In Matthew 26:46, Jesus says to the disciples who are with Him, “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

We often sit around doing nothing while the world is on full attack mode in its war on God. The world hates Jesus even when they claim that He is a nice guy, a good example, or the best moral teacher. There are many unbelievers who use clever methods in their attempt to prove that Jesus is not who He claimed to be. However, when these theories are put to the test, they shatter and fail completely. We often help these blasphemers in their clever argument by the way we live our lives. Some people go as far to say that Christians are the most miserable people to ever walk the face of the earth. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” The world gets the impression of miserable Christians from miserable people who hide their vain lives behind the name of Christianity. It is always easier to blame someone else for our condition. Paul starts all of his epistles to the saints of God with, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” If God is granting His saints grace and peace, where is there any room for Christians to be miserable? The problem arises when self-proclaiming Christians work hard at trying to reach their own selfish ambitions even when they try claim it in Jesus name. We must be God-proclaimed Christians allowing Jesus Christ to produce and promote the fruits of His Spirit in our lives which Paul defines to us in Galatians 5:22-23 as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

In Matthew 26:45, Jesus came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.”

Jesus is constantly being betrayed on a daily basis while many of us are just sleeping and dwelling upon worldly affairs. There are so many things we as Christians get involved in that we have no business being a part of. There is a big misconception that Jesus is just a part of Christianity and not the sole definition of Christianity. When we come into the mentality of compartmentalizing Jesus, we fall into the devil’s deceptive trap. It seems we tend to get involved way to deeply in people’s personal lives instead of extending God’s gracious love through Jesus Christ that was expressed to us on the cross. Let’s not fall into the misconception of what makes a person Christian. Being Republican does not make a person Christian! Trusting in Jesus and sharing His grace by the way we live our lives makes us a Christian! Being a “pro-life” supporter does not make a person Christian! Believing in Jesus Christ and having His gospel live through us makes us Christian! Being an American (or any other nationality that claims to be a “Christian nation”) does not make a person Christian! Knowing that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and walking in His light makes us Christian! Jesus, and ONLY Jesus makes us Christian!

In Matthew 26:43-44, again Jesus came and found Peter, James, and John sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done,” once more.

Man’s strength can only go so far and here it proves it is not very far at all. We have the desire to do great things for God but our flesh holds us back constantly. It is very discouraging. It helps to know that even the greatest apostles went through the same things that we do. Even Paul writes of himself in Romans 7:23, “Wretched man that I am!” However, Paul would not dwell on his weakness for very long but instead would immediately boast about the victory we have in Jesus Christ. This is the same Paul that would write in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Jesus continues to show that only His work on the cross is what saves us. The disciples wanted to be there for God but couldn’t just stay awake for a little while. Even when all of Jesus’ followers abandoned Him, He knew His mission still had to be accomplished. He was filled with strength from above. Now, although in our flesh we might not be able to just stay awake for a little while (as simple as we may think that is), we now have the strength of God living in us through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit enabling us to say with Him, “Not our will, but Your will be done.” Blessed is the man who takes rest in the Lord and has victory in Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 26:42, Jesus went away again a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

Some people say there are many ways to get to Heaven or to God and it is not only through Jesus Christ. Ironically, while they believe there are many ways, they try to sell their way as being the best way to get to God. Even as Christians we can fall into the trap of trying to sell why Christianity is true. It sometimes appears that Christian apologetics, or maybe the petition to come forward at the end of the church service, can compared to being a car salesperson. We can’t sell Jesus Christ to anyone. I think God does a good enough job proving why we need to put our trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus never fought anyone into believing in Him. He simply told them the truth. Now, it is completely a person’s choice if we want to believe this truth. Whether we believe it or not, it doesn’t change the truth in any way. With this established, it would be impossible for any Christian to believe in Jesus and maintain the theory that there is any other way outside of Jesus to come to God. If there were any other ways, God had the perfect opportunity to step in and give Jesus the alternative. Heaven was silent on this matter. Jesus Christ: the Way, the Truth, and the Life. For our sake, praise the Lord He drank of the bitter cup of a heinous death that was certainly meant for us.

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says to Peter, James, and John, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

I think every Christian should have this verse embedded in their DNA. This is one of the most important verses in our Christian walk with Jesus Christ. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should “pray without ceasing.” It seems he is re-emphasizing the point that Jesus is making here. Jesus told them to keep watching and praying so that they may not enter into temptation. It seems most of the times when we fall into temptation (if not all the time) is when we stop watching and praying. W e want to live for God so badly but there is that little annoying  part called the flesh. Our spirit is under the authority of God but our body takes time to adjust to the change in regime. Those are the times that the flesh causes us to fall while we are in the transition into the new spiritual beings that Jesus Christ has transformed us into through the power of Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death on the cross crucified our flesh freeing our spirits but it can take some time for our mind to realize and fully comprehend that. We are no longer subject to the bondage of our fleshly desires but since we spent our entire life under this control, it just comes naturally to follow that path. In time, as we continue to cultivate our spirit through God’s grace, our new nature of walking in the spirit will take control of our lives more and more. Praise the Lord God All Mighty!

