Keep Watch With Me

"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...

     

Providing a Roof

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 1:1-3

I admit it.  I like to do word studies when I'm deep in a book of the Bible.  Doing so gives me 'word pictures' in my mind, helping me remember what the writer has said.

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he has spent the first three chapters explaining the marvelous and vast riches of God's grace toward us who believe, and the high calling He has placed on our lives.

In the next three chapters Paul tells us how to 'walk worthy' in light of what God has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ.

How descriptive are the qualities Paul is calling us to in the original Greek language of the New Testament!  I was especially struck by the phrase 'bearing with one another in love'.  

We could assume, and rightly so, that bearing with one another in love means to have patience with the errors or weaknesses of anyone.  But a further look at the nuances of this phrase provides a more vivid word picture for me.  Bearing with one another also means 'to support, carry, to treat with mildness or moderation, to provide a roof over.'

Wow!  To provide a roof over!

Think about that for a bit.

Get the word picture in your mind of being a shelter, a roof,  for each other.

Then if you are willing, comment on this word picture.  I'd appreciate your feedback.

A Season of Dust and Ashes

"...I am nothing but dust and ashes."

(Genesis 18:27)

A wise rabbi of ages past suggested that each of us should carry two slips of paper in our pockets.  On one should be written, "I am but dust and ashes."  On the other, "For me the world was created."  From time to time each of us should reach into one pocket or the other.  The secret of living a balanced life comes from knowing when to reach into each pocket.

Today Lent begins - we call this 'Ash Wednesday'.  It is the 40-day period leading up to Good Friday when we remember Christ's death on the Cross.  Typically it is a time to look inward and reflect on the state of our souls.  It is an opportunity for greater humility, disciplined prayer, self-denial and sacrifice.  It is a time to consider on a deeper level the greatest mystery of the universe: 

 "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  

(Romans 5:8)

Lent is a time for us to enter into His suffering.

It is a time to consider the Cross,  symbol of a violent death yet the door to eternal life with Jesus.

It is a time of dust and ashes.

I invite you to join me at jeannie-reflectionsfromgodsword.blogspot.com occasionally during this Season of Ashes as we journey to the Cross through the Word of God.