Luke 22:39-46

I decided to step out of John for a while since we will be reading A LOT of John this semester. One of my favorite examples of Jesus praying is in Luke 22:39-46. As I did Lectio on this, I wondered what was it exactly that Jesus was going through. Beginning and ending this passage, Jesus instructs his disciples to pray so that they will not fall into temptation. I began to wonder that maybe Jesus was feeling the pressure of temptation which prompted him to pray. What does it mean exactly Jesus says, "...take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done"? Did Jesus fear death and pain also?

It makes me think about how I can easily forget the real Jesus. I always remember that Jesus is God, he is loving, a teacher, healer, etc. I tend to forget that Jesus is fully human, meaning he experiences everything that we experience as human beings.

As I continue to reread this passage over again, the things that Jesus was going through began to feel real. I recall, once I was lying in bed and I couldn't fall asleep because I just couldn't find the courage to face the next day and days following that. It was during a time when my dad was in the hospital and we didn't know what was going to happen to him. The more I read this passage, the more real Jesus is to me.

Anyways, I can't end this blog entry without at least mentioning prayer. Jesus prayed and God answered. Jesus prayed according to the will of God. He did not try to bargain with God. The prayer was humble and God-centered. The best thing about God is that instead of taking that cup from Jesus, he strengthened Jesus so that Jesus can take that cup. God isn't always going to change our circumstances but instead he transforms us.

la