Jesus has just finished praying. The disciples have dozed off again. He wakes them with five plain words: “Get up, let us go.” Those words land like a judge’s gavel. The quiet hour in Gethsemane is over; the betrayal is at the gate. Jesus is not surprised. He is not scrambling. He stands up to meet the mob that will drag him to the cross.
Notice the order. First he prays, then he moves. Prayer is not escape; it is the place where we receive our marching orders. Jesus has asked the Father to take the cup away, yet he ends with “not my will, but yours.” Having settled that, he is ready to walk into the darkness. We like to reverse the sequence. We bolt first, pray later, and wonder why we feel alone in the fight. Jesus shows us a better way. Settle the will of God on your knees, then stand up and face whatever waits in the dark.
The disciples still don’t understand. They rub their eyes, straighten their robes, and stumble after him. In five minutes they will all run. Yet Jesus does not delay. He does not wait for them to feel brave. He simply says, “Let us go.” The call of Christ is not issued to the confident; it is issued to the chosen. Weak followers are still followers. The important thing is that Jesus leads the way. Where he goes, we go, even if our knees knock.
This same word comes to us whenever we read the passage. The comfortable prayer time is over; the real world is waiting. Maybe your “mob” is a tense marriage, a doctor’s report, or a supervisor who wants you to fudge the numbers. You already know what the Father wants; the only question is whether you will get up and go there. Jesus did not promise the path would be painless; he promised it would end in resurrection. The way to life always walks through death first.
So rise. Close the devotional, close the prayer app, and stand up. Speak the hard truth, write the hard email, forgive the hard hurt. The One who conquered death walks ahead of you. He does not ask you to go anywhere he has not already gone.
Prayer: Lord, we like to linger in the garden. Give us the same resolve that moved Jesus to his feet. Settle us in your will, then make us move, even if our hands shake. Amen.
