Matthew 27:24 says, When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.  Pilate attempted to wash away his responsibility for Jesus' crucifixion, but it does not work that way.  We have to choose whether we accept Jesus or not, no matter how much tumult those around us may make in rejecting Him.  We can never wash away the responsibility.  Pilate proclaimed himself to be innocent of the blood of this just person, which he proclaimed Jesus to be.  To simply proclaim Jesus to be a just person or a great prophet is not enough.  We must accept the fact that we each individually are responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, since He died for every individual.  We may attempt to wash away the decision about what we will do with Jesus, but there are really only two choices.  We either accept Jesus by faith that He is our Savior, or we reject Him as something less.  Verse twenty-five declares, Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.  The crowd of people told Pilate that the blood of Jesus would be on their hands and the hands of their children, and so it is.  We are those children, or descendants, of those who were there that day, and the blood of Jesus is still on our hands.  Jesus died in our place, and are each individually responsible for His death.  The fact that we were not there physically makes us no less responsible, anymore than Pilate washing his hands made him any less responsible.  Verse twenty-six says, Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.  Pilate had pronounced Jesus a just person, but he still had Him scourged and delivered Him to the crowd.  Again, believing that Jesus was a just person is not enough.  We in effect scourge Jesus when we attempt to send Him away because we refuse to accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-seven states, Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.  Jesus had done nothing to indicate that He was a threat, but He was delivered to the crowd by a whole band of soldiers.  They thought this made them in charge of Jesus, but it really didn't matter how many soldiers were there.  Had Jesus so desired, He could have walked away free.  Jesus went willingly to the cross, in spite of the physical abuse He suffered.  Verse twenty-eight says, And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.  Then verses twenty-nine continues, And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!   They stripped Jesus of His clothes and in mockery dressed Him as a royal person would be dressed and placed a crown of thorns on His head.  Some people are not satisfied to simply ignore Jesus, but they want to mock and discredit Him as well.  Verse thirty states,  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.  After mockingly calling Jesus the King of the Jews, they then went back to abusing Him.  When a person encounters Jesus, and refuses to believe that He is the Savior, then I believe that person must do all that can be done to discredit Him and justify the choice that he or she made.  Verse thirty-one declares, And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.  These were God's chosen people who were doing this.  After they mocked Jesus for awhile, they put His own clothes back on Him and led Him away to be crucified.  Though they didn't know it, they were taking Jesus exactly where He needed to be.  People in the world today may think that that they have defeated Jesus, but He will always be exactly where He is supposed to be.  Rejecting or mocking of Him does not change that fact.

Matthew 27:11 says, And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.  When before the governor, Jesus was asked if He were the King of the Jews.  Pilate, the governor, was still looking at this as a worldly claim.  Jesus simply answered, "Thou  sayest."   This is the question everyone has to answer individually.  We either believe that Jesus is who He says He is or we don't.  Jesus will never force anyone to believe in Him as their Savior.  Verse twelve declares, And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.  The chief priests and elders were there to make their accusations, but Jesus did not respond to them.  Nothing Jesus said was going to make a difference to them.  They had not believed His words until now, and they certainly weren't going to believe them now.  When a person, or a group of people, harden their hearts against Jesus, nothing that is said or done is going to change their minds.  We just need to pray that it isn't those who call themselves God's people who act in such a way.  In verse thirteen Pilate asks, Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?  Pilate was basically asking Jesus if He was going to answer the many things that He was being accused of.  Jesus knew that there was no need to answer, since the people, God's chosen people, were determined that He be put to death.  There comes a point where no amount of stating the truth of Christ will change the mind of someone determined to discredit Him no matter what.  Verse fourteen states, And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.  Jesus did not answer, and Pilate was left to marvel at this fact.  Marvelling at the action of Jesus is not enough.  Pilate was at the point where he personally had to make a decision about Jesus, as is every individual at some point in life.  Verse fifteen says, Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.  Pilate released a prisoner that the people chose during the feast.  Verse sixteen states, And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.  Pilate was going to offer Barabbas a noted criminal as the other choice to Jesus for release.  I believe that Pilate thought that he had a way out of the situation, thinking that the Jews would certainly choose to release Jesus instead of Barabbas.  People today still choose the evil of the world over salvation through Christ.  Verse seventeen states, Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?  Pilate gave the Jews, God's chosen people, a choice of releasing Barabas, a known criminal, or Jesus, Who was guilty of being called the Christ.  Again, I believe that Pilate thought they would certainly choose Jesus.  