We now see a contrast between living by the Spirit and by the flesh. Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray, and takes three of the disciples with Him. He asked these disciples to keep watch and pray with Him. They failed to do this, even after being rebuked. Despite their declarations of their steadfast devotion to Jesus, they could not even manage to stay awake in His hour of need. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak". We can truly want to do something, but we fail to carry out. This is something that we all know about. We have done it ourselves, and we have been let down by others. If we rely on our own strength then, no matter how good our intentions, we will ultimately fail.
Jesus responds differently, but note that it is not a matter of being unaffected by the battle. First, Jesus prays. We always need to pray. He is completely honest with His Father. See that He also uses the term "Abba Father". If we think of "Abba, Father" as merely meaning "Daddy" we have far too shallow a concept of its meaning. It is about a deep intimate relationship with the Father, but it is with the Father who enables us to get through the darkest times, and to achieve the most difficult tasks. Jesus is completely honest about His feelings and forebodings, but He is also completely committed to the Father's will, and He relies on God's power, not just His own.
Then it was time to face the battle, and Jesus was ready.
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