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USING MATTHEW 26:36-46, WHAT LESSONS MAY ONE LEARN FROM JESUS’ PRAYER IN GETHSEMANE.

Mathew 26: 36 – 46 highlights the human side of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by referring to his grief, anguish and sorrow. In his prayers, he asked God the father is there is another way for his plan to be accomplished. However, almost as soon as he said this he realizes and accepts that God’s will must be done. Mathew 26: 36 -29. NKJV.
He acknowledges that the “hour has cone” for the son of God to be glorified by “finishing the work” he has come to do. Mathew 36: 44- 46. NJKV, Then he prayed for his disciples to be protected as they take the truth into the world. He also prayed for those who will believe in him through the message delivered by the disciples.

There are so many lessons to be learnt from Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane. Some of them are :

• Jesus Christ demonstrates the priority of submitting to the Fathers will. Verse 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.” He remained reverent, he was not demanding or harsh towards his father, he did not lose his grip on the faithfulness of God even in the situation he was. We must always pray in line with the will of God. We must submit to the will of God.

• He taught us how to take full advantage of the privilege of prayer Mathew 26 : 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? This teaches us that we should always pray to God just as Jesus prayed to the father.

• He taught us how to deal with sufferings and temptation. Mathew 26: 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Jesus taught us to pray for victory over temptation.

• The need for intercessors / prayer partners. Mathew 26: 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.” This gives some ease to the troubled soul, when he has some trusted friends or confidants praying with him

• We also leant that we should be watchful at all time. (watch and pray) in verse :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.” We leant the importance of keeping watch in Prayer.

• Most time we use our suffering as justification for blaspheming God’s name or talking about him like he is not a good God, But from Jesus’s experience in Gethsemane, we see how wrong. God dis not allow Jesus suffer because he did not care, rather, he allowed him go through all that because he cares so much. Jesus shows his belief that God is still good all the time.