..... Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” - Matt. 26: 27-41 NIV
Who can blame the poor disciples. They have just had a huge meal and what Jesus said was the last wine they would ever drink with him. It has gotten late, and now he has dragged them out of the city into a garden. It's dark and the heady events of the past week have exhausted them. There's no harm in getting some rest while Jesus does his thing, is there?
For all of us, those who profess loudly and those who silently follow, there comes a time when we have to push on. We're tired, perhaps we've had our fill of religiosity and hero worship. We wouldn't mind some time alone with the Lord, but it has to be energetic or we are going to go to sleep. Sometimes, I think not even the spirit is willing, but God has called us to keep watch; to watch and pray, to watch and pray so we will not fall into temptation. That is the only way to get through the exhausting times, to watch and pray.
2010 Post - Matthew 26-28: Dark Before the Dawn
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