Read Matthew 26:36-56 and 1 Corinthians 7:1-9
I. Jesus Betrayed at Gethsemane
a. Passage (Matthew 26:36-56)
- After the Lord's supper, Jesus and His disciples retreated to Gethsemane. He then took Peter, John, and James so they could keep watch on Him while He prayed. When Jesus finished praying, He found the three sleeping. He prayed again and for the second time when he came back, they were again fast asleep so He just left them and prayed for the third time. After His third prayer, He woke up the three and told them that the betrayer is on his way. In a few minutes, Judas arrived with a large crowd who arrested Jesus Christ. Because of fear, His disciples fled and went into hiding.
b. Reflection
- There are two parts of this story. The first is how Peter, John, and James were supposed to watch over Jesus but failed to do so. We are all given a commandment by God to live a righteous life and obey Him. Just like the three, we are sometimes influenced by the enemy and we give in to the temptation. Their body were weak, their eyes were heavy, but these are not an excuse to not obey Jesus Christ. He only asked for an hour and they could not even give that. They could have structured a plan so at least one of them will stay up but they slept instead. We are commanded to follow the ways of the Lord but because we are more focused on what is here on earth, we tend to forget God's commands and live however we want to. We need to be always ready for we do not know when the day of judgment comes. It is never too late to give up our old ways and devote ourselves to the Lord. The second part was Jesus' arrest. Judas betrayed Him and when he was about to be arrested, Peter drew his knife and cut the man's ear. Peter and the other disciples did not understand Jesus' mission on earth. The betrayal, the arrest, and everything else that happened was all part of God's plan. Without this, we would not have been saved from our sins and would have lived in eternal fire. Jesus Christ was sent as the lamb of God who was sacrificed for our sins. God did this while we were still unrighteous that even though we did not deserve His love, He still gave His only begotten Son so we could have a way for salvation. Let us trust in the Lord and His plans. Let us not rely on own selves but lean on Him for everything that we do. Let us follow His ways so we may receive God's grace and inherit His kingdom.
II. Paul's Advice to Married Couples
a. Passage ( 1 Corinthians 7:1-9)
- Paul gave his advice to the Corinth Church about marriage. He shared that marriage is a great thing because it saves us from immorality of this world. At the same time, he also said that being unmarried is good unless you start having temptations then they should get married.
b. Reflections
- Sexual immorality is rampant in this world. Unlike the old days when you are frowned upon when you lose your virginity before marriage, our society now mocks you if you are still a virgin. It starts from school as early as 13 years old when everyone is trying to fit in. Sexual pressures are a good thing and it was a gift of God for us to bear child. But because we used it to engage in premarital sex, immoralities, sodomy, and homosexuality this great natural desire had become a cause of sin. Paul reminded us that it is better to get married so we would not have these desires with others. At the same time, couples should submit to each other and fulfill their marital duties. We are all passionate and if you are deprived of "needs", we start looking for them elsewhere. We need to help each other out and be open about it. This will not just help us but also prevent us from going astray and sinning.
III. Proverbs for today/ 11:1-3
11 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,But a just weight is His delight.2 When
pride comes, then comes shame;But with the humble is wisdom.3 The
integrity of the upright will guide them,But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
IV. Old Testament Reading:
Numbers 11:24-35, Numbers 12-13, Psalms 52:1-9
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