Late at night, Jesus went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. “Sit here while I go over there and pray,” he told them. He took Peter, and James and John with him, adding, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” Then, Jesus went a little farther, on his own, and threw himself on the ground and prayed. He was in so much anguish, knowing he was about to take on the weight of the world and be separated from God, his Father, that Luke writes that his sweat became like great drops of blood.
When Jesus returns to them, he finds them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, you could not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
But the Flesh is Weak
But the flesh is weak. I always felt a sense of guilt for the disciples because of their weakness or lack of awareness in not being able to, at least, stay awake when something of such incredible significance was about to happen—and on a more personal level—when their friend needed them. I often wonder: Why were they so weak when they had so often witnessed Jesus’ power through his many miracles? They had just spent hours with him, learning and listening to him at the Last Supper, and declaring they would die before deserting him. Yet, they fall asleep (several times) while he wrestles with the agonizing knowledge of what’s about to happen.
In the disciples’ place, what would I have done? I’m afraid I would’ve been just as weak.
But there is some hope to be found in reading Luke 22:45. There, Luke writes: “When he rose up from prayer, and had come to his disciples, he found them sleeping from sorrow.”
From sorrow. Jesus had warned them many times that he would be given over to death…that he would be betrayed. Maybe the disciples were mentally exhausted, bewildered at his words, and afraid at seeing Jesus so distraught. They didn’t understand what was happening. They did not understand that Jesus was about to be arrested, put on trial, and crucified to pay the price for the sins of humanity.
Trauma and Sleep
For some people, when they experience trauma, they cannot sleep. For others, sleep is their way of dealing with it—or maybe not dealing with it. In such a situation, I don’t know how I’d react. Who could? We have the advantage of being able to read the Bible, to know what was happening and how it turns out. They didn’t.
But what I do know is that we are human, and we are flawed. When we’re going through something difficult, it’s a blessing to have friends and family to help see us through. But we can’t rely on them to fill the place that only God can. God was the only one Jesus could truly rely on in his time of trial…on this Good Friday, as Jesus took on the sins of the world and chose to sacrifice himself for us.