Knox Holy Week 2020 Devotional - Day #5: Maundy Thursday
Mark 14:32-36
“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Luke 22:39-44
“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, “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. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
Bravery in the face of hard things does not mean not being afraid. You are no less brave if you wish you didn’t have to face suffering, pain or loss. Jesus himself, moments before being arrested and taken to be tried and then crucified, begged God to spare him the suffering. Whatever hard thing you are facing, you don’t have to wait to not feel afraid, you don’t have to get to some mythical point of “acceptance” in order to be faithful, in order to be a person who trusts God. Jesus begged his Father to be released from the trial of crucifixion and abandonment by his friends.
It’s okay, no matter what hard thing you are facing, to be totally honest with God about your distress and concerns. This is not lack of faithfulness—we are not made to want to suffer, to want pain. That’s actually unhealthy! We are made for life and life in all its fullness. When we have to face evil, hard, broken situations it’s natural to wish it wasn’t so. And there is a freedom that comes from bringing that all, unfiltered to God. And when we pray, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God listening and praying for us, and he KNOWS how hard it is for us here on earth.
After his brutally honest prayers, Jesus then has strength to face his arrest and face his fake trial rigged against him and endure the physical pain of torture and death. From the account in Luke’s gospel we learn that God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus. So there was a miraculous provision from heaven of the spiritual, emotional and physical strength Jesus would need for what lay ahead. But even with this supernatural ministering, Jesus still returns to praying in anguish as we read in Luke 22:44. Hard things are hard, Jesus knows that intimately.
Yet when the time came Jesus was able to be strong, to speak wisely when needed, to stay silent when needed, to endure physical pain, to minister to the thieves crucified next to him and to think of his mother’s heart even as he died painfully on the cross, God provided what Jesus needed, and God provides for us too, even when it means having to go through the hard, hard things.
As I write this, I think of exhausted healthcare workers turning up for another too-long shift in dire conditions—God can provide the energy and wisdom they need. I think of the single parent unsure whether to stay home and risk losing their job or leave their kids at home unattended since schools are closed—God can provide the wisdom and the protection they need.
At the same time, knowing God can provide all they need to those walking through terrible hardships, let’s also rise up, Church, to help people—like the women and disciple John who never left Jesus’ side through all his suffering, or like Joseph of Aramathea who provided the practical gifts of a tomb and proper burial spices when Jesus died.
PRAYER PROMPTS
Think of how you can come alongside someone who is suffering with the gift of presence (via a phone call or letter or text!) or with practical gifts. Pray for the person and ask God to give you creativity for ministering to them.
Be honest with God about your own suffering, about your fears and worries, about the situations you would rather not face. Be unfiltered in your prayers. Ask Jesus for freedom to be totally honest with God.
