Kata Markon

[JFAlward AT aol.com]

In a message dated 10/21/02 1:09:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
larry.swain AT wmich.edu writes:

<< So when Jesus says, Watch and Pray so that you may not enter 
testing.....can you explain just how watching and praying PREVENTS the 
"temptation" to sleep?  >>

You appear to have made my argument into a straw man, Larry.  I do not claim 
that Jesus asked the disciples to "watch" in order to do anything.  Watching 
to prevent temptation was the furthest thing from my mind, and from Mark's.  
The disciples were supposed to "watch" for Jesus' coming betrayer, who might 
come suddenly without warning, just as the servants were supposed to watch 
for the master might return without warning in the sleeping servants parable 
in Mark 13:32-37.  Watching would play absolutely no role in preventing the 
disciples from succumbing to temptation to close their eyes.

Your second misrepresentation of my argument concerns praying to avoid 
succumbing to the temptation to sleep.  You want me to have argued that Jesus 
wanted them to pray not to have the temptation to sleep, but that would be 
silly.  The temptation to sleep would naturally be present, and there is no 
problem with having the temptation to sleep. The problem comes in 
surrendering oneself to that temptation.  Jesus wanted the disciples to pray 
that God give them the strength to avoid *succumbing* to the temptation--pray 
to avoid the temptation to close their eyes and sleep.