daily java

Daily Java:

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”  (Matthew 26:36-41)

There are times in your life that are absolutely overwhelming, but you cannot find others to share it with you.

It may be the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job, or physical illness. It could be anything. But you cannot find someone who feels as deeply about it as you do. So you have to go it completely alone.

And it is not that the people around you are stupid or insensitive. It is many times because they do not understand the magnitude of the problem in your life. They do not really understand how hard it is hitting you.

The apostles were good men. Jesus had grown close especially to Peter, James and John. The four of them just kind of clicked. But even though they clicked strongly on a friendship level, still they didn’t understand Jesus.

He was about to die. And there was nothing he could do about it. To top it all off, he was afraid. The human side of him looked with dread. I do not know if he knew all of the details of his death or not – I tend to think not – but he did know, just from observation, that it would be long and brutal.

And he knew it would involve crucifixion, one of the most painful ways to die invented.

He prayed for strength from God, he prayed that maybe there could be another way, he prayed that God would be with him. He prayed so hard that the sweat dripped off him like he was bleeding.

Then, when he went back to his friends, they were asleep. It wasn’t that they didn’t care, it was just that they were confused by all the things he had said and they were tired. So they went to sleep.

Sometimes it is easier to just go to sleep than it is to pay attention to something you do not understand, something that baffles you. The apostles were baffled. On the one hand, Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, come to take away the sins of the world. On the other, he kept giving oblique references to what sounded like his death.

How could he save everybody and die at the same time? The two were at odds with each other. The more they thought about it, the more their heads hurt. So they went to sleep.

It probably embarrassed them when Jesus woke them up, but they sure were tired. So they slept.

And the Savior prayed and waited.