Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
Look before that. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me — nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Lk. 22: 42 CSB).
Clarkson wrote, “Prayer, appropriate at all times, is urgently needed as we enter the shadow of temptation; but it is positively indispensable when the greater trials of our life assail us.”
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Jesus knew that there were some temptations that we would only be able to withstand if we were constantly praying. He knew that God was in ultimately in control.
True, Jesus knew from before the beginning of the world that He was going to be the Sacrifice for our sins. He had no problem with that.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
But I wonder if, in the back of His mind, Jesus thought God would pull an Isaac.
- “‘Take your son,’ he [God] said, ‘your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about’” (Gen. 22: 2 CSB)
- “Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, ‘My father.’ And he replied, ‘Here I am, my son.’ Isaac said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ Then the two of them walked on together” (Gen. 22: 7-8 CSB).
- “Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son” (Gen. 22: 10 CSB).
- “Then he said, ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.’ Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son” (Gen. 22: 12-13 CSB).
Oh, we could probably bet Satan was putting that front and center in Jesus’ mind!
Didn’t matter. Jesus said, “Your Will, God, whatever.”
What is the base of a lot of our sins? Clarkson told us that “it is because men are not willing to be what God created them to be, not willing to do what he desires them to do; it is because they want to pursue those lines of thought and of action which he has forbidden, and to find their pleasure and their portion in things which he has disallowed, – that they err from the strait path and begin the course which ends in condemnation and in death.” We say anything but Thy Will be done.
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All about Submission
We are to submit to God completely.
Clarkson said it was all about the submission. It wasn’t about understanding. It isn’t even about feelings. It isn’t about religious affiliation.
It is about letting God have His way. Even if He is calling us to do or give up something we don’t want. Even if it is going to hurt.
Oh, to have Jesus’ character! But that is what this redo for godliness is all about, isn’t it? We want to “… put [ourselves] into harmony with the Divine plan and purpose, so as to say in true submission and surrender, “Thy will be done,” [in order to get] to the very heart of the saint’s ‘higher life’ on earth; this is about as [full] a ‘sanctification’ as can be attained this side [of] heaven.”
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Pusey contended that submission to God has two elements.
- Follow God’s Will perfectly.
- If something is not His Will, don’t make it your will.
Pusey felt that if God’s Will was not clear to us, we are free from sin.
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Part of me is saying that is logical. The other part is saying don’t use that as a way to try to justify our positions.
God’s laws and commandments aren’t a strict checklist to determine how many of the do’s did we do — and how many of the don’ts.
They are to show us God’s character. We are to use what we learn from them to aid us in determining our actions in other situations.
No where in the Scriptures does it give us instructions on the internet. But it tells us not to lie and steal. There are a lot of lies out there, and many use it as the avenue to steal.
We’ve got to imitate God’s character. We have to be Him, not do to earn or perfection.
A Prayer of Anguish
Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Lk. 22: 43-44 CSB).
Jesus’ prayer showed us how much anguish He was in before His arrest.
Look how much Jesus was hurting in the Garden. The beatings hadn’t started. The crown of thorns hadn’t been jammed on His head yet.
Jesus is just praying. And “… his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Lk. 22: 44 CSB). He was so depleted of energy that an angel had to come minister to Him.
Eadie contended that the sweat really was bloody. Whether it was or not, He needed divine support.
Resource
Eadie’s Our Lord’s Bloody Swear
https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/eadie/our_lord’s_bloody_sweat.htm
Jesus was having major turmoil on facing the cross. Still, He chose to obey His Father, even to death.
The Inner Circle Even Got It Wrong
"When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief. 'Why are you sleeping?' he asked them. 'Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation.'" (Lk. 22: 46-47 CSB)
The situation grieved the disciples.
Even the Big Three were not allowed to see Jesus’ anguished prayers. Jesus did go back to check on them.
Unfortunately, they did not do as they were told.
- “When he reached the place, he told them, ‘Pray that you may not fall into temptation’” (Lk. 22: 40 CSB)
- “‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them. ‘Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation’” (Lk. 22: 46 CSB).
We don’t know how long Jesus had been off by Himself praying. We don’t know how long they had been asleep.
We do know they were given one job — and they messed it up.
If there was any explanation of why, it was in verse 45. “When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief” (Lk. 22: 45 CSB).
Now, I am not saying this to give them a pass. They disobeyed a direct order from Jesus.
They didn’t disobey because of doubt or desire to follow Satan. They had anguish in their souls because their Master said that He was going to die.
No, they haven’t put it all together yet. What they do understand scared them.
Still, Jesus wanted the disciples to pray for Him. I don’t see how He could have justified it if He went off to pray on His own.
Jesus was to be our model. When we hurt, we are to pray to God. We are to support and ask for support from our brothers and sisters in Christ.
It wouldn’t have worked if Jesus would have cut out.
True, the disciples were Clueless in Gethsemane. But they knew something big — and bad — was up. And they were shaking in their sandals.
Jesus knew they were going to split. He knew Peter was going to deny Him.
Still, He had all of His remaining disciples there. He wanted them involved in His ministry — in every aspect of it.
No, they couldn’t take Jesus’ place. They could be witness to what He did and why for years to come.
It makes very obvious that God wants us to have a part in expanding His kingdom.
Making the Connections
Ooo, baby. Look what Higgins said. He wrote, “Prayer is an arrangement in the economy of infinite wisdom and goodness to meet the daily needs of Human lives.”
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Arrangement — positioning
Economy — wealth and resources
Wisdom — discernment
Goodness — righteousness
Prayer is a positioning in the wealth and resources of infinite discernment and righteousness to meet our daily needs.
We need to especially pray when we are suffering. When we are able to say “Thy Will be done,” God rewards us with strength.
How Do We Apply This?
- When we pray, we need to totally submit to God.
- We need to pray for faithfulness.
- We need to pray for others.
- We can ask for the same thing multiple times.
- We need to shut the door so we won’t be distracted when we pray.
Resource
Lord, I Have Shut the Door
Vocalist: Elaine Guthals
Keyboard: Chris Vieth
Luke’s diagnosis was that we need to pray the same prayer that Jesus did. Thy Will be done. That will go a long way in submitting to God.
Father God. We submit to You. We want to do Your Will. You have given us laws and commandments to show us how to respond in any situation. Help us to imitate You. Amen.
What do you think?
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