Our Lord was sorrowful and troubled. His heart was awash with emotions and feelings. His mind was confused with different desires. The greatest of conflicts was going on within his mind–would it be God’s will or the Son’s will?
A day full of activity had finally come to a close. As the clock approaches midnight, Jesus is finally able to break away for personal prayer. But the prayer of this night is different. Cries and tears fill this prayer (Heb. 5:7). His legs will not hold him up as he falls on his face in prayer. Christ is in the garden of Gethsemane. The cross looms large before Him. Soon Judas will be there to betray him in the middle of the night. But now is the time for prayer.
There is a conflict going on within the heart and mind of Christ, which must be resolved before the story can continue. Man’s trouble began in a garden long ago (Genesis 3), so it is fitting that our Lord will struggle with the cup of suffering and bitterness that He has been asked to drink here in a garden. Christ fervently prays for the cup to pass three times, but three times He yields to the will of His Father. He surrenders and models for us what it means to say, “not my will, but thy will” (Mat. 26:39). Christ learns obedience (Heb. 5:7-8). The cross will be met with resolute determination the following day because of this time of prayer.
While it is hard to take our thoughts and minds off of the agony and suffering of Jesus, let’s turn our attention briefly to his three closest disciples in the garden that evening. He brought Peter, James, and John with him (Mat. 27:36). Their job was simple–watch and pray (Mat. 26:41). Yet, they slept. They went to sleep each time Christ went away to pray. He would return to wake them up and encourage them to pray.
Christ didn’t need their words. They weren’t needed to say the right thing or read the perfect Old Testament Psalm for the occasion. Christ needed their presence. At a time of great loneliness, when he was waging his own personal battle, He needed his friends to be there. Christ needed their prayers. In fact, they needed their prayers. Consider how the night may have gone differently for these three if they would have prayed as Christ instructed–“watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Mat. 26:41). But their eyes were heavy and they slept. It was after their bedtime and they just couldn’t be there for the Lord during this time of great need. They didn’t understand the conflict he was going through. Their anxiety in no way matched his anxiety, or they could not have slept.
What do our friends need from us in times of suffering, grief, conflict, and stress? They need our presence and prayers. They need us to sit with them, They need us to pray fervently for them. They need us to not drift away into our own pursuits, but just be there. Presence and prayers–something every Christian can offer as a ministry of Christ. It is also something everyone of us need.
