A Watch and a Prayer with Betrayal

Matthew 26:36-56 

The Prayer in the Garden

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."

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."

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him." 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.

50 But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

52 But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"

55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."

Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

This historical account shows Jesus asking three of His disciples to watch as He prayed while facing the imminent suffering and painful death of being scourged and nailed to a cursed tree (Deuteronomy 21:22-23, Galatians 3:13-14) the Romans called a cross.  Jesus was “sorrowful and deeply distressed” as it is recorded for us here.  This was a heavy painful grief and a heavy ladened burden weighing on His body and soul as the Lord anticipated the sufferings to come which were worth enduring to bear our sin (Hebrews 12:2-3) and put it to death on that cross (Philippians 2:8) once and for all (Hebrews 9:12).  He was sorrowful to death as it is written.  This means He was burdened with the weight of everyone’s sin He took on His divinely innocent shoulders (John 1:29, Hebrews 9:26-28) as He prayed for the Father’s will to be done as the necessary sacrifice to purchase His chosen ones and release us (Isaiah 61:1, Hebrews 2:15) from the bondage of sin imprisoning us all.  After praying these painful submissive thoughts, Jesus walked over to the disciples who were to be watching and had to wake them from their slumber, admonishing them to watch and pray because temptation was always on its way to overtake them like the sleep they had fallen into.  He warned them of the weakness of their fallen human nature that often overtakes the spirit of a man who is ever willing to do God’s will and work but can fail because of this weakness if we are not constantly vigilant.  Jesus prayed these things three times and checked the disciples each time; then He told them the time was up and He was about to be betrayed but the traitor into the hands of sinners who rejected Him and God’s will since they could not hear His word.  Then immediately Judas the betrayer arrived with the mob of the religious leaders who had been stirred up against the Son of Man and of God with a kiss and clubs to take Him to a mock trial and sentencing to death.  The act of violence against the attackers by one disciple was quickly addressed by the Lord as an inappropriate response and Jesus reminded all the disciples that His sovereign power was more than adequate to stop this is it was in God’s will,  as He could call upon an army of angels to put down the weak Roman army backing these religious leaders set against the Lord and His Anointed (Psalm 2:2, 7, 9).  This capture and unjust punishment of death was necessary to fulfill the scriptures and deliver God’s chosen children through His suffering and death in their stead and ours (John 3:14-15, 12:27, 31-33).  The disciples all took off running to save their lives at this point, not having understood what it meant to watch and pray, but this was also as the scriptures predicted (Zechariah 13:7, Mark 14:27).  May we then learn from these and stay steadfast in watching and praying as we do God’s will to proclaim the gospel at all costs.  May we be vigilant and valiant for the truth in the face of betrayal and adversity.  Amen.