No Doze

“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” (Mt 26:40 AV)

One hour is not a long time.  It seems the LORD is a bit upset with His three closest disciples because they could not stay awake for one hour while Jesus went apart to pray.  We can criticize these men, but before we do, we should consider if the same would happen to us.  They had shared a large Passover meal.  They hiked out from their meeting place to the garden of Gethsemane.  That would have been several miles.  It was late at night.  Personally, I have a hard time staying awake later than about 9:30.  If the LORD asked me to stay awake for one hour while attempting silent prayer that late at night, I don’t think I could do it.  Regardless of what we think the disciples were capable of doing, the LORD expected them to stay awake for at least one hour in prayer with and for Him.  Considering what was about to happen, this doesn’t seem unreasonable to say the least.

When we were children, my mother had this tradition that still brings back fond memories.  On New Year's Eve, we would go to be at our normal time.  While we slept, my mom would put out chips, pretzels, dip, and soda.  Those of us in high school would stay up until midnight.  But those of us younger would be in our beds, sleeping.  Then at about fifteen minutes before midnight, my Mom would come wake us all up.  It didn’t take long for the cobwebs to clear.  We dove into the snack table.  We grabbed a cup of orange soda and a plate of chips and dip.  Then we sat around the T.V. to watch the ball drop in Times Square.  We could stay up after midnight for about thirty minutes, then off to bed we went.  If we were particularly crafty, we would take our time eating our plates and stay up a bit longer.  The thing was, if we wanted to stay up, sleep was not an issue.  It was my mom who made us go to bed.  As children, we wanted to conquer the necessity for sleep.  We were big kids if we could stay up all night.  We will stay up for that which we deem important.

The point is not so much a lack of sleep as a dedication which the LORD has every right to expect.  Weariness is no excuse.  At least it wasn’t for Jesus.  We succumb too quickly to the demands of the flesh.  We quit way too early.  We get a bit fatigued and we think we cannot go on any longer.  If we only knew how much gas was still in the tank.  Jesus did not rebuke them for being tired.  In fact, the third time He returns and finds them sleeping, He tells them to sleep on.  Resting is necessary.  The older I get, the less energy I have.  The older I get, the less I can accomplish.  But I can stay awake.  I can do all that I can do.  There is no excuse for living a saintly life with the gas peddle only slightly depressed.  Jesus wants us to stay awake.  He wants us to labor regardless of how tired we may feel.  If we do not, then we must expect a rebuke from His holy lips.