There in the garden, groggy from the sleep they shouldn’t have enjoyed, Jesus’ three best friends did the first thing that came to their human brains: they fought.
It makes some sense, I guess, because one may argue that humans have a fight or flight mentality, although I would argue that Jesus showed us a third way–a new way, but if a mob rolled up on you and your homies with the intention to arrest, torture and kill, you may fight as well. What if the Messiah had warned you? What if he told you this would happen, but you just didn’t understand? You might even feel a heightened sense of anxiety, too, because He had also explicitly told you to keep watch. Yet you feel asleep.
You feel asleep and didn’t keep watch. You knew that this day would eventually come, but, as usual, we humans tend to suffer some serious comprehension struggles. Regardless of you fatigue, or you inability to comprehend Him, lets remember that you promised never to leave His side. But then you fled.
1- The disciples did not keep watch. They slept. Regardless of the expressed wishes of the Living Word, they chose sleep.
2- When the time came, the disciples (specifically Peter), acted off impulse, choose also to reject loving enemies, and choose instead to violently strike the enemies that he clearly knew opposed the master.
3- When all else failed, though the disciples promised never to leave His side, they fled the scene.
When you look at this garden scene with a skeptical eye, it may seem like the disciples cannot do anything right. In fact, that is not to far from accurate. These men, who spent three years in the physical presence of Jesus, remain human. They remain flawed.
You and I remain flawed.
No matter the time we spend in His presence, we are still prone to mistakes–we are still prone to sin. Or hearts wander. Many times, we chose sleep over vigilance, violence over love and peace, and cowardice over fortitude. We choose or comfortability over His words. We choose angry, impulsive, human reaction over peaceful faith in His justice. We chose to shrink from the challenging calls he issues us.
But he still comes back.
Ate his resurrection, he came to those same disciples. He chose to appear to them. Forget that they had completely failed to listen. Forget that they rejected some of His basic teachings. Forget that they deserted Him in that crucial hour. He appeared to them.
Be encouraged, brothers and sisters. Whether you or I fail, he does not give up on us. He chooses to come back. He chooses to forgive and redeem you.
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