And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “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 said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”Luke: 22: 39-53
What fuels you before a hard test? Jesus prays and prays and prays before testing.
From the phrase "as was his custom," we know that Jesus had a regular pattern of prayer. Jesus didn’t cram before the test: he was regularly on the Mount of Olives at night. And even before being in Jerusalem Jesus would withdraw to desolate places to pray. Even in the midst of times when Jesus was being sought after for his healings and sermons, he was going to empty desolate places where he could focus and pray. How often do you go away for solitude and prayer? Your answer is directly correlated to how you are going to be ready when testing comes in your own life.
Jesus’s testing is for all who follow him! The disciples are told to pray “so you may not enter into temptation.” We are to pray in preparation for our trials. We cannot withstand temptation with our own strength. We need prayer. When we do not pray, we are saying that we don’t need God to protect us from temptation. If Jesus is strengthened through the gift of prayer, how much less should we depend on our own ability to stand against temptation, and how much more should we depend on God through our habit of prayer?!
Prayer is an act of submission. Jesus kneels in this moment. Three times, he prays to the Father to take this path and his pain away from Him. And God answers, “No.” God is not only glorified in His “yes’s” but He is glorified in His “no’s” as well. We haven’t learned to honor God until we’ve learned to honor Him in His refusals.
We should also pray with great exertion. In this text we see two groups of people who are emotionally and spiritually weary: both Jesus and the disciples. The disciples were sleeping “for sorrow.” They were grieving, and they had become tired. Contrary to how it is sometimes portrayed, the disciples are not just goofing off in this moment. They are tired in the soul. Theirs is one of two possible responses to grief - 1) Like the disciples, one can sleep on it (i.e. check out or seek escape.) Or 2) one can press in, which was the path chosen by Jesus. Being in agony, Jesus prayed more earnestly. Preparation does not come without obstruction, because we have an enemy who is interested in not just our body, but our soul.
In the last few verses, we see who’s actually prepared. In this moment, Jesus knows He’s going to be betrayed, and he meets this moment without running. He’s prepared. There’s no ducking this moment. Judas betrays Him, not only in a sacred place, but with a sacred gesture. It is a heinous act, and Jesus meets it without anger. Retaliation would be totally understandable. But Jesus has been praying for this moment. The disciples on the other hand are ready to fight. They do what you expect them to do, because they haven’t been preparing. They ask “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” and they don’t even wait for an answer before attacking. Had their preparation been sound, this scene might have been different.
Your fruit is a product of the soil you are growing yourself in.
But Jesus says, in this moment, “No more of this.” He heals the guard. We are supposed to respond to hate with love. A prayerful church fights our battles with grace, love, healing and truth. And Jesus tells them the truth while meeting them with grace.
