By Robert Olsen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Do I Have the Strength?
Matthew 26:36–46
Committed to the Task (36–39)
Having completed the Last Supper, the disciples went to the Mount of Olives. Jesus said all of the disciples would abandon Him in order to fulfill Zechariah 13:7. Everything had to go according to God’s plan and Jesus knew this because He is God. Matthew, of all the Gospel writers, continually pointed out how Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection were all fulfilling Scripture. This is important because it shows that Jesus is the prophesized Messiah; it shows that God was in control of the events surrounding Jesus’ ministry; and it gives us confidence that God will be true to all of His prophecies.
Peter refused to believe he would deny Jesus. But he proved to be more disloyal than the others, not only abandoning Jesus at His most difficult hour, but also denying Him later on. However, in spite of this, Jesus forgave and restored Peter, ultimately using Peter as a pillar in the Church. What a powerful testimony of forgiveness. This should give us hope that even when we sin against God, He forgives us and still uses us for His glory. There is no room to wallow in guilt. The gospel frees us from guilt when we confess our sins and repent.
Jesus was genuinely fearful of the crucifixion. As a human, Jesus knew the pain He would face. As the Son of God, He knew how He would be carrying the sins of the world on Him. However, despite these fears, Jesus prayed for God’s will to be done. He knew the Father’s way was the best way and He was obedient to following the will of the Father, even to His own death. This should inspire us to do the same. Even though we face trials, we know we have a Savior who faced trials for us. God knows what we are going through and He promises to be there for us even through death.
Asleep on the Job (40–43)
The disciples were committed to Christ yet they still fell asleep. As humans we have weaknesses and we need to be mindful of these and do our best to overcome them. One way to be ready when we face temptation is to know Scripture. Jesus used Scripture when He faced temptation, and it would behoove us to know what the Bible says to help us know what God wants from us and how to respond when we are faced with temptations.
Realizing the Moment (44–46)
When the guards came to arrest Jesus, the disciples were asleep. They would soon abandon Jesus and go into hiding even though they said they would stay with Him even unto death (see John 11:16).
God’s plan was going to go forward with or without the disciples because God’s plans cannot be thwarted. This does not give us an excuse to sit by idly and do nothing for God’s kingdom but it should encourage us to participate in God’s kingdom knowing that nothing can come against us that will stop God’s will from coming to pass. We should have a confidence that the success of our ministry is not dependent upon us, but dependent upon God. We do the best we can, but even when we fail God still loves us and forgives us, lifting us up to move on again in the victory of the resurrection.
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