39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:39-41 ESV)
Holy Thursday (Matthew 26:20-75, Mark 14:27-52, Luke 22:7-70, John 13:1-18:27): The Last Supper, Jesus’s arrest, and his prayer in Gethsemane.
Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane was a deep and anguished one. He wanted his friends to wait and pray for Him as well, but the hour was late and weariness was heavy upon them. In both His prayer and in having to wake them He pointed out that though our spirit is willing, our flesh is weak.
We find sin and weariness creeping into our lives and while we desire to do right in spirit, our weak flesh simply caves in to temptation and sin. We must be diligent and stay awake. Willing to pray deeply to avoid the temptation, avoid the sin. In doing so we enter into the prayer for ourselves and Christ at Gethsemane.
Reflect on: Do we enter into prayer to keep us from sin? Are we using our greatest tool to combat our flesh and the enemy?
