Weary and Weak

"Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."     Matthew 26:41 ESV

Jesus made this statement to Peter on the night He was betrayed.  After eating the Passover meal with Christ, having been taught many important truths that they did not yet understand, the disciples had accompanied Jesus to the Mount of Olives for a time of prayer.  He warned them about the events that were about to take place, but the disciples didn't really understand.  Jesus even told them what their reactions would be - that they would desert him.  They all deny this, with Peter being most vocal.  Confronted with the knowledge shared with him by Jesus - that Peter would deny even knowing Jesus - Peter was indignant: Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!”  (Matthew 26:35a)    And while we all cringe as we read Peter's words here because we know that, in fact, Peter does deny Jesus three times that night, we sometimes forget that it wasn't just Peter.  Ten other men pledged their allegiance to the Lord in that very same interaction: And all the disciples said the same. (Matthew 26:35b) 

As Jesus and the disciples arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane, He apparently leaves eight of the disciples at the entrance of the garden to sit and wait.  He takes Peter, James, and John with Him as he goes deeper into the garden to pray.  And Jesus makes a simple request of the three: watch with me (v.38).  Jesus goes on just a little farther and pours His heart out to the Father in prayer.  After a bit, He returns to find them sleeping, and after waking them, this time He asks them not just to watch, but to pray (v.41).  And as Christ goes back to pray, the three disciples fall right back to sleep.

It had been a long day for the disciples.  They had worked hard.  They weren't at home, but had been traveling in ministry with Jesus.  They were staying somewhere outside of town, but it was the beginning of Passover, and this was a mandatory observance for the Jews.  The disciples had no comprehension that the Lamb was with them, but they knew of their religious obligation and they weren't sure how to address this when they were away from home.  So they asked Jesus.  He told them exactly where to go and to whom they needed to speak, and so the disciples got busy.  Probably Peter, James, and John had worked all day setting up the room, finding a lamb and the ingredients for making unleavened bread, preparing and cooking the meal.

This was a hard, busy day.  Having traveled for years in itinerant ministry, and even now, having an unconventional lifestyle that doesn't exactly look like having a traditional home of my own with a stocked pantry and my own kitchen and utensils - making a meal in someone else's kitchen is different.  You don't know where things are.  You go out and buy things in different quantities and forms than if you were home.  Usually, you forget something (I do!), and you end up having to go back to the store.  It's time-consuming, complicated, hard work.  By the time I've made the meal, eaten, and cleaned up (because when you're using someone else's kitchen, you can't just leave the dishes for the next morning), I'm tired. 

And I can imagine that this is how Peter and the other disciples were feeling after dinner.  Add to that the heavy conversation that had gone on around the table, and these guys must have been exhausted - emotionally and physically.  But sometimes, there's just no rest for the weary.

Jesus wants to go for a walk.  And then, he wants them to wait and watch.  It's dark.  It's quiet.  And for perhaps the first time all day, the disciples finally have a moment to sit down and just rest.

Some people can do that.  There are apparently people in the world who can sit down, be still, and stay awake.  I am not one of those people!  When I get still, I get sleepy.  I can't really even close my eyes for prayer time at church! I seldom go to the movies because if I sit still in a dark room for more than a minute or two, there's a good chance I'm going to fall asleep.  My kids used to have to wake me up when we would read stories at bedtime because I would doze off mid-sentence, and they wanted to know how the story ended.  I have fallen asleep mid conversation on many occasions, much to my sweet husband's annoyance.  

So I have some compassion for Peter.  I don't think he was trying to ignore his friend and Lord's request.  I doubt that Peter was uncaring or callous toward Jesus's distress.  I just think Peter was tired.

And I think maybe that's an important lesson in this story - that we need to watch and pray, even and especially when we are tired.  These are prime opportunities for the enemy to attack, and if we are not careful in our weariness, we may yield to temptation.

Our world is in a precarious time right now.  Daily we are faced with challenges and struggles we feel ill-prepared to face and to handle.  There is anxiety and even fear at every turn, it seems.  And in that, there is a pervasive weariness that seems to be setting in.  

In our weariness, let's be careful to watch and pray, lest we fall into temptation.

...Just a thought...