Scripture: St. Mark 14:32-72 (NKJV)
32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His
disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with
Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to
them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were
possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all
things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what
I will, but what You will.” 37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said
to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and
pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40
And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy;
and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 Then He came the third time and
said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has
come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42
Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
43 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with
a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the
scribes and the elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying,
“Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely.” 45 As
soon as He had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, “Rabbi,
Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him. 47
And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high
priest, and cut off his ear. 48 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you
come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily
with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures
must be fulfilled.” 50 Then they all forsook Him and fled.
51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his
naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth
and fled from them naked.
53 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all
the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes. 54 But Peter followed Him at a
distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the
servants and warmed himself at the fire.
55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to
put Him to death, but found none. 56 For many bore false witness against Him,
but their testimonies did not agree. 57 Then some rose up and bore false
witness against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple
made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without
hands.’” 59 But not even then did their testimony agree. 60 And the high priest
stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is
it these men testify against You?” 61 But He kept silent and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of
the Blessed?” 62 Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at
the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 Then the
high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of
witnesses? 64 “You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all
condemned Him to be deserving of death. 65 Then some began to spit on Him, and
to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the
officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.
66 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the
high priest came. 67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him
and said, “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.” 68 But he denied it, saying,
“I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out on the
porch, and a rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him again, and began
to say to those who stood by, “This is one of them.” 70 But he denied it again.
And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, “Surely you are one
of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it.” 71 Then he began to
curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!” 72 A second time
the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to
him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And when
he thought about it, he wept.
Devotion
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
With regard to spiritual powers, the flesh is weak indeed. In truth, it is
powerless. We are conceived and born with a flesh inherited from our fallen
father Adam, and it is one that is utterly corrupted by sin and spiritually
dead. This is a truth that the Small Catechism confesses: “I cannot by my own
reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him.” Thanks be
to God, Who graciously brings life to the dead! Through His Gospel God raises
this dead flesh to life by the same divine power that raised His Son, Christ
Jesus, from the dead, breathing into us the Spirit of Life, His Holy Spirit.
Yet this flesh remains weak. It remains powerless even after we are called to
faith by the Gospel. This is exemplified by Peter, James, and John, who were
the inner circle among Jesus’ disciples, whose physical weariness at a time of
spiritual crisis in the Garden of Gethsemane symbolizes the flesh’s utter
inability to sustain itself. All Christians are totally dependent upon God
throughout our lives for spiritual life.
Thanks be to God that His Spirit is willing indeed! The Holy Spirit not only
calls us to faith, but also continuously calls, gathers, enlightens,
sanctifies, and keeps us in the one true faith. Through His Baptism,
Absolution, and Supper, God gives new life to the flesh, daily and richly
forgiving sins and assuring believers of eternal life in body and soul in glory
forever.
We pray: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon Thy people,
that by Thy great goodness we may be governed and preserved evermore both in
body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Direct inquiries to The Reverend Jeffrey A. Ahonen at
[email protected].
_______________________________________________
Sermons mailing list
[email protected]
http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
