Temptation, Tension & Triumph Series

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

According to the possible available scripture analysis, Jesus and His disciples walks from the upper room where they Had Lord’s supper along with the betrayer, now other disciples except Judas the Iscariot, walks to the Mount of Olives and reached Gethsemane by 11 p.m. approximately might be fifteen minutes’ walk went with singing Hallel which is most probably Psalm 136 as mentioned by Mark.

until now, Jesus was having an ultimate uninterrupted relationship and communion in the upper room, but then in V3 the traitor rejects to be with Agent of God and falls into the temptation and becomes an agent of the devil.

V30-34 anticipation of Peter’s denial serves as an introductory statement and corresponds to the following verses in a chiasm structure.

Here, Luke omits the disciple names but in Matt, he mentions that it is Peter, James, and John who went up to the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew does this to match his audiences with OT narratives where Moses – go into God’s presence with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, (Exd 24: 9). But here Luke portrays Jesus as the centerpiece of the gospel and emphasizes prayer life and not to fall into temptation like Judas!

Temptation is inevitable (1st Point) V39-40

, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation”

None of us are exempted on earth facing temptation, in a general observation -from the very beginning of our life we see, kids are tempted to eat mud and keep nearby things in their mouth, children are tempted to steal erasers and pencils of other students at school, teenagers are tempted to social media and gadgets, adults are tempted to escape wok at office and aged people are tempted to eat more creams and sweets! As swingy captures by advertising the old diabatic man in the middle of the night walk to the refrigerator and eat Gulab jamun!

What are our temptations? pornography, fornication, and lustful desires.

Friends Temptation is inevitable, Since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, temptation has been a constant, unrelenting part of human life, even the Son of God was not exempt on earth,

Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” You can't keep the Devil from suggesting thoughts, but you can choose not to dwell or act on them. pe??asµ?? - pi-ras-mos’ peirazo has several basic usages. Here in this context, it is testing to discover the genuineness of one's faith. So, when we look back to the first Adam in Eden and last Adam in Gethsemane, we will understand better!

Adam faced temptation in the best possible surroundings, the garden of Eden. Jesus faced temptation in the worst imaginable setting—the wasteland of the Judean desert. Adam lived in the sinless perfection of the pre-fall world. Jesus lived in a sinful, fallen world. No overwhelming build-up of temptation lured Adam into sin, because he yielded to the first temptation he faced. Jesus, on the other hand, faced repeated temptations over the first thirty years of His life (Heb. 4:15), and intense temptation during the forty days before the final three recorded here. Adam feasted on all the lush provisions the garden had to offer. Jesus was

weakened by forty days of fasting. In the best of circumstances, Adam fell; in the worst imaginable circumstances, Jesus did not. The consequences of Adam’s fall to temptation were lethal to the human race; the consequences of Jesus’ triumph over temptation were life-giving.

Every Temptation is an opportunity either to go away from God or to grow deeper in God!

And we see that in the final clause of the Lord's Prayer; Lk 11:4 “Lead us not into Temptation”

Application: Friends, many have followed Jesus for Kabbuz and Artos, for fish and loaves/bread and has wondered at the act of miracle and overwhelmed at the power of the signs but couldn't really look at the person Jesus behind those signs, and Dr. David Turner comments on John 12:37 as the saddest verse in the Bible (Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him)