Jesus' Surrender

Imagine knowing you had a week to live. How would you spend it? Jesus knew he had a week to live. He knew he was going to be betrayed by Judas. He even knew where He was going to be betrayed. How did Jesus live in these agonizing moments? Check out Luke 22:39-46.

“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’ He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt, and prayed. ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup form me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. ‘Why are you sleeping?’ he asked them, ‘Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’”

One thing I notice that is significant in the passage is that Jesus knelt and prayed. The common form of Jewish people praying back then was standing with your eyes lifted to heaven and your arms outstretched. So, when Jesus knelt, he was pleading with God intensely. The various gospels tell us that He not only prayed once to the Father, but three times. (Matthew 26:39, 42) Jesus' mindset just before his crucifixion was a total submission to the will of the Father. He didn’t want the “cup,” which was Jesus’ suffering. He was expressing to God a natural human desire to avoid the pain and suffering that would come with being crucified. Remember, Jesus is fully God but also fully human. He felt the struggle. He knew what was awaiting Him.

Oh, that we would have that kind of persevering prayer. We see that He was in such deep sorrow that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. That was a sign of extreme anguish. As much as He wanted out of the suffering, He wanted the Father’s will. He prays, “If it is possible.” Jesus would have preferred another way but was committed to the Father’s will. If you ever questioned that Jesus was fully man, this verse shows us clearly!

After he rose from prayer, he went to the disciples and lo and behold found them asleep! At Jesus' moment of deep pain, his disciples were asleep! I love that the disciples were with Jesus as they saw Jesus model the importance of prayer and surrendering one’s will to God. But they failed to stay awake and watch with Jesus. Luke speaks to the sorrow they had. The grief that they felt at the sight of their Master’s distress overwhelmed them to the point of sleep. Jesus woke them and encouraged them to pray so they wouldn’t fall into temptation. In Jesus’ sorrowful moment, He was thinking of them and their good instead of how sad it felt that they failed to support Him.

This week is Holy Week, when we consider what it must have been like for Jesus to walk to the cross on our behalf. Can we follow in Jesus’ steps? “Father…I want your will, not mine.” When we do, we can be sure that our God hears us.

“Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we don’t have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us draw near then with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.