Mark 14:33, 34
As we lead up to Easter on our calendar, it's always good to let ourselves review again what Jesus took on for our sakes. There's a reason that the gospels give so much detail about Jesus' actual suffering, and I believe at least part of it is to help us understand that he himself has known the full extent of any pain we might feel.
If you've ever had a terrible loss in your life, you know that aching, crushing heaviness in your heart and soul that Jesus is describing here to his friends. He longed for their support and physical presence to comfort and be with him as he faced the desperate hours ahead.
Did his friends stand by him? We all know the answer to that. Well, yes and no. They were there in body only. Jesus' dearest, most trusted friends let him down when he asked very specifically for only one thing: stay awake and pray. At one time or another, we have all been in the position of Jesus asking for help, or in the disciples' position of letting down our loved one, haven't we?
Jesus shared his anguish with his friends, and asked for their support. Then they had to be awakened to greet Judas and the guards when they came to arrest Jesus. So, when his friends failed him, was Jesus left alone in his agony?
Of course not. Don't forget the rest of the story. In Luke 22:42,43, after Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine," an angel appeared and strengthened him. When humans were not able to step up and give Jesus the support he needed, God intervened.
God did provide comfort and strength for Jesus in that terrible night, just as he has always been there for you and for me. God will minister to you when loved ones fail, whether through his Word, or through prayer, a stranger, or an even angel. He will be as faithful to lift us from our pain as he is to lift us from our sin. He has saved us to the uttermost. Praise his Name!
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