Matthew 26, 41: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26, 56: “(…) Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled.”

To feel abandoned at a time where you need help and assistance the most is certainly not a good feeling. Everybody likes to be supported and encouraged, especially in difficult times. We mostly appreciate the help and assistance that comes from those that are closer to us because we trust them more than other people. And if we don’t receive that help, assistance or care, we feel betrayed. The disciples were the closest friends of Jesus. He had chosen them and three years long, they had witnessed His power and glory through the many miracles that He performed. They had been through though times together and had become even closer. The disciples had decided to stay with the Lord even though many of His disciples had left because they could not bear His teachings. But at His darkest hour of agony, His disciples could not support Him; they were not even able to assist Him with prayer when He needed their spiritual support and as if that was not enough, they all ran for their lives when He was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane.

As the disciples were sitting at the table for their last supper with the Lord, they boldly declared that they now know and believe without any doubt that He came forth from the Father. They sounded very convinced and sure about it. But Jesus, knowing what is in man, answered them in John 16, 31-32 and said: “Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone (…)”. The Bible declares in 1 Corinthians 10, 12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” How many times did you think you would never fail (or fail again) in a particular area of your life that has been a challenge for you? How often do we think that we will never fall into such or such sin? But as soon as we are put to the test, we become weak and we fall. We find ourselves saying what we should not say, overreacting about a situation, going to the wrong places with the wrong friends or eating/drinking the wrong things that we know very well will be harmful for our health.

But how do we resist temptation when it comes our way? Jesus says “Watch and pray”. When a watchman that has been appointed over a store or house is awake and alert in his job, he knows when danger is around and he can neutralize a thief that comes to steal in the house. He can either defend himself with his own weapons if he is equipped, or he can call the police, or even both. But if he is asleep, the robbers will come and take away everything that is valuable in the house and it might be too late when he notices it. If we watch and pray, we will see when temptation comes to steal our right standing with God and we will be able to avoid the snares of the enemy. This is the reason why it is important to develop a life of constant prayer: it will help us to stand firm when trials and temptations come knocking at the door and also when the many seductions of this world try to lure us into sinning against God. mt