Matthew 26:36-41 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Today’s devotion comes from the words that Christ gave to His disciples when He found them asleep, after He had gone up to the garden of Gethsemane to pray, knowing that in a few hours He would be caught like a thief and placed on the cross.
Before we get into it, let me tell you something. When Christ went up that mountain to pray, He did not go up looking for a way out, nor did He go up looking for excuses. He went up (as an example to us) looking for strength. When you read His prayer in detail, Jesus mentions "the cup." This cup represented His cross and His contents: the nails, the blows, the shame, and everything else, without leaving the sins of each one of us.
Beyond death itself and the terrible suffering of the crucifixion, there is something else that, perhaps, we cannot understand. And it is the following: Jesus, who was holy, innocent, and separate from sinners, was treated by God as sin itself, because of us. There on the cross, the sin of mankind was placed upon Him.
Isaiah 53:5-7 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
Today, we cannot even imagine the horror He felt when sin was placed upon Him since, being holy, He must have suffered a frightening experience.
But in His words we can see that Jesus, in His prayer before His Father, was not asking to escape from the cross, but He prayed for the will of God to be done.
It is impossible for you and me to understand the full meaning of this experience in Gethsemane, but I believe that it was precisely there in Gethsemane that Christ won the victory over Calvary, where He would later be crucified.
When Jesus came down from Gethsemane, the word of God tells us in verses 40-41 that He found His disciples asleep. Look at what He tells them and why He tells them:
Matthew 26: 40-41 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Let us understand first what “watch and pray” means:
To watch means –to attend, to look, to guard, to look after.
The next word is pray –prayer is the power of God in man.
• Prayer is the oxygen of the human.
• Prayer is the strength of the Christian.
• Prayer is the life of the child of God.
A Christian who does not pray will soon become discouraged.
A Christian who does not pray will lose the desire to remain faithful to God.
A Christian who does not pray will once again look at the world as he looked at it before Christ.
A Christian who does not pray will lose his joy in following Christ.
A Christian who does not pray will die spiritually.
When Christ tells you, watch and pray. Those two words are and should be the life of every Christian. A child of God must constantly, without hesitation, be watching and praying.
Now let's look at why Christ tells His disciples to watch and pray.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
The biggest problem is not our problems, but whether we do God's will or not. Christ knew that only by watching and praying He could obey what God was commanding Him to do.
John 6:38-40 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
He ends by saying, “watch and pray,” because in the end the flesh is weak. When the flesh is weak, it is through affliction that Satan attacks.
2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
