He was deeply distressed and horrified. He had taken Peter, James and John to be with Him while He prayed. “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is swallowed up in sorrow--to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake’” (Mark 14:34). Earlier that same evening Peter had told Jesus that even if everyone ran away he would certainly not! Peter had insisted that even if he had to die with Jesus that he would never deny Him! However, when Jesus fell to the ground and began to pray, Peter lay on the ground and slept.
This ground to which Jesus fell was * “God’s arena” - “the physical theater” in which our eternal destiny freely plays out.* In this arena Jesus fought and won the battle in prayer. He prayed as He had taught His disciples to pray. Deeply distressed He called out, “Abba, Father!” He honored His Father, acknowledging that all things were possible for Him. His ministry had begun in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Now, as Jesus earthly ministry was coming to an end, Satan was with Him once again, but this time in the garden, tempting Him to forfeit the Kingdom and reject God’s will.
When Jesus found His disciples sleeping He asked Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:37,38). The arena where the battle of temptation was to be fought and won was prayer. When Jesus had taught His disciples to pray He had taught them to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). This kind of prayer is more than words; it’s being vigilant, and alert, aware of the battle raging.
Jesus had given a similar admonition when He told His disciples what to expect before the “end of time.” “Watch! Be Alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming. It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his slaves, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming--whether in the evening or early in the morning. Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert” (Mark 14:33-37)!
In the arena of prayer as I watch and wait for Jesus to return in glory, I find that, like Peter, my spirit is willing but my flesh is weak. Life becomes a struggle and I long for escape, a place to hid from the crushing pressures of this physical theater where everything that I believe is being put to the test. In my spirit I see Jesus deeply distressed and horrified at the cost of my salvation. How shall I respond? I fall to the ground and pray, “Abba, lead me not into temptation, deliver me from evil. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak.” By God’s grace I choose to stay spiritually awake and pray, because this battle is fought and won in the arena of prayer!
*HELPS Word-studies
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