When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Luke 22:45-46 NIV
Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples on the night he was betrayed. Following the meal, Jesus went with his disciples to the Mount of Olives. He left the disciples there and went off by himself to pray. But as he left, he instructed them to “Pray that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:41).
When Jesus returned to his disciples, instead of finding them in prayer, they were asleep. Luke tells us that they were exhausted from sorrow. The preceding week would likely have been a rollercoaster of emotional ups and downs, from the high of the triumphal entry to the low of that night’s announcement that one of them would betray him. Coupled with his recent warnings to them about his coming arrest and death, along with the late hour, they could not stay awake. So, Jesus woke them up and reiterated his instruction to pray that they would not fall into temptation. And as he spoke this, the crowd came to arrest him and led him off to his trials and death.
What temptation was Jesus speaking about here? He does not say specifically. But surely, it had to do with their present circumstance and Satan’s desire to sift them like wheat (Luke 22:31-32). How were they going to respond to Jesus’ arrest? Would they stand by him? Or would they abandon him and flee?
What Jesus had to say to the disciples here is appropriate today. Temptation is an ever-present reality in our lives. Sometimes, we can see it coming, while other times, it might blindside us. Especially in times of stress and sorrow. Will we remain faithful to Jesus? Or will we fall into temptation? Jesus’ words in his model prayer should be a part of our ongoing prayer life, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Only with his help can we stand firm, even when chaos reigns around us.
“Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
