Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? 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.”
Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.
When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
Mark 14:37-42 NLT
After the emotional dinner, the singing, and the walking, there is this scene in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus goes to pray and asks His disciples to watch and pray with Him. And then, they all fail—not once but three times!
Let’s be honest—as much as we judge the disciples for letting down Jesus in His hour of need, this was not a small ask. Watching and praying for an hour late at night at the end of a long day… sometimes I struggle with five minutes! The spirit is willing, but the body is weak, indeed.
So, what can we say to our God, when we fail again and again? What is Jesus asking of us today? “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.” Isn’t He still asking us for the same thing?
As our lives swirl around us, the hustle and bustle of our days, let’s keep watch and pray. Let’s stay mindful that we live in God’s world, and Jesus is waiting on us. Will we fall short sometimes? Yes. But Jesus will still be standing there when we wake up.
After all, Jesus didn’t hold the disciples’ shortcomings against them. It didn’t make Him reconsider the cross that He would die on only hours later. Just like He knew those disciples, He knows us, our shortcomings, and loves us just the same. My response to that love is to want to try a little harder to stay “awake” for Him.
Amanda Johnston is a musician, former teacher and youth pastor, and current administrator at a small law firm.