Gethsemane Prayer

Dear friends,

Below is a passage from Matthew 26:36-46, followed by some reflections.

Matthew 26
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." 42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." 43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

As I reflect on this passage, I am struck by the following thoughts:

1. Jesus suffered sorrow "to the point of death." Jesus experienced both the highs and the lows of the human condition. He knows what it is like to be overwhelmed with sorrow. Jesus brought his sorrow to his father. He wants us to bring our sorrows to him as his children.

2. Jesus gathered close friends from his community to be with him in his time of sorrow and temptation. Even Jesus did this! Why do we so often isolate ourselves when we're suffering or depressed instead of surrounding ourselves with the support of close, believing friends?

3. It's not mentioned in Matthew's description, but in Luke 22:45 we read that the disciples fell asleep because they were "exhausted from sorrow." Jesus urges them to stop sleeping and to pray through their sorrow so that they will not fall into temptation. Satan uses our sorrows and struggles to tempt us away from God. Jesus shows us how to avoid this trap: prayerfully bring your sorrows and struggles to God.

4. Jesus wrestled with his own human will. He asked God to take away the suffering of the cross from him, even through he knew the answer. Wrestling with your will is bringing your deepest desire(s) to God and then asking that his will be done instead. Too often we do not give voice to our desires. They remain hidden, even from ourselves, and so we never give them completely to Jesus. When you are struggling with something, bring it to God and ask him clearly for what you desire to happen. Then ask that his will, not yours, be done. Jesus did it three times. For you and I, it may be one, five or a hundred times. It depends on how deeply we feel about what we are struggling with and how long it takes to reach the place where we fully surrender our will to God.

5. In the end, it was God's will to allow Jesus to suffer death on a cross - even though Jesus himself asked God to take it away from him! Here's a thought to chew on: The important thing in times of sorrow or struggle is not just what happens AFTER we pray. The important thing is first the submission of our deepest desires and will to God in each particular situation. We almost always focus on the results of our prayers, but God will take care of those. The first result he is looking for is the submission of the desires of our hearts and the will of our minds.

In Christ's love and grace,

Jonathan