Thursday, February 10, 2022

Rise and pray

In Luke 22, Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives. When finished, he returns to his disciples and finds them ... sleeping! Jesus' response might seem somewhat out of place (Luke 22:46, KJV),

Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Immediately after this quote, Jesus is arrested. So what "temptation" are we talking about?

As with most of Jesus' sayings, the intended audience is far broader than simply those who happen to be with him at the time. Indeed, this line seems to be a warning to all of us. Jesus likely isn't speaking negatively of sleep, because elsewhere (e.g., Matthew 26:45) Jesus actually advises his disciples to continue in their rest.

Rather, "sleep" likely references any slothful, unhealthy behavior. Jesus is telling us that the antidote to temptation and sin is really quite simple: stop what you're doing and pray!

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