"Because the Lord kept watch that night to bring them out of Egypt,
on this night all the Israelites are to keep watch to honor the Lord,
for the generations to come."
(Exodus 12:42)
"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
Stay here and keep watch with Me."
(Matthew 26:38)
It was a night of remembering.
A night of watching.
It began at sundown as do all days of the Hebrew calendar.
Passover, a meal shared with family and friends recalling the mighty acts of God many centuries before when He delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt's Pharaoh. After the meal the people stayed up together through the night in obedience to God's command to honor Him by "keeping watch". (Exodus 12:42)
After the Passover meal Jesus and His disciples went to Gethsemane to pray. Knowing His time was near He said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me." (Matthew 26:38)
The disciples fell asleep.
Alone and in deep agony our Lord sweat drops of blood. Returning to His friends He woke them and said, "Could you not keep watch with Me for one hour?" (Matthew 26:40)
Yet again they fell asleep.
When I connected the meaning of Jesus' question, "Could you not keep watch with Me?" to God's command that very first Passover to "keep watch to honor the Lord for the generations to come" it brought me to tears.
Tears for our Lord who endured this crushing time without His beloved friends by His side.
Tears for the disciples who mus have been so confused and afraid upon waking to see Judas betray Jesus with a kiss.
Tears for me because I knew had I been there I too would have failed Him.
Like His disciples that night in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus invites us to watch with Him, to spend time alone with Him, to contemplate all He has done for us by His mighty act of deliverance on the Cross.
Like the disciples we often fail Him.
Yet, He still calls...He still beckons...
...Watch with Me...
A night of watching.
It began at sundown as do all days of the Hebrew calendar.
Passover, a meal shared with family and friends recalling the mighty acts of God many centuries before when He delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt's Pharaoh. After the meal the people stayed up together through the night in obedience to God's command to honor Him by "keeping watch". (Exodus 12:42)
After the Passover meal Jesus and His disciples went to Gethsemane to pray. Knowing His time was near He said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me." (Matthew 26:38)
The disciples fell asleep.
Alone and in deep agony our Lord sweat drops of blood. Returning to His friends He woke them and said, "Could you not keep watch with Me for one hour?" (Matthew 26:40)
Yet again they fell asleep.
When I connected the meaning of Jesus' question, "Could you not keep watch with Me?" to God's command that very first Passover to "keep watch to honor the Lord for the generations to come" it brought me to tears.
Tears for our Lord who endured this crushing time without His beloved friends by His side.
Tears for the disciples who mus have been so confused and afraid upon waking to see Judas betray Jesus with a kiss.
Tears for me because I knew had I been there I too would have failed Him.
Like His disciples that night in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus invites us to watch with Him, to spend time alone with Him, to contemplate all He has done for us by His mighty act of deliverance on the Cross.
Like the disciples we often fail Him.
Yet, He still calls...He still beckons...
...Watch with Me...