We today have that same choice of whether we will choose the evils of the world, or Jesus, Who is not just called the Christ, the Messiah, but in fact is the Messiah.  Verse eighteen states,  For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.  Pilate knew that Jesus had been delivered for judgment simply out of jealousy of the religious leaders.  Jesus was becoming more popular and threatening their position.  We cannot afford to attempt to discredit Jesus out of fear of losing our position or status in the world.  Verse nineteen states, When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.  When Pilate sat down in his judgment seat, his wife came to him with a warning.  She told Pilate to have nothing to do with Jesus, whom she called a just man.  She had suffered  from a troubling dream about Jesus.  God sometimes works through non believers to point out His truth.  Pilate's wife did not say she believed Jesus was Who He said He was, but simply that she was troubled by His being on trial.  We cannot simply believe that Jesus was a just man, but we must accept Him as our Savior and Lord for His gift of salvation to have any real meaning.  Verse twenty says, But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.  Given a choice between a a known criminal and Jesus, the religious leaders persuaded the crowd to ask that Berabbas, the known criminal, be set free.  It would have been bad enough if the religious leaders had allowed the crowd to persuade them, but it was even worse this way.  The lost of the world are going attempt to get those who follow Christ to betray Him and choose the things of this world, but we certainly need to make sure that we never lead the lost to choose anyone or anything above Jesus.  Verse twenty-one states, The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.  The governor asked for their choice, and the people said Barabbas.  I believe that Pilate still expected the crowd to ask for Jesus and thereby avoid condemning Him.  We cannot pass the responsibility for choosing to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord off to anyone else.  Simply by the fact that Pilate attempted to avoid making a decision about Jesus, he really rejected Him.  Each individual ultimately must decide whether to accept Jesus or not.  The crowd chose Barabbas.  Verse twenty-two says,  Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.   Pilate then asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus, and they said to crucify Him.  Pilate was still attempting to pass his responsibility on to the crowd.  The crowd, or multitude, who had just welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with honor now called for His crucifixion.  Pilate could not really pass off his responsibility toward Jesus by offering alternatives nor by allowing the crowd to decide, and neither can we.  The crowd went from adoration for Jesus to calling for His crucifixion very quickly.  They didn't understand Who Jesus was in either case.  We cannot be saved by simply following the crowd.  We must accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord no matter what the crowd may be saying about Him.  It is always an individual choice.  Verse twenty-three states, And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.  Pilate asked the crowd what evil Jesus had done.  That was really Pilate's responsibility to find out.  If we are going to make a choice about whether or not to follow Jesus, we must first decide if we believe that He is Who He says that He is, and even if we are in a large crowd crying out against Him, we must choose Jesus.  The crowd, led by the chief priests and elders, had no answer about what evil Jesus had done, but simply cried louder for His crucifixion.  Those who reject Jesus today can never do so based on Jesus having done anything wrong, but must simply reject Him because they do not believe He is Who He says He is.

Matthew 27:1 says, When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:  The chief priests and elders were still conspiring against Jesus.  False religious leaders are still conspiring against Jesus today.  We can only claim to be justified by our faith in the things of this world if we can somehow discredit Jesus.  Verse two says, And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  The religious leaders did not have the authority to put Jesus to death, so they took Him to the governor, Pontius Pilate, who did have the authority.  It is a very sad situation when those who profess to be God's people look to the government to enforce their will, instead of looking to God to enforce His will.  Verse three declares, Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,  Though I don't believe that Judas betrayed Jesus for any noble reason, when he saw the reality of what he had done, he repented.  He brought the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders.  This is as all that Judas received for betraying Jesus.  No matter how much we may think we have gained by betraying or even not accepting Jesus today, we like Judas will ultimately end up with nothing.  I am not sure that Judas repented about not following Jesus by faith, or just for his actions in betraying Him.  Repenting for our actions without accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord is not enough.  Verse four says, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.  Judas confessed to betraying an innocent person, Jesus.  If he thought this would save Jesus,, he was wrong.  The chief priests and elders basically said to Judas, "So what?" They told Judas to see to the problem if he had one.  If we have betrayed Christ, we are the only one who can fix it, and the only way to do that is by going to Jesus Himself and asking forgiveness.  Neither government nor religion can make us right with God.  Verse five declares, And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.  Judas left the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, then he went out and killed himself.  Judas ended up gaining nothing from betraying Jesus but self condemnation.  Ultimately, this is all anyone can gain from betraying or denying Jesus.  