Observe and Learn

Jesus singled out three of His disciples to walk farther into the garden with Him while He went a little further to pray. Why these men? Peter had earlier boasted he would suffer alongside Jesus to death. James and John wanted to sit in places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom. Their objectives needed adjusting. As Jesus prayed, He wanted them to grasp the agony He faced—not fearing death, but the cruel cross that awaited and the world’s sins that would separate Him from His Father for the first time in His human existence: “And He saith unto them, ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here and watch” (Mark 14:34). But instead of watching, Jesus found them sleeping. Had they watched and prayed, they would have been better prepared to suffer with Him. Yet, Jesus didn’t leave them wallowing in their failures. After His resurrection, Jesus lovingly affirmed their forgiveness so they could go forward boldly in the work the Father called them to achieve.

We have much to learn from our Savior’s life and great sacrifice. Jesus didn’t need companions to pray effectively but asked three disciples to watch and pray with Him. Though God is always with us, and we lean and depend on Him, sometimes we invite others to join us in prayer. If some “sleep” instead of “watch,” God may have them (and us) in training, chipping away “self” and misguided ideas like the three disciples to experience His mighty works and forgiveness, honing us to carry out His purposes.