Watch and pray
These two are very justly put together. There is, and ought to
be, a watching before prayer, and "unto" it; a watching all
opportunities, the most suitable and convenient to perform it;
and there is a watching in it, both over our hearts, thoughts,
words, and gestures, and after it, for a return of it, and answer
to it: the reason of this exhortation follows,
that ye enter not into temptation;
not that they might not be tempted at all; for none of the saints
have been, or are without temptations; and they are needful for
them; and it is the will of God they should be attended with
them; and he has made gracious provisions for their help and
relief under them; but that they might not enter into them, throw
themselves in the way of temptation, be surprised by them at an
unawares, fall into them headlong, be immersed in them, fall by
them, and be overcome with them, so as to forsake Christ, or to
deny him:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak:
meaning either that the evil spirit Satan was very desirous of
having them in his hands; very forward and ready to make the
onset upon them; was cheerful, alert, and confident of victory;
and was strong, robust, and powerful; and they were but flesh and
blood, very weak and infirm, and unequal to the enemy; which is a
sense not to be despised, seeing it carries in it a very strong
reason why they ought to watch and pray, lest they fall into the
temptations of such a powerful adversary; see ( Ephesians
6:12 ) ( 1 Peter 5:8 ) , or else
by "spirit" may be meant the soul, as renewed and regenerated by
the spirit of God; particularly the principle of grace in it,
which is born of the Spirit, and is called by the same name, and
which lusts against the flesh, or corrupt nature: this was
willing to watch and pray, and guard against falling into
temptations; was willing to abide by Christ, and express its love
to him every way; but "the flesh", or "body", so the Syriac,
Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read, is "weak" and infirm, prone
to sleep, indulges ease, and unfit to bear trouble, but ready to
sink under it, and is for fleeing from it: and so the words
contain our Lord's excuse of his disciples in their present
circumstances. Munster's Hebrew Gospel reads the words thus, and
"indeed the spirit is (tdqwv) , watchful, but the flesh is weak". The
Ethiopic version after this manner, "the spirit desires, and the
body is fatigued". The Persic version, contrary both to the
letter and sense of the words, renders them, "my spirit is firm,
but my body is infirm".