What Jesus Did! 'We Must Go' — Matthew 26:45-46

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

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[After praying the third time, Jesus] came to the disciples and said, "Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look — the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let's be going. Look, my betrayer is here!"
— Matthew 26:45-46 NLT

Key Thought

Must!

It's a hard word, isn't it? "You must do this ..." "You must do that ..." Must!

Jesus knew this was "must" time for him. He had earnestly prayed. The Father's will was now made clear to him. "The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinful people. Get up, we must go" (Matthew 16:21, 26:45-46 NCV).

But the "must" for Jesus was much stronger. That's what the prayer in Gethsemane was all about. Was it a "God must" that he follow the path that will unfold? Yes! It was the Father's will. It was the divine necessity. It was a "God must" that Jesus would now fulfill.

In our time, we may receive very few new "God musts." Some people feel that they get a calling from God and that they must follow that calling. Perhaps, if more of us were open to the Holy Spirit, we would receive and recognize the "God musts" in our lives. Even without this type of present-day guidance, God's word has plenty of "musts" for us though "must" may not be stated. Consider, for example, God's call for us to love (John 13:35), to help the disadvantaged (Matthew 25:31-46), etc. There are divine necessities that are irrevocable and immutable for us just as Jesus' "must" was for him. If only we can embrace this divine path of obedience with the faithfulness that he did.

With his help, we will!

Today's Prayer

Holy and righteous God, I want my life to be a holy praise offered up to you. I want to obey your will and uphold your truth. Please give me the wisdom to know those "divine musts" in my life and the courage to embrace them as faithfully as Jesus did. In the name of your obedient Son and my Savior, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

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Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 26:45-46 NLT — "Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look — the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let's be going. Look, my betrayer is here!"

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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