Mark 14:32-41 More Sleep please ...

Jesus goes to an olive grove called Gethsemane and Jesus goes there to pray.   vs. 34 says that Jesus' heart was crushed with grief to the point of death, and so he decides to go an pray.   The disciples were told to keep watch.   But the disciples (James, John and Peter) ... but when Jesus went off to pray and he came back, 3 times he caught his disciples sleeping ... despite given instruction not to.

Here is Jesus, praying that his cup of suffering would be taken away from him, he was in the midst of grief, but his disciples couldn't stay awake and keep watch.   It may of been a long day for the disciples, and as Jesus said "the spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (vs. 38)   Here is their master going through the toughest time yet, and they couldn't resist sleep.

We know the disciples messed up, and you know, I don't know if I could do any better.  I mean these guys didn't have any Jolt cola, or Red Bull, or coffee for that matter.   But I think what added to the situation is that Jesus was suffering from grief, and despite all the warning in the world, the disciples didn't get it, and didn't realize how soon Jesus would leave them, because that night Jesus was taken away from them.

If there is a lesson in what the disciples didn't do, it's that we shouldn't take for granted the time we have to perform the task that God wants us to do while we're here.   The disciples could of been loyal followers, friends of Jesus, but they let him down.    That's the kind of guilt that I think must of worked on the heart of them afterwards.   Giving in to temptation when a Master and friend needed them the most.

In this passage there is another lesson that I take with me, is that we have a reminder that Jesus was not only fully God, but fully human... that he was going through a tough time, that he was crying out to God in his hour of need is not only a sad thing to read, but strangely comforting.   Comforting to know that God knows what we go through, and that if Jesus could follow through on doing what needed to be done, despite his wanting to give back the "cup of suffering" ... his prayer was for God's will to be done.  

• Christ suffered grief, we are allowed to feel sorrow and sadness when life throws us a curve-ball
• Christ prayed in confidence that his father was listening, and we too can have confidence that our heavenly father listens to our pleas
• God's will in our lives needs to take precedence over our will.  Christ took strength from that, and so should we.
• Even though Christ's disciples didn't stay awake, I like how he invited his friends to be with him at this time.   I think there's a lesson of not taking our grief alone, but to have our friends close by in times of trouble.