Strength In Suffering

STRENGTH IN SUFFERING

a prayer to open

Open my eyes and help me to see you.

Open my heart and help me to know you.

Jesus, my Lord and my God.

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

He walked away . . . and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.

At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep. . . . “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas. . . . Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.

But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

This is a hard scene for us to really enter into, maybe because we’ve read it many times, or perhaps because the agony Jesus suffers over what he knows is coming is too much for our hearts to bear. Either way, this is a place to pause and reflect on the identity and character of the one we follow. What allowed Jesus to keep walking ahead? From where did he draw the strength and courage to lay down his life for the sake of the world?

• Focus on the first two paragraphs of this passage. Where was Jesus? How often had he been there? Who was with him? What was his posture? What was his prayer? What one word would you use to describe the scene?
• Consider the ways you or someone you love is currently suffering. Is there anything in this passage that gives you consolation or hope in the midst of that anguish?
• What does today’s passage reveal to you about Jesus?

Father, I don’t know quite how to respond as I consider the suffering Jesus endured for the love of a world that would betray him openly, come after him with swords, and publicly humiliate and kill him. What compassion you must feel as tears of anguish fall down my face, knowing as you do the agony of betrayal, heartache, and physical pain. Remind me of your presence, and strengthen me in seasons of suffering. Allow me to bring your grace and healing to others in the midst of their suffering. Amen.