I don't believe that Judas had asked Jesus for forgiveness but still saw the religious leaders as the ones who could forgive.  I believe that had Judas looked to Jesus for forgiveness, he would have been forgiven and could have gone on with his life witnessing for Jesus.  Judas had not seen Jesus for Who He really is, and then he looked to the wrong place for forgiveness.  No matter how bad something we did is, if we ask Jesus by faith in Him as our Savior, then we will be forgiven and can go forward in life.  Verse six states, And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.  The chief priests, who had given the thirty pieces of silver to Judas, now said they couldn't put it back in the treasury, because it was associated with the blood of Jesus.  If they chief priests had thought what they were doing was in accordance with the will of God, then they should have had no problem with the silver being returned to the treasury.  We cannot claim to be doing God's will and at the same time claim that the outcome of our actions is somehow tainted by the blood of Christ.  Verse seven states,  And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.   After discussing it in council, the chief priests decided to use the thirty pieces of silver buy a potter's field to bury strangers in.  We cannot justify bad actions by using what we gain, or in this case reclaim, for good purposes.  If the chief priests had not believed that paying someone to betray Jesus was wrong, then they would have had no trouble taking the money and putting it back in the treasury.  Verse eight says, Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. The field, now a burial ground was called the field of blood, since it was purchased by money gained from the betrayal and the shedding of the blood of Jesus, though this may not have been what was meant when it was named.  Verse nine states, Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;   This was the fulfillment of a prophecy.  I don't believe that the chief priests, who were attempting to discredit Jesus, decided that they needed to do something in order to fulfill a prophecy about the coming Messiah.  The prophecies about Jesus were not fulfilled simply to prove that He was the awaited Messiah, but were fulfilled because of the truth of God's word through the prophets.  We can be certain that God's prophecies always have and always will be fulfilled.  Verse ten says, And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.  Just as Jeremiah had prophesied, the potter's field was purchased from the thirty pieces of silver, the price that the religious leaders had valued the betrayal of Jesus at.  We can be certain that we will never ultimately profit from rejecting or betraying Jesus.

Matthew 26:69 says, Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.  Peter, who had followed the crowd into the palace, now sat outside.  He may have boldly claimed that even if everyone else deserted Jesus, he never would, but he was separating himself more from Jesus.  We cannot stand firm in our faith if we do not know who Jesus really is.  At this point Peter saw Jesus as a powerless individual under the control of the crowd, because he still did not understand Who Jesus really was and always will be.  A damsel, or young girl, said that Peter was with Jesus, and he couldn't even stand up to her.  Under his own ability, Peter was helpless to even stand up to a young girl.  That is the extent of our power today to stand for Christ without knowing Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seventy says, But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.  When given his chance to stand with Jesus, Peter lied.  No matter what bold predictions we may make about following Christ, if we are confronted with a hostile situation and claim not to know Him, then our faith is a lie and our actions if not our words prove it.  Peter had moved physically farther away from Jesus, and now he denied even knowing Him.  Verse seventy-one states, And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.  Peter moved a little farther away, and once again was accused by a damsel of being with Jesus.  Though Peter did not betray Jesus for money, he betrayed Him out of fear.  Spiritually, it does not matter if we attempt to discredit Jesus or if we simply deny knowing Him.  Even if we profess that Jesus might indeed be the Savior of others, those who put their faith in Him, but not for us, we are just as lost as those who actively work against Him.  Verse seventy-two declares, And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.  Peter became a little more firm in his denial of knowing Jesus.  I believe that the farther we get from Christ, the more firm we become in our denial of Him.  Verse seventy-three says,  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee.  Peter was accused for the third  time of knowing Jesus.  Peter was told that the way he spoke betrayed him.  It is not enough to just sound like a follower of Christ through, if we do not know Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Peter did not yet.  Verse seventy-four states, Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.  Peter went from simply denying knowing Jesus to denying knowing Him with an oath to denying knowing Him with cursing and swearing.  I believe that the farther we get from Christ the more sinful our behavior will become toward Him.  Verse seventy-five says, And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.  The cock immediately crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus' words, and he went out and wept bitterly.  If we have been fighting against acknowledging Jesus and then finally accept the truth of His words, we like Peter should be broken hearted for denying Him so long.  Peter realized that his bold words and actions before he was confronted with possible danger to himself for following Jesus did not matter.  Like Peter, we must accept the truth of God's word, then repent and follow Christ.  Though it doesn't say so at this point, we know that Peter did become a great witness for Jesus once he knew Who Jesus really was.  We cannot allow past failures, before or after we accept Christ, to keep us from boldly witnessing for Him.

