PART B:
· Why did Jesus go a little farther to pray when he had the 3 selected disciples with him?
· The danger of sleeping in the place of prayer
· Conviction in the place of prayer
Answering the Question from part A
He expected that they would and they should pray for him there at the place of prayer, the place of prayer where you open yourself to God, you cannot hide, you cannot expose a part and hide a part of your problem, it is where everything is open, he just had to tell the 3 selected because he knew he could hide nothing at his prayer altar, and he said to them, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death, stay here and watch with me.
Meditate on this: Remember in vs. 36, he said to the other disciples sit here (nothing more), now in vs. 38, he tells the 3 selected stay here and watch with me. There is an enormous gap between sitting and staying. When you sit, there is every tendency you can get up and go but when you stay you remain until you are told otherwise (remember the children of Israel, they stayed until God told them to move Numbers 10 vs.12), watch with me, meaning pray with me pray alongside as I pray to my father.
Vs. 39: He went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
He went a little farther, why?, why did he have to go a little farther in Gethsemane, why did he not stay with the 3 and pray?
He knew he was about to fulfill his assignment; he needed time alone with God; he knew there was no way he could deeply express his innermost thought with the 3, and most of all they could not understand or comprehend yet his purpose here on earth. Nobody could pray and get to that level of groaning he needed. Just as sometimes in our lives we need to pray for ourselves even when we have people interceding for us because it is only you that understands and knows where and how it truly hurts. He knew they would easily get distracted because they were his closest; he had to move a little farther from them to pray.
He fell on his face meaning prostrating in total surrender, handling everything over to God, he was speaking to his father, Daddy this is me, this is all of me, nothing is hidden from you, this is my life before you, I am about to go through something very hard, please, do something take it away, I don’t think I can go through this anymore (remember, in the secret place of prayer there are no secrets, it is a place where you hide nothing), so Jesus with all his authority had to tell his Father, let this pass, let this cup pass, yet not as I will but as you will, it is a place of total surrender to the will and words of the Father.
Vs. 40: Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What, could you not watch with Me one hour?
He found them asleep; it is terrible to sleep spiritually (because the enemy sows tares while we sleep) it is even more terrible to sleep at Gethsemane (a place of Prayer or prayer altar); we have to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit at our prayer altars, the 3 selected were all asleep, Thank God Jesus went farther to pray, maybe he too would have slept with them, that is why no matter how you trust the people you bring to your place of prayer, you need to be ahead of them (spiritually) for you to lead them.
. Why did Jesus call only Peter? Why not the 3 (Peter, James, and John)
Jesus knew Peter was a leader, he knew the purpose of Peter; he knew other disciples would look up to Peter (see John 21:1-3 and vs. 15 to 17).
Vs. 41: “Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Then he told Peter, emphatically, watch and pray, meaning be sensitive, don’t be weak, pray and set yourself as a watchman so that nothing will meet you unaware.
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak
True, your spirit wants to pray but your flesh loves comfort, you need to discipline your flesh to agree with your spirit.
The Seekers 