Jesus Finds His Disciples Sleeping - Mark 14:37

Mark wrote how Jesus and His disciples, “came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he said to his disciples, Sit you here, while I shall pray. And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy. And said unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry you here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto you; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what you will”, and in chapter fourteen and verse thirty-seven of his book, Mark shared how Jesus, “came, and found them sleeping, and said unto Peter, Simon, are you sleeping?”, where we read:

And he came, and found them sleeping, and said unto Peter,

Simon, are you sleeping? could you not watch one hour?

The verse reads, “And he came, and found them sleeping, and said unto Peter, ...” Mark began with the words, “And he came” which means “and Jesus arose and appeared”, “and found them sleeping” or “and discovered and detected Peter, James and John asleep”, “and said unto Peter” which means “and uttered, declared and proclaimed to His disciple Peter whose name means little rock or stone”. Mark shared how Jesus left His place of prayer and came to where He left Peter, James and John. When He arrived, Jesus discovered His three disciples were asleep and spoke to Peter saying the following words.

The verse continues, “... Simon, are you sleeping? could you not watch one hour?” Mark added the words, “Simon” which means “a rock or stone and was another name for Peter”, “are you sleeping” or “Peter, are you asleep”? “could you not watch one hour” which means “were you Peter not able to give strict attention to, be cautious, active and keep away for one hour of the day”? Mark shared how Jesus questioned Peter with his name which meant “shifting sand” and wondered whether Peter and the other disciples were unable to “be alert and cautious” for only “one hour” in the day.

When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we see how unreliable Jesus' three disciples were. Jesus instructed Peter, James and John to “watch and pray”, and they fell asleep instead. Jesus was going through one of the most difficult times in His human life, and His closest followers were “sleeping on the job”. God knows our weaknesses, and although these three disciples were “sleeping” while they should have been “watching and praying”, Jesus went through His suffering and death on the cross for them anyway. Those who are wise will consider the commitment of Jesus compared to their own, and when they realize they need Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they align themselves with the reason Jesus prayed and submitted His will to His Heavenly Father's.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus says, “watch you and pray, lest you enter into temptation”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".