Why Jesus Tells His Disciples to Watch and Pray

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Mark 14:38

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was warning the disciples about the temptation that they were about to face. Notice the “you.” He was talking about their battle.

Jesus was not asking them to somehow support Him in His trial. No, He was telling them, “Soon you are going to face a great trial. If you are going to stand, this is what you must do: You have to watch and you have to pray.” But they did not watch, and they did not pray, so when temptation came, they were overwhelmed by it. So, they all deserted Him and fled.

God said, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (14:27). We are the scattered sheep, and our sins have brought His sufferings.

The work of bearing our sin and paying our ransom is something that Jesus did for us, but this work of watching and praying is something that He calls us to do for ourselves: “This is what you must do. You must watch and you must pray, so that you will not fall into temptation.”

We’re the ones who have not watched. We’re the ones who have not prayed. We’re the ones who have fallen into temptation. We’re the ones who have backed away from the full cost of following Jesus. We’re the ones who often run from Him when we should run to Him.

In what ways have you run from Christ, instead of running to Him?