In Matthew 26:40, Jesus came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ”So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?“

As I go through this section, Peter reminds me of myself in my own failures. While Peter, James, and John were all sleeping, Jesus address Peter specifically. Peter was the one who said He would never deny Jesus, even to the death. Peter and the other disciples couldn’t even stay awake for a little while as Jesus was praying for them. There are so many things that I want to do in Jesus name but I fail time and time again on just the basic things. I thank God daily that salvation has nothing to do with the effort of man. This is a demonstration where Grace is superior to the Law. As Moses needed his hands to be held up by Aaron and Hur when His arms were tired in Exodus 17:12, the Law needs to be held up by man. However, Jesus received no assistance from man to bring salvation. His grace is sufficient for us.

In Matthew 26:39, Jesus went a little beyond them (James, Peter, and John), and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus causes a lot of controversy and debate in the lives of people who refuse to believe and trust in Him. A lot of religions will say all roads lead to heaven. Jesus said He is the ONLY way to heaven. Someone has to be wrong. How upsetting would it be for Jesus to endure the cross just to find out that God the Father made a mistake and He could have simply tried to work towards “Nirvana,” try to be re-incarnated enough times to become a cow, or live in hope that His good deeds would outweigh His bad deeds. The worse would be to get to heaven just to find out it did not really exist. It doesn’t make much sense yet it sounds good to those who “want to do their own thing.” The devil thought He had Jesus trapped at this point. He was getting ready to pounce on Jesus. It seemed like Jesus was questioning the cross. However, Jesus said the devil’s most hated words! Jesus said to God the Father, “Not as I will, but as YOU will.” I’m sure many of us have said that in our walk with Jesus. Usually that lasts about five minutes (if that long) until we are off trying to accomplish our own will again. Let us try to live the life that God has purposed for us by living according to His will and not our own.

In Matthew 26:37, Then Jesus said the disciples, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”

Pain and tragedy are the most difficult aspects of this life we have to deal with. It tests what we are really made of. They either prove how much faith we have or that we never had faith at all. I believe death was the toughest obstacle Jesus ever had to face. We being human, as much as we try not to think about death, we know we are all destined to die at an appointed date. However, in the case of Jesus, He being the infinite God who lives eternally did not have to taste death and should not have had to either. If there was any pride in Jesus, it would come out now. I’m certain the devil was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to catch Jesus with His guard down to destroy Him. Even my own pride, just like with the disciples’ pride, I couldn’t understand how Jesus, the Holy One of God, would have to die such a wicked and horrible death. When Jesus told the disciples of His death, Peter’s response was (and I’m paraphrasing), “No way, Lord! I think you’re crazy!” However, if we reference back to Isaiah 64:4, God having infinite power and wisdom was planning something that “no eye had seen and no ears had heard” and Paul adds in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “for those who love God.” Praise the Lord for our sake now that death is just a stepping stone into eternity!

In Matthew 26:37, Jesus took with Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James and John) with Him further into the garden and began to be grieved and distressed.

We tend to lose sight of the fact that Jesus Christ was also a human being made of flesh and blood just as we are. He had the same heart that pumps blood, the bodily organs, emotions, thoughts, and feelings that we have. He was not a robot or a computer programmed to turn on and off or say things at a certain time. The cross was not easy to endure. It was not an easy option to choose and even harder choice to go through with it. Have you ever been accused of doing something that you did not do? I hate taking the blame for something that I did not do. It is hard enough to take responsibility of what I actually did. What separates Jesus from mere man is while in His humanity He was distressed over the fact He would be judged as a sinner although He NEVER sinned, in His deity, she showed why and how He is the true and the living God , the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end by never deterring from the path of the cross. He stayed on the cross, crucified, embarrassed, ashamed and forsaken in His flesh, being made a curse so we could be blessed forever. People seem to say “Jesus Christ” as a curse word. Ever wonder why? To me, it seems that His work on the cross is so powerful that it has become a curse to them who refuse to believe and trust in His Holy name. We can talk a good a good game but Jesus has already played the game and He is victorious and He has extended his victory to us as well.

In Matthew 26:36, Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

A lot of people want to do something for God. They jump at every opportunity to be involved in any activity available. Jesus told His disciples to sit in a particular spot while He went up to pray. That would not work well for many of us today. We just need something to do. Sometimes God really wants us to sit, reflect, meditate, and pray while He is working on our behalf. Jesus was going to pray for strength as He was heading to the cross for our sake. I believe Jesus asked them to just sit there and wait on Him as there was nothing else they could do. Everything else was left up to Jesus and His miraculous and gracious work on the cross. Our salvation was in the hands of Jesus based on whether He would stay on course and go willingly to the cross or whether He would give up and run. Many people think they can work on being good people to make it to heaven without Jesus Christ. If it was left to us, we would be in a world of trouble (as if this one is not bad enough). As we have seen, there is nothing God wants us to do for our salvation. It is His completed work. We just have to sit, believe, and know that it has already been accomplished.