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Gethsemane Prayer (8)       [Luke 22:39-46]       This is the ferventness of Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane: (1) Jesus prayed to Heavenly Father with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mk. 12:30).  By obeying the first part of Jesus’ twofold commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your mind” (v. 30), the disciples of Jesus who love God imitate Jesus and fervently pray to God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.   Jesus prayed to Heavenly Father while pouring out all of His sap (Lk. 22:44).   (2) Jesus fervently prayed to Heavenly Father while shedding clean tears, sweat, and blood.   But the tears and sweat we shed when we ask our Heavenly Father are not pure and clean liquids.   In other words, our tears and sweat are liquid mixed with sin.   Jesus prayed to Heavenly Father as if He was pouring oil into an oil press (...

Gethsemane Prayer (7)       [Luke 22:39-46]       Jesus prayed fervently in Gethsemane.  When Jesus came to this earth and did His ministry, He did everything with zeal.  He prayed to Heavenly Father with zeal.  Jesus was zealous at the beginning of His public life.   In John 2:13-16, when the Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.   And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business.”   In this way, Jesus cleansed the temple, and at that time, Jesus' disciples remembered the word that is written in Psalms 69:9, which says, “Zeal for your house...

Gethsemane Prayer (6)       [Luke 22:39-46]                        What was the content of Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane? (Content of prayer)   Look at Mark 14:35-36: “And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.   And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father!   All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will’” (Note: Lk.22:42; Mt.26:39).     (1)     First prayer: “…   that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by .   And He was saying, "Abba! Father!   All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will” (Mk. 14:35-36).   Here, “the hour” and “this cup” have the same meaning, and the meaning of Jesus’ request to God, “Abba, Father!...

Gethsemane Prayer (5)       [Luke 22:39-46]                        When did Jesus pray in Gethsemane? (Time of prayer)   Jesus prayed in Gethsemane when He was distressed and deeply grieved, to the point of death (Mt. 26:37-38).   The disciples of Jesus should have prayed not to fall into the temptation when they were tempted.   Here, their temptation refers to all abandoning Jesus and running away, that is, scattering (vv. 31, 56).   Among them, Peter followed Jesus from a distance to the courtyard of the high priest's house and denied Jesus three times (v. 58).   On the third denial (v. 58), Peter cursed and swore, denying that he knew Jesus (Mk. 14: 71).                   Where did Jesus pray in Gethsemane? (Place of prayer)   Jesus placed 8 disciples a...

Gethsemane Prayer (4)       [Luke 22:39-46]                       When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, where did he pray? (Place of prayer) Jesus placed 8 disciples at the entrance of the Garden of Gethsemane and said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray” (Mt. 26:36).   And He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (v. 37), James and John (Mk. 14:33), and went into the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36-37) and went about a stone's throw away (Lk. 22:41) and prayed.   Wouldn't it have been better for Jesus to pray with at least three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John, when He was deeply grieved, to the point of death (Mt. 26:37-38)?   Look at Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “ And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”   However, Jesus did not pray with them, but...

Gethsemane Prayer (3)       [Luke 22:39-46]                        As we think about the things before and after Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, I hope and pray that we will be convinced that Jesus loved His people to the end.   Look at John 13:1 – “ Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”   This word means that Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to return to heaven after coming from heaven, and He loved His people in this world and loved them to the end.                   These are the events that took place before Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane (there was Holy Communion before Passover and what happened at this banq...