When Jesus returne to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without me drinking it, your will be done.” (Mt. 26:40-42)
Jesus finds Peter, James and John sleeping. “Sleep” is often a biblical figure of avoiding the great decisions of life. Paul says to the Thessalonians, “Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.”
Jesus talks about undergoing “the test.” It’s difficult to translate the Greek word used here. It’s the same word used in the Our Father – lead us not into “temptation.”
We all go through flashes of that.
That is “the test”, and that is what we hope not to have to face when we are vulnerable, unguarded. It’s the test Jesus is facing in Gethsemane. He faces it and stands firm: “Your will be done” – an exact citation of the third petition of the Our Father.
To what “test” in my life right now do I most need to say those words: “Your will be done?”
Spend some quiet time with the Lord.