Matthew 26:58 says,  But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.  Peter did not totally abandon Jesus, but he followed from afar off.  Peter wanted to see what would happen to Jesus.  Peter had been following Jesus with certain expectations, but it seemed that things were not working out as he expected.  We cannot just follow Jesus from afar and wait to see what happens.  We know that Jesus died for our sins, so we must openly profess our faith in Him if we are to claim His salvation for us.  Verse fifty-nine states, Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;  The chief priests and elders sought anyone who would bear false witness against Jesus.  It is indeed a sad state of affairs when those who are supposed to be the religious leaders of God's people resort to lies to discredit the truth of Christ.  Verse sixty says, But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,  The chief priests and elders could not find a credible false witness.  We are told that there were many false witnesses, but there was nothing to charge Jesus with worthy of His death until the last two came.  When people attempt to discredit Jesus, they want it to be based on something believable.  Verse sixty-one states, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.  These two said that Jesus declared that He could destroy the temple of God and build it again in three days.  Evidently these two had been following Jesus and listening to His teachings, but they had no real understanding of what He was saying.  It is not enough to just know what God's word says, but we must understand what it means spiritually.  In order to do this, we must have a personal spiritual relationship with Jesus.  Verse sixty-two says, And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?  The high priest asked Jesus what He had to say in defence against this charge.  There was no way that Jesus could deny the truth of what He said, so He said nothing.  We can never change the word of God, even if we feel that it would benefit us materially or physically to do so.  Even if Jesus had explained what He really meant when He said this, the religious leaders were not looking for the truth.  They simply wanted to do away with Jesus.  People today who do not want to believe in Jesus still look for ways to discredit Him.  Verse sixty-three declares, But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus reminded silent.  The high priest then evoked the power of God to compel Jesus to answer.  Had the high priest really been acting under the power of God, he would have known the answer.  Physically being in a position of religious power is of no benefit unless the person in that position is there thorough the calling of God.  The religious leaders in Jesus' day were there through their physical birth and not by a spiritual relationship with God.  In verse sixty-four Jesus replies, Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.  Jesus simply answered to the high priest that the high priest had said Jesus made this statement.  Then, Jesus said that the high priest would one day see the Son of man, Jesus, sitting on the right hand of God in power and coming down from the clouds in heaven.  No matter how long Jesus tarries, there is coming a day when this will happen.  Even those long dead will witness this, since the soul never dies.  Verse sixty-five says, Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.  The high priest became very angry and accused Jesus of blasphemy.  He said they no longer needed a witness, but would use Jesus' own words against Him.  Jesus could not be guilty of blasphemy, no matter what the high priest said.  We cannot use the truth of God to convict God of lying.  Verse sixty-six states, What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.  The multitude that had just welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with honor now turned on Him and said He deserved to die..  They may not have been all the same people, but some surely were.  Crowd mentality will never save a person.  Verse sixty-seven declares, Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,  instead of olive branches and coats, they now greeted Jesus with spit and slaps.  Even had Jesus been guilty, this would not have been acceptable actions from God's people.  We are to love everyone with a Godlike love and not to torture and abuse them.  Verse sixty-eight states, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?   They not only physically abused Jesus, but they mocked Him as well.  The truth is that Jesus could have named each of them by name had He chosen to.  When we encounter Jesus, whether we accept or reject Him, He knows us each individually by name.

Matthew 26:47 says, And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Though the other disciples had been asleep, evidently Judas had not been.  Judas had been busy setting up his betrayal of Jesus.  Even when we as followers of Christ are asleep, we can be certain that the Devil is still at work.  Judas came with a bunch of armed people, who evidently thought that gave them power over Jesus.  Verse forty-eight says, Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.  Judas had set up a sign to betray Jesus.  Judas was going to kiss Jesus, a sign of greeting in that day and parts of the world today.  With a sign of friendship, Judas betrayed Jesus.  There are still people today who outwardly appear to be friends of Jesus, but who are secretly betraying Him to gain something from the world.  Verse forty-nine states, And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.  Judas was very hypocritical.  He hailed Jesus as Master, while at the same time betraying Him with a kiss.  We need to be aware that not everyone who professes to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord is sincere.  Verse fifty declares, And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.  Jesus referred to Judas as friend, and Jesus had been a friend to him, and still was if Judas had accepted Him.  Jesus asked Judas why he had come, but He already knew.  I believe that Jesus was giving Judas an opportunity to at least admit the truth.  We cannot hide the reasons behind how we treat Jesus.  We will never betray Jesus without Him knowing it.   Verse fifty-one states, And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.  This one who drew the sword and cut off the ear of the servant is understood to be Peter.  He could not stay awake to pray with Jesus, but now he was ready to take action to defend Him.  