Today, I am reading and commenting on Mark 14-16.

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So, I want to focus on what Jesus said to Peter shortly before He was betrayed by Judas.  As I read the passage, the phrase, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  We often think about this phrase, and it has much for us to think about, but I don’t often hear much thought to the sentence just before it: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”  The context for that whole verse (Chapter 14 verse 38) is that Jesus had asked Peter, James, and John to wait and watch while He went a little farther and prayed.  The three of them had fallen asleep while Jesus prayed, they had been unable to stay awake as Jesus wrestled with His fears (I’m not sure that is the correct way to phrase that).  This happened just shortly after Peter had claimed that he would not deny Jesus even if he needed to die with Him, and not long before he did indeed deny Jesus.  Peter needed to pray because he was about to be tempted.  In the same way, we need to pray in order to prepare ourselves for temptation.  I struggle with praying as much as I should.  In fact, as I am writing this, I realize something.  I have been struggling lately with completing tasks that I have committed myself to do for my congregation.  It strikes me that in some ways this is an example of my spirit being willing, but my flesh being weak.  The answer to overcoming my procrastination and laziness is for me to pray more.  I have long struggled with praying as much as I believe I should.  Hopefully, this will inspire me to more prayer.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.