Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Read Luke 22:39-46.
TEXT: And being in an agony He prayed more
earnestly (see Luke 22:44).

After the Last Supper we read, "He came out
and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of
Olives." Judas knew that custom well. He knew
where he could lead the temple police to arrest
Jesus. By choosing this place and not a
location unknown to Judas, Jesus is already
surrendering Himself to His Father's plan.

Jesus instructs His disciples to pray. He then
withdraws from them, kneels down and prays,
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from
Me." This cup is God's furious wrath at all our sins.
Drinking down that punishment will be bitter and
deadly. But Jesus submits Himself to His
Father's grand design, "Not My will, but Yours,
be done."

The Father sends an angel to strengthen Jesus'
body. He did the same after Jesus fasted 40 days
in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan. This
angel strengthens and renews Jesus' human mind
and body to fully face the horror of the wrath of God
coming upon Him.

But the struggle is not yet over. Jesus still dreads
the cup the Father holds out for Him. We see the
intensity of Jesus' struggle as Luke the physician
writes, "His sweat became like great drops of blood
falling down to the ground." Tiny blood vessels under
the skin can rupture under extreme stress, permitting
blood to mingle with the sweat. The struggle lasts for
hours before Jesus is finally at peace. He rises to His
feet, ready to drink the cup down to its dregs.

THE PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, Your bitter sufferings in the garden
prepared You for the fiery trial to come. Give me grace
and strength to pray to You in the darkest hours of my
life, for my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:

Read Luke 22:31-34.
TEXT: (Jesus said) "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan
demanded to have you, that he might sift you like
wheat" (Luke 22:31).

Jesus predicted Judas' betrayal. Now He turns to
Peter, whose name means rock. But this time
Jesus doesn't call him "Peter"; instead, He repeats
his name, "Simon, Simon," to show His deep concern.

Jesus draws back the spiritual curtain to expose the
devil, who stands behind all that Jesus will soon suffer:
Judas' betrayal, Peter's denial, the murderous vote of
the Jewish leaders, the cowardice of the Roman
governor, and the cruelty of the Roman soldiers. In
Peter's case Satan demanded that God hand him
over to be crushed and sifted. But where Satan
demands, Jesus prays. He tells Peter, "I have prayed
for you that your faith may not fail."

Peter's faith will be sorely tried in the hours to come,
but Jesus makes a bold and comforting prophesy,
"When you have turned again, strengthen your
brothers." Peter's pride and self-confidence will be
crushed and sifted like wheat, but the Holy Spirit will
safeguard his faith to keep it from failing.

Jesus speaks of the future; Simon speaks of the
present. He is proud and confident that he will not fail.
He is ready to go with Jesus to prison or even to death.
So Jesus explicitly predicts his coming denials: "I tell
you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you
deny three times that you know Me."

The Son of God's prophetic word trumps Peter's
confident self-assurance. But it will take the rooster's
crow and a telling look from Jesus to convince Peter of
that fact-and to recall him to repentance, the first step
to forgiveness and restoration.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, like Peter, sometimes I'm confident in my
strength and abilities. At other times I'm utterly
defeated. Forgive my sins and fill me with Your Spirit,
that I may walk in Your great strength. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:

Read Luke 22:21-23.
TEXT: (Jesus said) "Behold, the hand of him who
betrays Me is with Me on the
table" (Luke 22:21).

Jesus first mentioned a betrayal when He predicted
His sufferings to His disciples. Now at the Last
Supper He staggers His disciples with the words,
"Behold, the hand of him who betrays Me is with Me
on the table."

Judas must have been dumbstruck. Jesus has just
put the secret he has carefully hidden out on the table
for all to see. The tables have completely turned, and
Judas is at Jesus' mercy. He has the power to betray
Judas into the other disciples' hands or, at the very
least, He can foil any attempt Judas may make to try
to betray Him.

Now that He has Judas' fearful attention, Jesus
continues, "The Son of Man goes as it has been
determined...." No one will force the Son of God to
His sufferings- not Judas, not the Jewish leaders, not
the Roman governor-but in order to fulfill His Father's
will and to save mankind He willingly goes to His death.

But Jesus' focus is not on Himself; it's on Judas, "But
woe to that man by whom He is betrayed." Jesus wants
it to sink in. Like so many of the sins we contemplate,
Judas doesn't understand the full magnitude of what he
is about to do. Jesus wants him to understand, so he
will confess his sin now and receive Jesus' pardon and
forgiveness-before it is too late.

The disciples question among themselves as to who
would do this dastardly act. Jesus could do to Judas
that which Judas agreed to do to Him. It is in His power
to betray Judas to them. But He shields and protects
him instead.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, You reached out to Judas with true love
and concern, urging him to repent and believe. Destroy
my love of worldly things that I may repent and trust in
You alone. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)