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Take notes in the Church Center app:
- What stands out to you most in Luke 22:39–46—Jesus’ words, his posture, his emotions, or the disciples’ response? Why?
- Jesus tells the disciples twice: “Pray that you may not enter into temptation” (vv.40, 46). We learned in the sermon that prayer is a weapon God’s people use to fight temptation.” How does prayer help us fight temptation? Have you seen prayer help you fight against temptation? If you feel comfortable, share how.
Some people ask why Jesus prays if he is God, “Isn’t he just praying to himself?” While in his divinity, Jesus had a never-ceasing communion with God the Father and God the Spirit. In his humanity, Jesus experienced the world and relationship with the Father in the same way we do. If Jesus, in his humanity, knew the necessity of prayer, what does that mean for us? How can we make it a greater part of our lives?
Luke highlights Jesus’ agony (v.44) and even his physical response. The response of Jesus shows us that to feel greatly troubled is not a sin. What’s the difference between having powerful emotions and being led by them? How can we bring emotions under truth without pretending they aren’t real?
Jesus prays to God the Father in verse 42, “Remove this cup from me.” The “cup” that Jesus refers to is the judgment God must rightly pour out on sinners. Read Isaiah 53:4-11. These verses give us a clear picture of the judgment Jesus would endure for us. What is it that Jesus endured for us? What do we receive from what he endured?
When we see what Jesus had to endure for our salvation, we see how catastrophically evil sin is. Do you think people think about sin in this way? Why or why not? In what ways do we tend to minimize sin today?
While part of Jesus desired to be spared what he would endure, Jesus had an even greater desire. What was that desire? How can we make this the driving desire of our lives?