The Prayer in Gethsemane (2)

[Luke 22:39-46]

This is from Matthew 26:36-38:
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ Taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’”

Here, the conjunction “then” (verse 36) connects the previous passage where Jesus, as the high priest, had prayed to God (John 17) and then went out (Luke 22:39). The word “then” (Matt 26:36) links the earlier passage in Matthew 26:31-35 with what follows. In the previous verses, Jesus told his disciples, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” (verse 31).

The phrase “it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” quotes the prophecy from Zechariah 13:7:
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.’”

By saying “it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered,” Jesus predicted that God the Father (“I”) would strike the good “shepherd,” God’s Son Jesus (John 10:11,14), and as a result, the “sheep” — Jesus’ disciples (the eleven disciples excluding Judas Iscariot) — would be scattered. Upon hearing this prophecy, Peter declared, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will” (Modern Korean Bible: “Even if everyone abandons the Lord, I will never abandon Him”) (Matt 26:33).

Jesus said to Peter, “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times” (Modern Korean Bible: “I tell you clearly, tonight before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know me”) (verse 34).

At that time Peter said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Modern Korean Bible: “Even if it means dying with you, I will never say I don’t know you”) (verse 35). All the other disciples said the same (verse 35).

After this, Jesus went, following his usual custom, with the eleven disciples (excluding Judas Iscariot who had gone out to betray him) to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39), as recorded: “Then Jesus came with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane” (Matt 26:36).

Jesus left eight of the disciples at the entrance of the Garden of Gethsemane and told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Matt 26:36). Then he took Peter, James, and John, the two sons of Zebedee (verse 37; Mark 14:33), further into the garden (Matt 26:36-37).

As he went on, Jesus became sorrowful and deeply distressed (verse 37). He told Peter, James, and John, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (verse 38). Then Jesus went a little farther, about the distance of a stone’s throw (approximately 10 meters), knelt down, and prayed (Luke 22:41).

When Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “Stay here and keep watch with me” (verse 38), He was asking them to “stay awake and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (verse 41).

Jesus was not telling the three disciples to stay awake and pray only for Him, who was sorrowful and overwhelmed with anguish (verses 37-38), because Jesus did not come to this world to be served or helped but rather to serve and help others (Mark 10:45). Rather, as Jesus quoted the prophecy of Zechariah — “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (verse 31) — He was saying that when God the Father struck Jesus, the shepherd, all of Jesus’ disciples would abandon Him and scatter. Also, Peter would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed that night (verse 34), just as Jesus had said. Therefore, Jesus told the disciples to stay awake and pray with Him so that they would not fall into temptation (verse 41).

However, although the disciples wanted to stay awake in their hearts, their flesh was weak (verse 41), and they could not keep watch with Jesus. They fell asleep due to sorrow (Luke 22:45; Mark 14:40).

Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, made with earnest effort and struggle on the eve of His crucifixion (Luke 22:44), was victorious as He drank the “cup of suffering” (verse 42, Modern Korean Bible) fully for us according to the will of God the Father [New Hymnbook #154, “O Lord of Life, the Crown,” verse 4].

However, Jesus’ disciples did not heed His command to “stay here and keep watch with me” (Matt 26:38), that is, to “watch and pray” so they would not fall into temptation (verse 41). Their hearts were willing, but their flesh was weak (verse 41), and they fell asleep instead (Luke 22:45; Mark 14:40), ultimately succumbing to temptation and sin.

We are no different from Jesus’ disciples. We too sin against God because we fail to watch and pray with Jesus so that we do not fall into temptation. Our hearts want to pray and watch with Jesus to avoid sin, but our weak flesh causes us to sin unintentionally against God because we do not keep watch and pray with Him.

What should we do?

First, we must hold firmly by faith to Romans 8:26-27 and 34:
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. God, who searches our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with God’s will. ... Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Modern Korean Bible).

Second, so that we do not fall into temptation (Matt 26:41), we must follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who helps our weakness (Rom 8:26), who strengthens us (Luke 22:43), and pray “watching” with Jesus, the Son of God, together (Matt 26:38; Rom 8:34; Matt 26:41).

Third, we must continually listen to the “seed of God” living in us (1 John 3:9), the “imperishable seed” and the “living and enduring word of God,” the “gospel” of God (1 Peter 1:23-25), which is the gospel of Jesus Christ that brings salvation to those who believe (Rom 1:16), and overcome by faith in Jesus Christ (1 John 5:4-5).

We must overcome the temptations to abandon the Lord, deny Him, or leave Him by faith. Even if we face trials, hardships, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword (death), we will overwhelmingly conquer all these things through Him who loves us (Rom 8:35, 37).

May we all imitate Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and become victorious over temptation.