Mark 14:37

New International Version (NIV)

“Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour?

For Meditation

The disciples had been taken on a roller-coaster ride. The events over the previous few days had overwhelmed them with lots of surprises. Their expectation of a physical kingdom with Jesus as king was rapidly slipping away and they could not be sure what their future would be. They had given themselves to the cause of Jesus, and now their Master seemed to be disappointing them. At the Last Supper, Jesus had told them a lot of things. He was leaving them very soon, but He would bring the Holy Spirit to be with them. Jesus had identified one of them, Judas Iscariot, as his betrayer. He had predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed, in spite of his bravado; and indeed, all the others would forsake him too. They were confused and dejected. By the time they entered the Garden of Gethsemane; they were physically exhausted and emotionally drained. When the Lord told the three – Peter, James, and John – to watch and pray with him, I am sure they couldn’t even process the idea, and so they fell asleep, while Jesus travailed in prayer.

“Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour(Mk. 14:37)?”

They did not surprise Jesus with their lack of control and alertness. He knew they would fail many times before He called them. Neither was Jesus making a selfish demand with His rebuke. Rather, it was for their ultimate good. The betrayer was coming with his people to arrest Jesus in a short time, and they were all going to run for their lives. A prelude to what was going to happen when He was finally taken away from them. Jesus wanted them to be alert for the devices of the enemy and to stay in prayer for strength to stand against them (38). It was a revelation as well as a training session for the three who were going to be in the forefront in the establishment of the church. The Garden of Gethsemane experience was a reversal of what took place in Eden – an experience for the three and for all of us to learn from.

1. Are you confused by the current fast-paced and surprising world events?
2. Has trying to keep up with the geopolitical upheavals and the changing social order exhausted you?
3. Have they drained you emotionally?
4. How is your spiritual alertness in all of these things?
5. Are you able to discern the times, like the men of Issachar, who “understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take” (1 Chron. 12:32)?

I pray you will not be overtaken by the current world events, or be overwhelmed to the point of inertia in prayer.

Rather: May you be alert and very prayerful; and may God give you understanding and the grace to prevail as Jesus did, so you do not fall away.

Shalom