Dear Trekker,
Easter again has just passed! This year, as in those past, I asked the Lord to give me fresh and new insight concerning the passion, death and resurrection of the Christ. It came to me with the Garden failure of Peter, James and John to hang with Jesus in prayer. Jesus’s words to them were straightforward…”Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For the spirit indeed is willing, but how weak the body is!” The temptation to sleep did overpower them and Jesus said simply, “Sleep on now!” “Take your rest…but no! The time has come! I am betrayed into the hands of evil men! Up! Let’s be going! Look! Here comes the man (Judas) who is betraying me!” (Read Matthew 26:40-46, The Living Bible.)
The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak! This phrase has become proverbial in culture, but begs to be understood. We casually throw it out as an excuse for most anything we have failed to do. But there is deeper meaning here for us all. (I like the “red letter” edition of the Bible – Jesus’s actual words quoted by the author.) When Jesus speaks, he always speaks objective truth…truth for time and eternity. Such a phrase is this.
The first thing that has come to me anew is that the flesh and the Spirit are not in sync. They do not mutually work together. Nowhere is this more clear than St. Paul’s explanation of his dilemma in Romans 7: “I do not understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right (the spirit), but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to, what I hate”…i.e. it is impossible for the flesh to follow through on the Spirit’s lead. See Romans 7:15 (The Living Bible, and read to the end of the chapter).
If the spirit and the flesh do not naturally work together, we are in a world of hurt, are we not? My mind drifts to the seven deadly sins that I have mentioned in writings past… sloth, lust, anger, pride, envy, greed, gluttony. If these predispositions are active (and they always are), we either “overcome” them somehow, or they always do us in. One definition of sin surely must be simply, “repeated failure.” Failure to do what… the “good” we know and intend to do. It is an ever-present dilemma for sure. Paul the apostle says it brilliantly in Romans 7.
The disciples’ spirits were willing to pray with Jesus and stay awake. Just a few minutes earlier, the three with the others had pledged their lives to Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” The others all said similar things. Yet, all the disciples failed and fled through the night of Jesus’ betrayal. Is it not that our flesh simply is incapable of following the spirit’s desires? Hence, if we are to do what we know is right, trying harder is not the answer. Sloth, tiredness, lust perhaps, or surely gluttony will rule the day. So many of our “woes” are the result of our own failure to follow through with our intentions. Is it not true?
Secondly, the words, “watch and pray” with which Jesus challenged them, clearly provides an answer. Since the flesh is weak, know its limitations! It cannot get the job done! So pray! We need help! Watchfulness brings to mind St. Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. But God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Cor 10:13 – a good memory verse, trekker.) Watchfulness prompts prayer and prayer calls on God’s strength, not ours. I recall an applicable proverb (Prov 22:3): “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”
Thirdly, let us not forget it is in and with the human spirit that God moves in and does his work of enablement and empowerment. God made this so clear to Nicodemus in John 3 (re-read Chapter 3). Capturing the necessity of Spirit intervention (new or rebirth) gets us on the right (spirit) track. Romans 8 is my favorite chapter in the New Testament because it underscores the power of the Spirit to accomplish everything the flesh cannot! I challenge you to re-read Romans 8 in this light.
Fourthly, Jesus, knowing so well the weaknesses of human flesh, is giving the answer to “the flesh is weak.” The point Jesus is making is the spirit is indeed always working. Yes, we are fallen creatures, but so often our intentions are good. (We just can’t follow through!) Is not Jesus saying, “Rely on your spirit (your will and desire to do good) which can be quickened and strengthened by My Spirit so that you can be empowered to accomplish My (and your) will to do good.” The Greek word in the passage for “willing” actually means “ready and eager.” Yes, trekker, we are wired by His image to desire and accomplish that which is good, beautiful and true to His nature. The flesh, now fallen as it is, and separated from God relationally, must simply be abandoned as of no consequence in carrying out our spirit’s desires. There is a reminder that “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, so says St. Paul (Romans 7:18). Why? Because it is true. So we yield our spirit to His Spirit. Our spirit is willing and eager, and becomes effective when linked with His Spirit. Again, this is the commentary of Romans 8. It attacks the jugular of the flesh by abandonment of it and marrying up His Spirit with ours.
In the phrase, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” so much depends on context and emphasis. Surely every trekker knows how weak his (or her) flesh is. But Jesus says continually, “the spirit is willing.” He is on our team. He wants us to succeed, He wants us to follow through. And here, “the spirit is willing,” is where the emphasis must fall. I believe without doubt whatsoever, we are not to wallow in the weakness of the flesh. We are to repose in the redemptive life of the Spirit!
“Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh,” says Paul to the Galatians in Chapter 5, verse 16. This is a good wrap up reminder. We must link our spirit with His, and walk together with the great I AM! If not, the flesh will overpower! It is weak only in its ability to carry out the wishes of His Spirit. Yet… strong to make us ineffectual and effete in carrying out His will.
I close with favorite thoughts from Paul in writing to the Philippian believers: “So get going with your own salvation, for God is at work within you, helping you to want to do what He wants, and then helping you do it (a “loose” version of the J.B. Phillip’s translation). Trekker, the answer is the Spirit leading and joining with our spirit. It is His plan, ushered into our lives by our invitation to His provision. Let’s move out on this today… and follow through with our intentions.
Your trekker friend,
Jim Meredith
