Key Passage
Jesus and his followers went to a place named Gethsemane. Jesus said to the followers, "Sit here while I pray." Jesus told Peter, James, and John to come with him. Then Jesus began to be very troubled and full of sorrow.
— Mark 14:32-33 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
We must never underestimate the emotional and spiritual challenges that Jesus faced as his rejection, desertion, and crucifixion approached. The battle for our souls takes place at Gethsemane as much as it does at the Cross. Here, Jesus will not just battle those who hate him and those who will crucify him; he also has to battle his own humanity and will. In Gethsemane, the path that Jesus will follow—the path to the humiliation of the Cross—is determined by the only one who can accept it. Jesus offers himself to the Father and to us knowing the dire consequences.
Prayer
O precious and Almighty Father, words cannot express my sadness. I know that Jesus fully realized what lay ahead of him. I know that this caused him great anguish as he looked at what he would face. Thank you for such love. And to you, Lord Jesus, what can I say but thank you, bless you, and praise you for your obedient and sacrificial love. To you, dear Father, belongs all glory, honor, and praise. To you, dear Savior, belongs all respect, reverence, and humble appreciation. Amen.
Related Scriptures
So brothers and sisters, I beg you to do something. God has shown us great mercy. So offer your lives as a living sacrifice to God. Your offering must be only for God and will be pleasing to him. This offering of yourselves is the spiritual way for you to worship (serve) God. Don't change yourselves to be like the people of this world. But let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what things are good and pleasing to God and what things are perfect.
— Romans 12:1-2
Those children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like those people and had the same experiences people have. Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death. That one is the devil.
— Hebrews 2:14
Also, the Spirit helps us. We are very weak, but the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We don't know how to pray like we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us. The Spirit begs God for us. The Spirit speaks to God with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people's hearts. And God knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit speaks to God for his people in the way that God wants. We know that in everything God works for the good of those people that love him. These are the people God called (chose), because that was his plan. God knew those people before he made the world. And God decided that those people would be like his Son (Jesus). Then Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. God planned for those people to be like his Son. And he called (chose) those people. God called those people and made them right with him. And God gave his glory to those people that he made right.
— Romans 8:26-30
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