The Struggle Of The Flesh
LENT 2024 | HOLY TUESDAY DAY 36
Mark 14:27-52 (NIV)
(Adriel Loh, Chairperson, Church Governance and Risk Committee)
The Scripture reading for today tells us of three events – first, Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial; second, Jesus’ struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane; and third, Jesus’ betrayal by Judas and arrest.
In these three events, we gain insight into the working of one of the key causes of our human struggle – what the Bible calls the “flesh”. The flesh is our fallen human nature that pulls us down every time we try to do something good. That is why Jesus cautioned in verse 38, “Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
First, we see the temptation to rely on the flesh. When Jesus predicted that His disciples would fall away, Peter stubbornly proclaimed that he would never fall away. In making such a claim, Peter was clearly relying on the flesh, his own human ability. When we, in our arrogance or pride, rely on our human ability to do something good, we will almost certainly fail.
Second, we see the temptation to give in to the desires of the flesh. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus told His disciples to sit nearby and pray. But three times, He returned only to find them sleeping. Even though prayer was important, the disciples had given in to the desire of the flesh to sleep. The betrayal by Judas is another example. Whether Judas betrayed Jesus out of personal greed or was simply trying to take matters into his own hands, either way, Judas operated by the flesh and not the will of God. By contrast, Jesus Himself struggled with the flesh in the Garden of Gethsemane. Though He was fully God, He was also fully man. In verse 34, we see Him struggle in human weakness with overwhelming sorrow, and even prayed that He would not have to go through the Cross. Yet, unlike His disciples, He did not give in to the flesh. He surrendered Himself to His Heavenly Father and prayed, “Not what I will, but what You will.”
Every day, I face the temptation to either rely on the flesh or give in to its desires. I will follow the model of Christ and surrender to God moment by moment. It is only then that He will, by His Spirit, give me the strength to overcome the flesh and live in victorious obedience to Him.
DISCUSSION POINTERS:
1. List down three occasions in your life where the “spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”.
2. Jesus told his disciples to “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation”. How do you prevent yourself from falling into temptation?
3. Were there times where you struggled to follow Jesus? Pray for the Lord to strengthen you.
