Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Mark 14:37-38 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
REST IN PEACE, NOT APATHY
It's been a long-standing custom for Christians to close the day with prayer. I'm sure many of you grew up in homes where mother and father would lead devotions and prayers at bed time. Prayer is naturally fitting at the end of a day because it's a great time to set aside thoughts directed to God. Prayer is also nice to use before bed because it's comforting to speak with God. Think of how many restless nights of sleep we would have without prayer!
These verses from Mark's Gospel also came at the end of the day on Maundy Thursday. Jesus asked His disciples to pray with Him. They were too tired and fell asleep. One might think that they were sleeping because their hearts were at peace, just as we rest each evening in the confidence of God's grace and forgiveness. Jesus had just previously promised that He would rise again after being struck down (Mark 14:28). But this wasn't on the disciples' minds. Instead, they were weak in their faith. They would show that weakness by fleeing when Jesus was arrested.
We might like to think that we would have been stronger than the disciples, but we should heed the same warning that Jesus gave them. We live in a time when many sleep in apathy and indifference. The end of days is near and the Lord asks for us to "watch and pray" so that we are prepared. Let us beware that not all sleep is good sleep. Only through the assurances of the gospel are we at peace, both in body and in soul. It truly is a blessing to lay our heads to rest with that security as our blanket. But let us not slip into laziness and complacency lest we disown the very Savior that has died for us.
