He knew before they did. How frustrating that must have been and how humbling when the apostles looked back at the event. Jesus predicted they would not stand up to the hour of trial and then they chose to tend to physical needs rather than spiritual needs.
It is the question Jesus asked Peter that seems haunting to me. "Couldn't you keep watch for one hour?" How might the scene have played out if Peter and the others had spent the night in prayer? Jesus would have continued on towards the cross but other events might have been different. Perhaps they would not have abandoned Jesus in the garden. Perhaps Peter would not have stayed at a distance and then denied he even knew Jesus. Perhaps they would not have been so confused by the events of the next three days. Perhaps.
What I know is that I very often choose to take care of physical needs instead of spiritual ones. It is easy to not keep watch for an hour. It is easy to ignore the spiritual events around me. Instead of denying self and following him, it is easy to deny him and follow self.
No comments:
Post a Comment