Betrayal and Arrest

Betrayal and Arrest
Matt. 26:39-46

39 And [kai] he went [proerchomai] a little [mikron] further [proerchomai] , and fell [pipto] on [epi] his [autos] face [prosopon] , and [kai] prayed [proseuchomai] , saying [lego] , O my [mou] Father [pater] , if [ei] it be [esti] possible [dunatos] , let [parerchomai] this [touto] cup [poterion] pass [parerchomai] from [apo] me [emou] : nevertheless [plen] not [ou] as [hos] I [ego] will [thelo] , but [alla] as [hos] thou [su] wilt.
40 And [kai] he cometh [erchomai] unto [pros] the disciples [mathetes] , and [kai] findeth [heurisko] them [autos] asleep [katheudo] , and [kai] saith [lego] unto Peter [Petros] , What [houto] , could ye [ischuo] not [ou] watch [gregoreuo] with [meta] me [emou] one [mia] hour [hora] ?
41 Watch [gregoreuo] and [kai] pray [proseuchomai] , that [hina me] ye enter [eiserchomai] not [hina me] into [eis] temptation [peirasmos] : the spirit [pneuma] indeed [men] is willing [prothumos] , but [de] the flesh [sarx] is weak [asthenes] .
42 He went away [aperchomai] again [palin] the [ek] second time [deuteros] , and prayed [proseuchomai] , saying [lego] , O my [mou] Father [pater] , if [ei] this [touto] cup [poterion] may [dunamai] not [ou] pass away [parerchomai] from [apo] me [emou] , except [ean me] I drink [pino] it [autos] , thy [sou] will [thelema] be done [ginomai] .
43 And [kai] he came [erchomai] and found [heurisko] them [autos] asleep [katheudo] again [palin] : for [gar] their [autos] eyes [ophthalmos] were [en] heavy [bareo] .
44 And [kai] he left [aphiemi] them [autos] , and went away [aperchomai] again [palin] , and prayed [proseuchomai] [ek] the third time [tritos] , saying [epo] the same [autos] words [logos] .
45 Then [tote] cometh he [erchomai] to [pros] his [autos] disciples [mathetes] , and [kai] saith [lego] unto them [autos] , Sleep on [katheudo] now [loipon] , and [kai] take your rest [anapauo] : behold [idou] , the hour [hora] is at hand [eggizo] , and [kai] the Son [huios] of man [anthropos] is betrayed [paradidomi] into [eis] the hands [cheir] of sinners [hamartolos] .
46 Rise [egeiro] , let us be going [ago] : behold [idou] , he is at hand [eggizo] that doth betray [paradidomi] me [me] . KJV-Interlinear

39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.' 40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, 'So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 'Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done.' 43 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He came to the disciples, and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 'Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!' NASB

Jesus concentrates on the Father. His hour is at hand. The salvation of the human race in its entirety is on the line. Someone once devised a projection estimating just how many people had lived since Adam. Of course the answer has lots of assumptions, but that number amounted to about 15 billion, born into this world since Adam. This could be high, or it could be low. If the population of the world doubles every 30 years as some projections conclude then this century alone will add more humans to that number than all of history combined.

No matter. Whether one person or a trillion, the stakes are high for each of us personally. The success of Christ gives us all a chance to live forever with God in heaven. His failure would condemn us all to oblivion, assuming that we would even have been born in the first place.

Lucky for us all, Christ looked to God the Father and a plan which looked out for our best interest in mind. Unlike the apostles, Christ kept awake and spent His time in prayer. The three slept in indifference. Christ sought rest in the Father. The three sought rest in their own sleep.

Did Christ need to pray? Of course not. He is God. But this is a teaching moment for us all. We are not God. We are human, man, 'adam', which you recall means red dust, and more specifically, worthless red dust. That means that we are nothing. So this is the long and short of our life. Nothing needs something in order to continue in existence. Nothing can't support anything, and especially it cannot support itself.

When we find ourselves up against the wall, then we do what? Go to sleep? No. We pray, and pray like there is no tomorrow. This is what Jesus is doing. Tomorrow is D-day. All of history, ever since the creation of the angels way back eons ago, whenever that was, all of history has come to this point, this day in time.

Jesus is under attack. Not mentioned specifically but by implication. Man cannot keep watch for even one hour. God has been on watch since creation began. Man is weak, and needs an external source of strength to avoid temptation. Jesus is under a temptation siege from Satan, an assault that has intensified. The evidence of it is in Jesus' physiology. He is under great stress (from an external assault). Is there anyone else in the garden, other than Jesus and the apostles? No. Then where is the external assault coming from? Recall we studied this in the last two lessons.

The assault is coming from Satan. Satan has a lot riding on the outcome of this last and final sacrifice. The real one, not of animals, but of God Himself.

Jesus prays to the Father three times. Returning each time to find the apostles asleep. Each time He prays to the Father for some other method to solve mans problems. Is there any? No. This is the only method of solving sin and death for the human race. We learn from this conversation between Father and Son. It is for our benefit, lest we stray off into some other philosophy or belief, looking for that 'better' way.

It is repeated so many times in the scriptures, and by me in this Bible study. There is only one God, one salvation, one faith. There is only one spiritual life, and one means of attaining that life. Why is this repeated? Because people just do not listen (the first time - and many times thereafter). Life generally has to hit people pretty hard before they get with a Bible study program. People just do not take this Bible stuff seriously. Even though they know that life in eternity will last for trillions and trillions and trillions of years and more. Compare that to our life span here on earth, and our life here is nothing in comparison.

If by attaining spiritual maturity we will qualify for untold blessings (beyond imagination), Rev. 1-6, then wouldn't it be worth at least a little time in Bible study? Try to imagine things that you would really like to have (if you had a genie at your disposal - and don't be shy), and then multiply that by infinity. Does that qualify as beyond imagination?

Do you then get with a Bible study program, with the intensity which Jesus is displaying? Or, do you go to sleep and ignore it all? Do you become responsible to God and follow the things He expects of you (remember those three areas of responsibility we have studied), or do you ignore all of this as not so important for your life? Do you look for excuses as to why you don't pursue a Bible study?

'Well I don't have the time right now. Well I just don't think it is that way. Well, (yawn) maybe I'll consider it - tomorrow.'

The apostles are sleeping. The moment has come and Judas and His merry men are approaching.

Times up!

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