We need to make sure that whatever we claim to be doing for Jesus is really what He wants us to do.  Verse fifty-two says, Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.  Jesus told this disciple, Peter, to put away the sword.  Jesus also warned that anyone who lived by the sword would die by the sword.  Jesus came to bring peace to those who follow Him.  Verse fifty-three asks, Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?  These people were not taking Jesus, even though they thought they were.  God never needs us to protect Him.  Jesus said that He could have more than twelve legions of angels to protect Him if He asked, but that would have defeated His purpose.  In verse fifty-four Jesus asks, But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?  Jesus knew that His life was a fulfillment of the scriptures, and so would His death, burial and resurrection be.  So, even though He could have called down twelve legions of angels, Jesus willing surrendered Himself to those who were there to arrest Him.  Verse fifty-five states, In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.  Jesus asked the multitudes, those He had sat teaching daily, why they were now coming after Him with swords and staves.  The crowds quickly turned against Jesus when the religious authorities came to arrest Him.  We need to pray that if it starts to look dangerous to follow Jesus today that we will not turn away from Him and begin to persecute Him.  If we have truly put our faith in Him and live under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, we will not.  Verse fifty-six states, But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.  We are told that this was a fulfillment of the scriptures, and that even the disciples, those closest to Jesus, fled.  One, Judas, betrayed Jesus and the other eleven deserted Him and fled.  They had followed Jesus physically all this time, but they still did not understand Who He was.  Reading the Bible and being close to the church and Christians does not save a person.  Just like the disciples, we must come to a spiritual understanding of Who Jesus is or we will abandon Him when times get tough to be one of His followers.  Verse fifty-seven declares, And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  Those who took Jesus to the religious leaders thought they were now in control of Him.  There will never be a time when the forces of the world will overpower Jesus, no matter how strong they may be.

Matthew 26:36 says, Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  Jesus and His disciples came to the garden of Gathsemane, and He told them to sit, or wait, there.  Jesus was about to go and pray, not for deliverance but for the strength to fulfill His mission of salvation.  Verse thirty-seven states, And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  Jesus took Peter, who had just declared his undying faith, and James and John, who had agreed with Peter and wanted to sit on either side of Jesus in His kingdom.  Jesus was giving them an opportunity to begin to show their faithfulness.  We should not be surprised if God asks us to show our faithfulness to Him in small, simple ways each day.  Verse thirty-eight says, Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.  Jesus told them that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, and simply asked these three to watch, or stay awake, with Him.  I believe that Jesus is exceedingly sorrowful over the fate of the lost world today, and that He wants His followers to be awake and at work to help bring the lost to Him.  Verse thirty-nine states, And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  The disciples could not go all the way with Jesus, because He needed time alone with His heavenly Father.  Jesus prayed that if there was another way to salvation than by His death on the cross to let it happen.  More importantly, He asked that the Father's will be done and not His.  As I have said before, I believe that this was the real example of the Lord's prayer.  Verse forty declares, And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  Jesus returned to the disciples and found them asleep.  Jesus addressed His question to Peter, but it would apply to James and John as well.  Jesus asked Peter, who had just declared that he would die for Jesus, if he couldn't even stay awake with Jesus for one hour.  When Jesus returns, we need to pray that He won't find us spiritually asleep.  No matter how strong our declaration of faith may be, the question is how faithful are we in the everyday temptations we face.  Verse forty-one declares, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Jesus told Peter and tells us that we are to watch and pray so that we do not give in to temptation.  Verse forty-two states, He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  Jesus went alone once more and asked in prayer once more that if there was another way to salvation that the heavenly Father make it known.  Still, Jesus accepted the answer.  Verse forty-three says, And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  Jesus came and found the disciples asleep again.  This further disproved their bold statements of faith made before they really understood Who Jesus is.  The only way we can be bold for Jesus is if we really understand Who He is and accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Until then, we will be spiritually asleep, no matter what we may declare.  Verse forty-four states, And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Jesus went for the third time praying the same prayer.  Though Jesus already knew the answer, I believe that He was sincere in His prayer.  When we have a heavy burden in life, we are never wrong to ask God to lift it if it is His will to do so.  Jesus did not pray for His will but for the heavenly Father's will to be done.  Verse forty-five declares, Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Jesus had finished His prayers, so He left the disciples asleep.  It may be that if we sometimes fail to do what God asks us to do, and once the time to do it is past, He doesn't awake us for that purpose again.  Peter, James and John were still Jesus' disciples, but they had missed a great opportunity to serve Him.  Verse forty-six states, Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.  Then, Jesus awoke them because His betrayal was at hand.  We still cannot afford to be asleep while Jesus is being betrayed today.  As the world attempts to discredit Jesus, we must awake and stand with Him.