During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 

In my second year in Bible College, I and my fellow-students began to study ‘Biblical Theology.’ Suffice it to say, for now, that I was struck by the idea of Jesus’ ‘religious life.’ As we have seen, in the incarnation He became fully human. As a pious, first century Jew, our Lord faithfully observed a pattern of public worship (in the synagogue) and private, personal prayer. His prayer life is such an example and encouragement to us. We note in today’s verse that Jesus’ prayer was:

  • Fervent (intense and emotional);
  • Specific: He asked that ”this cup” might pass from Him (Mt.5:29). But it was also
  • Submissive. He who taught His disciples to pray, ”Your will be done” (Mt.6:10), Himself prayed: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Emphasis mine). Tom Hale makes this helpful point. Prayer is not always answered in the way we expect. He writes: ‘Jesus prayed that He might be saved from death on the cross (Mark 14:35-36), but God did not grant that prayer. God was able to save (Jesus) from death, but He chose not to. However, God certainly did hear Jesus’ prayer to be saved, because three days after Jesus’ death, God raised Him from the dead.’ (‘Applied New Testament Commentary’, p.857).

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, please help me to pray like Jesus: faithfully, consistently, and with passion, definite aim, and humble surrender to the will of God