Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

We could focus on many things throughout this chapter, but there’s one section in particular that really stuck with me this time. Verses 39-46 focus on Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives. I wanted to say that it was Jesus and the disciples praying, but…we’ll get to that.

Let’s begin by breaking down Jesus’ experience when He went to the Mount of Olives to pray. My version says He went “as was his custom,” so that tells us this wasn’t a first-time thing for Jesus. I think about how busy Jesus was and how many people constantly wanted to talk to Him. I’m sure that He had to find a quiet place away from everyone else to pray. It makes a lot of sense. Then Jesus knelt down, showing humility and surrender to His Father. He could have prayed standing up, but He intentionally chose a posture of surrender. I also love that Jesus’ prayer shows us a picture of humbly asking God for what He wants, but it’s followed by the understanding that God’s will is most important. Verse 44 tells us that Jesus was in agony over what was to come (the cross), and He prayed until His sweat became like drops of blood.

Now let’s see how different this experience was for the disciples. They followed Jesus to the Mount of Olives and received instructions from Him to pray. The next thing we know, Jesus is waking the disciples. I’d like to tell you my prayer life looks like Jesus’ with a quiet place set aside for prayer, telling God what I want with the knowledge that God’s will is more important than my own, praying until I sweat (I can go ahead and admit I’ll probably never pray until my sweat turns to blood), but I can be honest and say that it more regularly looks like the disciples’.

Let us not just read this passage again and keep living the way we have been. May this be the time we read it with intention and action. Where can you sneak away from the busyness of life to earnestly pray on a regular basis? How can you be more honest with God about what’s happening in your life? How can you be more submissive to God’s plans over your own? What are some ways you can stay awake, physically and emotionally, while you pray?

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Take intentional action today and find a quiet place to pray and submit yourself to God’s plans.
• This week on the Venture Church App, check the app every day from Palm Sunday to Easter for new content to prepare your heart and mind for Resurrection Sunday. Walk through the sacred timeline that forever changed humankind’s relationship with God by taking a personal journey through Holy Week with our daily guide.

Family Application: Luke 22

By: Robbie Jefcoat

Today, we are going to dive into the first-ever Lord’s Supper. Is that something you’ve heard of before? You may have seen it happen on a Sunday when someone you know who loves Jesus walks up to the front of the room, takes a small plastic cup of juice with a cracker back to their seat, prays, and then eats the cracker and drinks the juice; that’s the Lord’s Supper. Why do people do that?

We take the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus and how He came to this earth and died on the cross for you and for me. The juice is a symbol of His blood (not really His blood, just a symbol) and the cracker or bread is symbolic of His body (again, not really His body, just a symbol). Taking the Lord’s Supper is an important time to slow down, think of Jesus, think of all He has done for you, and to be thankful. Jesus did this exact supper with His closest friends, the disciples. They didn’t fully understand that this Lord’s Supper would be the last thing they did together as a group. Jesus knew that soon after He would be taken and crucified on a cross and His closest friends would be really scared. Even though He told them that He’d rise again in three days, He knew they’d be really scared, so He gave them the Lord’s Supper to remember Him and to remember His words and His promises.

• Take a moment today to pause and thank Jesus for coming to earth and going to the cross for you.
• Prayer: Thank You Jesus for coming to the earth for me. Thank You for providing a good example and giving us the opportunity to thank You for all You have done for us. Help us to be a bright light for You today.
• Check out the “Holy Week Family Guide” on the Venture Church App! On the homepage of the app, click on the “Journey through Holy Week” button to find a daily guide. On each day of Holy Week, you can watch a short video, reflect on scripture, and download the “Holy Week Family Guide” PDF. Use this tool with your family and share it with friends!