Luke 22:39-71
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt downand prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him,48 but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts,and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.”
54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”
57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him.64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them.67 “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, 68 and if I asked you, you would not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You say that I am.”
71 Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
Jesus and The Father
Have you ever felt sad and hopeless? Maybe you’ve been through a tough time, and it feels like it will never get better. Or maybe the situation ahead of you seems full of difficulty and you can’t see the other side. It’s hard to know what to do or where to turn in those times, so it’s helpful to be reminded that Jesus also went through tough times.
Today’s passage leads us through Jesus’ final night before he was nailed to the cross. As Jesus and his disciples entered the familiar Mount of Olives, the knowledge of all that was to come and all that had already been set into motion weighed on him. He knew the path before him was the only way, but knowing didn’t make it easier and certainly didn’t calm the wrestling and inner turmoil.
In those moments Jesus knew being with the Father was the only way to continue the path before him, and the rejection coming through friends turning their backs on him. He knew the deal that had been made and the courage that would fail a young fisherman. He knew how the chief priests would pressure Pilate, and what the perspective would be of every person who looked at him on the cross. He faced being rejected and abandoned by his friends, his country, and the world.
It's in those moments on the Mount of Olives that we gain a better understanding of how he dealt with difficulty and hardship. Jesus’ prayer shows us his relationship with his Father: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (22:42). Through this prayer, we see how Jesus turned to the relationship he knew wouldn’t fail. This prayer demonstrates that he knew his Father well. He knew the plan God had sent him to fulfill, that his Father could be trusted, and that the Father’s will was good and perfect. These three things point to the relationship between Jesus and his Father.
So, what does this mean for those of us who are facing difficulty and hardship, or maybe even rejection? How do we live when our situation seems hopeless?
Like Jesus, we can have a relationship with our Heavenly Father who is trustworthy and wants to comfort us. Jesus faced rejection on all sides, but he was sure of his Father’s love. We can be sure of this too by spending time with the Father in prayer and allowing him to show us who he is.
I encourage you to take time today and ask him to give you his point of view about your situation and invite him to tell you what he thinks about you. He wants to walk with you through today, no matter what you’re facing.
Questions for Reflection:
• As you think about your own relationship with God, what can you say you know about him?
• Is it comforting to know that Jesus went through difficulty in ways that might feel familiar to you?
• Is there a situation you are struggling with that you need to take to the Lord in prayer?
Author Bio
Erin Peters is the Executive Ministry Director at
Fort St. John Alliance Church. She lives with her husband, Adam, and their three kids on their acreage just outside of Fort St. John. She is an avid reader and also enjoys walks with her dog and quadding with her family.
Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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