Read: Luke 22:39-48, 54

He went out and, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives. His disciples also followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you don’t enter into temptation.”

He went a short distance away from them, knelt down, and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me. Yet, not my will, but yours, be done.”

An angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. In his agony, he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.

When he rose from his prayer, he went to the disciples and found them sleeping out of grief, and said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not fall into temptation.”

While he was still speaking, a crowd appeared. He who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He came close to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”………….

They seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile, Peter followed at a distance.

Explanation

In Gethsemane, Jesus fully submits to the Father’s will, even as His anguish deepens. While He prays with resolve, His disciples sleep, revealing the weakness of human intention without spiritual watchfulness.

Judas then arrives, turning intimacy into betrayal with a kiss—showing how proximity to Jesus can coexist with a hardened heart.

Jesus does not resist or retreat; He steps forward in surrender, aware of the road ahead. What unfolds is not a loss of control, but willing obedience. Even amid betrayal and arrest, God’s redemptive plan advances with purpose and certainty.

A question for today

Where do I need to pray, “not my will, but yours”?

A sentence to take into the day

Rise and pray that you may not fall into temptation

One thing to do today

In one difficult moment today, pause and consciously choose God’s will over your own.