Luke 22:39-53   39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.  40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not be overcome by temptation.”  41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed,  42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.”  43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.  44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.  45 At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.  46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked. “Get up and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you.”  47 But even as he said this, a mob approached, led by Judas, one of his twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus and greeted him with a kiss.  48 But Jesus said, “Judas, how can you betray me, the Son of Man, with a kiss?”  49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!”  50 And one of them slashed at the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.  51 But Jesus said, “Don’t resist anymore.” And he touched the place where the man’s ear had been and healed him.  52 Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard and the other leaders who headed the mob. “Am I some dangerous criminal,” he asked, “that you have come armed with swords and clubs to arrest me?  53 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

When temptation is not around us, it is hard to pray not to slip into it.  We don’t pray proactively; we pray reactively.  We pray for God to help us when we are in trouble, but we don’t pray that God will help keep us out of trouble.  Maybe a better approach is to seek God before life turns against us.  It’s hard, but it is how we can best make it through the temptations of the world.

Luke 22:14-23  14 Then at the proper time Jesus and the twelve apostles sat down together at the table.  15 Jesus said, “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.  16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat it again until it comes to fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.”  17 Then he took a cup of wine, and when he had given thanks for it, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.  18 For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”  19 Then he took a loaf of bread; and when he had thanked God for it, he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”  20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you– an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.  21 “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me.  22 For I, the Son of Man, must die since it is part of God’s plan. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer!”  23 Then the disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.

Judas took communion.  To me that says two things – First, that God’s grace is open to us, despite the sin in our hearts.  We don’t have to be perfect to receive God’s grace.  Christ’s love and blessing are open to us even when we have hearts that rebel against Him.  Second, communion isn’t a magic pill that will change us.  Even after hearing Jesus warn that one would betray Him, Judas did.  His heart wasn’t changed.  Communion won’t change us. We must let the Holy Spirit come into our hearts.

Luke 19:45-48   45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants from their stalls.  46 He told them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a place of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”  47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him.  48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

There is a danger when the church tries too much to be like the world.  When we get so comfortable with the things of the world that we let money take a leading role in the church (instead of God), then we fail to be the place of prayer and connecting with God that we are meant to be.  Christ’s desire for the church is that it be a place to praise God and to lift up our lives to Him.  We need to make sure all that we do helps people connect to Christ.

Luke 19:29-40  As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead.  30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them, “and as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  31 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”  32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said.  33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying our colt?”  34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.”  35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.  36 Then the crowds spread out their coats on the road ahead of Jesus.  37 As they reached the place where the road started down from the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.  38 “Bless the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in highest heaven!”  39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”  40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Praise to God cannot be stopped!  We are called to give God praise, but if we do not, we cannot stop creation from praising Him!  Everything around us gives praise to God.  We are called to as well.  Are you going to let a rock do your job today?