“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” He said to them, “Stay here and keep watch.” (Mark 14:34 NIV)
Jesus’s suffering on the night He was betrayed was unique because He had full knowledge of the trauma He was about to endure. You and I are overwhelmed by the potential of suffering; the things we suspect might be at hand. We are saddened and sorrow by our circumstances, but Jesus saw His future as it had already happened. He hurt so deeply over what He knew to be imminent and He braced His soul for the onslaught.
Jesus knew the limitations of His disciples. He realized they could not alleviate His pain, but He had hoped that they might, at the very least, keep pace with Him that final night. They did not know the future He was facing or the agony He would endure, but they could be present in His affliction. In those moments of anguish, in the time and space where Jesus set His face like flint toward the tasks at hand, He was simply wanting a witness for His pain.
Sorrow is lessened when it is shared. Even when the other party cannot participate in the depths of despair, it hurts a little less when we know we are not alone. Jesus knew full-well that He would hang on the cross in total solitude, but He hoped He could wade through that last night with His closest friends at hand.
It is not lost on me that Jesus had asked His disciples to stay awake no less than four times in the previous chapter and twice in this discourse. And yet, the eleven arrived in Gethsemane heavy-eyed and unable to keep pace with their Savior’s suffering.
Famously, the disciples failed at this most basic task. It could not be helped. They were buried under their own sorrow and lack of understanding. They were weak and drowsy from the week’s activities. The truths Jesus had shared, the situations He had proposed were too much. They were weary with questions and fear. Sorrow is exhausting and they succumbed to it’s influence, nodding off as their Messiah wrestled on the Rock of Agony until His betrayer burst upon the scene.
It’s remarkable, really. While we can’t hardly keep our eyes open Jesus’s anguish, He keeps watch over us. I’m convinced of it. I’ve crawled through the black night of pain a time or two myself and always, even as others have fallen long asleep, the Savior sits in the room with me, keeping quiet company. What we have failed at, He prevails in. He never leaves or forsakes. He never closes His eyes to our discomfort or distress. He bears all things beside us, and that only begs me to love Him more.
I am so glad for a God who stays awake, aren’t you? We have a Savior who never sleeps nor slumbers. Our Lord never once closes His eyes to our sorrow or pain. He keeps pace with the hurt we experience and offers Himself freely amidst our lowest moments.
“He who watches over you will not slumber;” (Psalm 121:3 NIV)
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 NIV)
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 NIV)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV)
Lord, thank You for persevering in the task we could not carry out. You stay near in our sorrow. You bear witness to our pain. You see us through the night of suffering and set the sun rise again over our lives. Thank You for refusing to fall asleep on our agony. Help us to learn from Your with-ness and offer Your empathy to the wounded people within our reach. Amen.