What Would Jesus Do? (Part 7) – Pray

One of the four great creeds of the early church is the confession of Jesus from the Council of Chalcedon back in 451 A.D. As the renowned church historian Philip Schaff describes it, this creed is aimed at expressing a right understanding of who Jesus is as one person who is both fully God and fully human. Schaff writes “It is directed against the errors… [that] put the Godhead of Christ in a false relation to his humanity.” One such error was the belief that Jesus was two persons, one divine and one human, appearing as one person. Therefore, Jesus really couldn’t claim to be fully man, but had a close enough moral union with humanity to understand the reality of being human. Another error was the belief that Jesus absorbed a human nature, blending His human nature into His divine nature. To keep the church’s understanding of Jesus into conformity with the scriptures, the Creed of Chalcedon teaches “We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man…according to the manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin…one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, without confusion, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one person.” In the great mystery of God becoming man, Jesus is one person and that one person is fully God in every way and fully human in every way. And with both of these natures present in one person, neither in the least distorts or changes or confuses the other. We can’t understand this, but we must believe it. Otherwise Jesus is a false substitute in His death on a cross and a false example for us to follow, because He would otherwise not be like us in every way.  

Why this long ramble through church history and an important creed’s teaching about Jesus? Because if Jesus truly is like us in every way, then His example for us is a real example (both to Him and for us) to follow, to include His need to pray and His commitment to prayer. You might ask “Why does the Son of God need to pray?” Because He is the Son of Man. One of my favorite examples of Jesus in prayer is in Matthew 14:23 where Matthew writes “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” When we consider the context in which Jesus sought time in prayer here, we see and understand His need. He has just gotten word about John the Baptist’s execution at the hands of Herod, and He has heard that Herod has taken an interest in Him as well. So, Jesus sought time alone, but His plans were interrupted by a very large and needy crowd (probably 10-15 thousand people). So, Jesus, moved by compassion, changed plans and waded into the crowd, healing all the sick until it was evening. Now the place where this crowd found Jesus was desolate, so, moved again by their need, Jesus miraculously fed the crowd “And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Matthew 14:21). Tensions were rising between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. Actions and intentions towards Him were growing murderous. Jesus had sought time with the Father but the great needs of thousands demanded His compassionate attention. Yet after a long and draining day, both physically and emotionally, Jesus returned to His great need to spend time in prayer with His heavenly Father rather than neglect it (as I suspect most of us, me included, might be tempted to do). But if you’re still not convinced that Jesus’ need for prayer was very great and very real, then consider Gethsemane.

In Matthew 26, on the night Jesus was betrayed, He went to Gethsemane to pray, “And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me’” (verses 37-38). And as Jesus prayed to the Father, He said “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (verse 39). He repeated this 3 times in a similar fashion, and Luke records “being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Jesus was experiencing a very rare and very human condition called Hematidrosis where the sweat glands are surrounded by tiny blood vessels that can constrict and then dilate to the point of rupture, causing blood to effuse into the sweat glands, and the cause of Hematidrosis is extreme anguish.

So, “What would Jesus Do?” He would pray to the Father because every aspect of His life lived for the purpose the Father sent Him into the world to accomplish demanded it (and the same is true for us). Jesus was utterly dependent upon the Father. Even “though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8, NLT). And His example of humble dependence on God models for us reliance upon God’s every provision to include His provision of prayer, a provision Jesus sought even “more earnestly” as His death on a cross approached. But as His death on a cross approached, the scriptures teach that Jesus also prayed for you and for me, His followers by grace through faith. This is Jesus’ prayer to the Father for us in John 17:15-20 (NLT). I pray that you believe it avails much to you.

“I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”