After dinner Jesus knew Judas has already left and he would return with Roman soldiers to arrest him. He goes up to a place called Gethsemane with his disciples and prayed …
Scripture Reading: Mark 14:32-42
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them.“Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[f] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Devotion Questions
- Facing the biggest and toughest challenge in His missionary journey on this world, Jesus knows full well this is the moment of no-return, for once he is arrested there is no going-back. Even Jesus struggled with this ultimate sacrifice. 3 times he prayed to the heavenly Father to take the cup away, yet despite his extreme distress to a point he was sweating like bleeding, in all 3 times he immediately followed his ask with “But follow your will, not my will.” Take a moment to meditate on Jesus’s challenge, his fear, his reluctance, yet his obedience, his faithfulness, and his determination.
- Some say Jesus’s humanity is fully revealed like His Gethsemane prayers like no other scripture in the Bible. Jesus is every bit as human as you and I, and he fully understands our weakness and our challenges too. Are you also struggling with obedience in your life, and your heart just wants to take the easy way out instead of following God? Maybe it has to do with God’s calling for you? Area of ministry work? Or offering your time to serve God? Financial offering? Personal time? Or it’s your relationship or career choices? Whatever it is, spend a minute to reflect on Jesus’s example and pray to God for strength to make the difficult choice.
- Jesus told us “You did not choose me, but I chose you .. I no longer call you servants … instead I have called you my friend. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for his friend.” Meditate on these verses and pray to Jesus “Dear Jesus, as I reflect on my life, I am truly unworthy of you paying such a dear price for me. You had your chances to remove this bitter cup but you did not, for you love us to a point you laid down your own life for us. You chose the cross over your own life. Lord there is nothing I can do to ever repay your love for me. But teach me to follow your examples to the best of my ability, so that others can see your love in me, not to glorify me, but to glorify you and my father in heaven. Teach me, and guide me, so hopefully I can make you proud, and be worthy of you calling me your “friend”. In your most holy name I pray – Amen.”