"He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay with me and keep watch." (Matthew 26:38 NLT)
Jesus was wounded by the world and wounded by the way His Father was asking Him to take. He was suffering in His soul to the point of death and asked His friends to sit with Him in His sorrow, to pray with Him that this cup of suffering would pas from Him. And they couldn’t. They couldn’t come close enough to share His grief and they couldn’t stay awed enough to witness His pain. Neither do we.
Sleeping disciples; part of a prayer garden in Australia.
I’ve spent the past week reading a book that explains how Jewish readers interpret scripture as family history. They view Joseph as a great uncle and Noah and a grandfather. They talk about ‘our’ exodus from Egypt and ‘our’ exile in Babylon. As a result, their scriptural experience is highly personal, even intimate. They see the stories and sins of their people as participatory, a thread of their own tapestry. Consider the designation “the Lord your God”. Scripture isn’t a compilation of fairytales, but an account of God’s people – our brothers and sisters in the faith.
Clothed in this fresh perspective, we can go back into the Garden with Jesus and acknowledge: we have failed Him. We, as believing people, could not keep our eyes open to His guttural prayers. In the hour He most required companionship, His dearest friends fell asleep. How often have you and I drifted off as Jesus implored us for fuller attention?
Tear-shaped chapel in Gethsemane.
Here’s the remarkable part: Jesus never closes His eyes to our condition. When our souls are crushed, He remains beside us, bearing the pain as a brother should. Where we have failed, He is unfailing. Where we have fallen asleep, He persists with eyes and heart wide open. We struggle to string together a simple prayer on His behalf, and He prays without ceasing. This is the sort of friend we find in Jesus.
"Now you are my friends." (John 15:15 NLT)
"A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity." (Proverbs 17:17 ESV)
Lord, today we are in awe of Your commitment to stay awake to our pain. You never pull away or close Your heart to our troubles. You are closer than a brother, with us in every whimper, tear and anguish. You are the comforter of our souls. May we receive Your attendance with gratitude. Amen.