Not Fall Into Temptation

Luke 22:40  On reaching the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’

    Have you given any thought to what is going on in verse 40 of Luke 22?  Jesus brings the disciples to Gethsemane to be by His side when His “soul is overwhelmed to the point of death.” And then He tells them to ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’  I am sure they were puzzled by His words.  And we who have the benefit of seeing the whole story, the ‘big picture’ if you will, can grasp the true meaning of what Jesus meant.  It is an ominous warning filled with foreboding of troubles that await the disciples. And in this message rests the same cautionary not for each and everyone of us when we are in the midst of one of lifes’ trials.

    We know from our own reading of scripture that Jesus was to be arrested in Gethsemane and placed on trial.  We know that Jesus was tried, scourged, hung on a cross, died, was buried and rose again on the third day as foretold.  These things we know with certainty because of our faith. We have the words in scripture, the many teachings and lessons of our time as devoted followers of Jesus Christ. But, what of the disciples?  They would watch all this unfold in real-time.  There was not past to look back upon.  This was a profoundly difficult time.  They could see with their own eyes what would be their fate if they stepped up and challenged the religious authorities of the day.  It would be a case of stick another cross in the ground for each and everyone of them.  The temptation to doubt had to be phenomenal for the disciples.  Their Rabbi was to be taken away and killed before their very eyes.  The hope and promise they had in Jesus was to be dashed upon the ground just as sure as his blood was poured out during his “Passion.”  The temptation to let doubt overcome faith had to be overwhelming.  And for some, for a period of time that was the case.  Peter, who boasted of his fidelity to Jesus denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed.  And this transpired just as foretold by Jesus.  Thomas the doubting disciple would have to place his hands in the wounds to be convinced of the resurrection of Christ.  The temptation to let doubt overcome faith is just as strong today for you and I as it was for the disciples.  God and Father in Heaven will never tempt us. But Satan, the winner when doubt overcomes faith, will most assuredly take a swing at us with temptation.  The slightest doubt opens the door for more to creep in until there is a giant wedge creating a gap between ourselves and The Father.  How are we to keep doubt at bay and prevent the wedge from opening up that gap?  We follow the sound advice of Jesus given to the disciples at Gethsemane.  We pray that we do not fall into temptation.  We earnestly, fervently, and frequently pray that we are given the gift of a faith strong enough to overcome all semblance of doubt when our time of testing comes.  And when we are done, we pray some more.  To borrow a phrase from Gene Kranz, flight controller on Apollo 13, ‘Failure is not an option.” We must do what we must do to remain strong. We ask because we know without the love of the Father we are lost. We pray because we need to acknowledge to ourselves that it is not us, not anything we can or have done. It is all from the Father who sent His only Son to die for us.  And for that strong faith we must pray because temptation is always knocking on the door.

     Prayer:  Our Father in Heaven for You and You alone flows grace peace and mercy.  Your love for us who are so underserving of that love is overwhelming.  We are all too often weak and insecure. Fill is with the faith to stand strong against temptation in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Keep Watch With Me

Matthew 26:38  Then he said to them ‘My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’

    I have often marveled at how Jesus is portrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane in the movie “The Passion of the Christ”.  John Caviezel is hands down one of the finest actors to ever portray Christ in that dramatic role.  What I find compelling in this movie scene is the raw emotion displayed.  The words of Matthew 26 are no longer left to my imagination. Rather, they are graphically displayed in a manner I could scarcely have imagined.  All the emotion, the frailties each of us knows so very well in ourselves is right there in front of us.  To see what is meant by the words ‘My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death” is humbling and more than a little frightening.  Each and every time I watch the movie “The Passion” I struggle with this scene.  It’s a scene that reaches deep into me for it provides a glimpse of the struggle Jesus faced at that moment in His life on earth and ministry.  The moment is a very teachable moment Jesus shares with His disciples.  Peter, James and John were the same disciples he chose to share The Transfiguration with.  His closest friends were gathered around Him.  These three disciples had been with Jesus in times of good. And now He wanted them by His side when He was struggling the most.

    Fear of the unknown, of what comes next is a very strong.  And all the more so for those facing the end of their life.  The compelling nature of Matthew 26:38 brings to mind the pleadings of the Author of Psalm 69 verses 1&2. Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck, I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.  These two references point all of us to our one great hope when our situation seems hopeless. Our Father in Heaven is there by our side always.  He is our hope, our rock, our stronghold against the storms of life.  He is waiting there with open arms for us, when our time here has come to an end.  I have been blessed with having been near to friends who have been strong believers at the end of their time on earth. Each has passed on with dignity, hope, and a blessed assurance that in the end, they have nothing at all to fear.  And this condition of “fearlessness” exists because Jesus went before us.  He suffered the cross for our sake so that we would not live with the overwhelming fear of death. Our souls can be at peace and not be overwhelmed.  The flood waters will not overwhelm us and neither will they sweep us away.

    Prayer: Lord and Giver of Life we who are easily frightened seek You in earnest when we are troubled. Often we are afraid of what we should not be afraid of.  We too often forget the words of encouragement and hope that are salted through out Scriptures. We are weak. Help us to be strong Father.  Give us the strength and the faith to stand firm against our fears.  Help us to overcome our fears.  We ask this in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, who has gone before us and stands waiting for us to come home, Amen.

Sorrowful and Troubled

Matthew 26:36-37 The Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’  He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

    Do you have a couple of friends that you can turn to when you are troubled?  The friends I am referring to are what would be called close friends. They are people you have laughed with, frequently share time with, and possibly shared tears with over difficult times in your lives.  They are the kind of friends that accept you for who you are, and you accept for who they are.  How you came to be friends can be of little consequence.  There are two important aspects in this kind of friendship.

1.)  You are there for each other when times are good, and when times are bad.  The matter of being available is what counts.  In our modern world of cellular, text messaging, and social media the avenues for connection have expanded drastically from anything in the past.  Knowing that there is someone out there to talk with, to reach out to is incredibly important. And for the person that is reached out to, your role is to put a face on the love of Christ.  To listen, to talk, to care, and to pray with.  And most importantly to know that someone is there to not just pray with you, but to pray for you is so indescribably comforting.  A little piece of the peace of God that surpasses all understanding flows from that simple act of praying for a close friend.  The grace of God flows abundantly in prayer.

2.)  A close friend also holds us accountable.  This can be difficult at times for the friend to do. But having someone who is willing to speak openly, honestly, and objectively is another part what a close friend can do.  It is very easy, and tempting to throw a pity party when we are suffering.  The close friend is one who will call us on things we need to be called on. They will help us to see with our own eyes what fault we have, or what role we played in our current situation.  This is truly an act of love and done with trust and without malice.  We may not be able to see the fault in ourselves and a close friend will step up in love to help.

    Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him because he needs the accountability and the prayer aspects of these, his closest friends.  He asks this of these three men during a time when he is troubled as at no other time in his life.  He knows his limitations, and he knows that without their help and support he may weaken.  His time of testing is upon him and he needs to prepare for what He knows is ahead.  He needs His closest friends.  Dear friends of the Risen Savior, do you have close friends and are you a close friend someone can call upon in their time of sorrow and trouble?

    Prayer:  Almighty God, we are placed on this earth with the knowledge that we are not alone. You are with us always. And we also know that You have given us close friends we can reach out to when we are struggling. Help us to reach out to You through faith. And help us to be worthy of the trust placed in us when others reach out in need. We ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen