HE WENT A LITTLE FURTHER... + Daily Devotion + Sunday, March 18, 2012

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2012

Matthew 26:39 “And he went a little further and began to pray…”

SCRIPTURE READING: MATTHEW 26:36-45

36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

REFLECTION: 

It was not the first time Jesus had gone there to pray.  So far as we know, it was His last.  Never again would Jesus and his disciples pray together in Gethsemane.

Huddled around the heavy-hearted Savior the eleven tentatively walk, softly talk. The light of the waning moon filters through the olive trees.  Judas had not yet arrived with his malicious consorts.

Jesus asked His disciples to pray.

He asked Peter, James, and John to walk with Him further into the Garden. “My soul is exceeding sorrowful,” he cried.  He asked them to pray there.

Then “He went a little further.”

When Jesus prayed He did not stop at “Let this cup pass from me.”  He went a little further.  He prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine.”  I’m so glad He went a little further.

When Jesus suffered indignity and injustice at the hands of the chief priest and his allies, and then again the courtrooms of Pilate and of Herod, “He went a little further.”  He picked up His own cross and carried it. I’m so thankful He went a little further.

Nailed on a cross hewed out of wood from a tree He planted, by men He created, with nails formed of ore He had made, Jesus went a little further.  He forgave those accountable for His death, witnessed to the thief who was dying next to Him, and then dismissed His Spirit.  Praise God, “He went a little further.”

He showed us how to pray.  He showed us how to surrender.  He showed us how to suffer.  He showed us how to die. He showed us how to rise again.  Always He went “a little further.”

Think how different our lives would be if we would follow in His steps, and go, “a little further:”

…If children would go “a little further” to obey and honor their parents,

…If parents would go “a little further” to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,

…If husbands would go “a little further” to please their wives.

…If wives would go “a little further” to please their husbands,

…If workers would go “a little further” to do an excellent job,

…If employers would go “a little further” to reward good employees,

…If God’s ministers would go “a little further” to please God rather than men,

…If God’s people would go “a little further” to pursue peace and holiness,

…If the people of God would go “a little further” to be understanding, even if not understood,

…If all who profess to love God would go “a little further” to be loyal, faithful, children of God, sincerely loving God and one another…

What a difference it would make in our homes, our churches, our communities, and our nation, if we would go “a little further” in our love and in our determination to do the will of God.

Why is it that intellectually all of this makes such good sense but practically it seems so difficult to live? The answer is before us.  Like the disciples we have fallen asleep at precisely the place and the time when we ought to be watching, praying, and surrendering.

Jesus knows our problem, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”  But he urges us, “watch and pray.”  

Hear Him praying? “Nevertheless, not my will but thine…”  Now pray that.  It’s time we go “a little further.”

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, We are struck by the truth that you are the Father to whom Christ prayed in Gethsemane.  You are the Father who strengthened our Savior in every trial, and especially the greatest trial.  Even when it seemed that you were nowhere to be found, you were everywhere to be found.  We thank you for being here for us.  We believe in you Lord.  You have made all the difference in our lives.  And now we hear your voice, softly and tenderly, pleading its time we go “a little further.”  We pray—O God show us any defect in our will—“Not my will but thine be done.” For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. In the name of Jesus, Amen. “Our Father, &c”