The reality of this week in history is that Jesus knew exactly what was coming on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He knew that He would die, how He would die, and how He would rise. So, there weren’t any surprises coming Jesus’ way this week. But that didn’t stop Him from preparing for the events that were about to take place.
It’s fascinating to watch Jesus prepare His team. He even so bluntly tells the Twelve what is going to happen, all the way down to betrayal and the emotions that they were going to feel in that time. The Last Supper is the ultimate in describing servant leadership. I am so amazed at how Jesus treated and personified His character in how He cared and led the Twelve. But He’s not done yet.
Jesus then takes the time to prepare Himself in the Garden. He isn’t just sitting there, listing off all the ways that He doesn’t want to suffer so that God can take that into account. He isn’t praying to God to make the suffering that He is about to go through be easy and not very painful. He’s praying for His Church. He’s praying for himself. He’s reminding the people why He’s doing what He’s doing, and it is powerful.
The lesson for me today is this:
You can’t imagine sending troops or going into battle without prepping with the most obviously effective exercise available to Christians.
Listen, I need to be about prayer. I need to prepare myself, every single time I go to battle, I need to start in prayer. Why would I not come into the presence of the Almighty and prepare myself to give Him glory? So, I’m learning and I’m trying to apply.
What about you? What battles are coming up that you need to prep well for?
The Pursuit 