Lent 2014 – Devotion 44

With tensions mounting and death imminent, Jesus celebrates the Passover among his friends. He is an observant Jew. As tradition dictates, he has gone to Jerusalem for the festival. The meal is over. They have commemorated God rescuing the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. They have praised the God of liberation.

Now Jesus takes his friends off to Gethsemane to pray. He knows that for him there will be no rescue. There will be no liberation. The cross awaits him. Death is near. Jesus knows he needs to pray. To connect with God. To stay centered. To tap into divine strength and peace. He needs this now more than ever.

We are told that Jesus is grieved and agitated. He prays for deliverance, but will accept the consequences of his faithfulness to Divine Love. We could argue that this is Jesus’ lowest moment. His greatest challenge. He needs God and he needs the support of his beloved friends. Yet what do the disciples do when asked to pray for but an hour? They fall asleep. Again, Jesus asks them to pray with him, and again they fall asleep. How can they sleep at a moment like this? With such tension in the air? With the last moments with their beloved teacher slipping away? In the presence of the deep need of the one who has responded to all of their needs, how can they sleep?

Why might the disciples have fallen asleep? Too much food and drink? That is certainly an issue in our culture both literally and figuratively. Our lives are too full. We are saturated with possessions and images to maintain. And, yes, we do generally eat and drink too much. Too full to be attentive, available, and responsive. Were the disciples in denial? No, Jesus isn’t really going to be crucified. It’s just rumors. Scare and intimidation tactics. Maybe the disciples were effected by the shadow of Passover. God rescued the Hebrews, surely God will save Jesus. Were they thinking, Jesus doesn’t really need us? He’s the strong one. He’s the one with the direct line to God. We aren’t needed. He’ll handle everything. He’s just being nice asking us to stay awake with him. Trying to make us feel needed and important to him. What do you think about why the disciples fall asleep in this story?

In his remarks on Palm Sunday earlier this week, Pope Francis made reference to this scene in Gethsemane. The Pope asked, “Has my life fallen asleep?” I think that that is a very good question for us this Holy Week. Are we asleep? Are we so busy with some things that we are ignoring what we should be paying attention to? Do we think that we have nothing to offer? Do we not see the needs around us? Are we saying we are leaving it all up to God as a testimony of our strong faith when really we just don’t want to be bothered?

Recently we have heard more about the killing of the boys in the Dozier School here in Florida. Who was asleep while that was going on? Who had their head down, looked the other way, ignored the heinous murder of those boys? Who was asleep as the brothers grew into terrorists and bombed the Boston Marathon? What adults in their lives were asleep and not seeing what was happening to them? Who in their lives was oblivious to the direction they were going? Who was asleep while they let evil overtake them? Who is asleep to the climate crisis manifesting around us? Who has their eyes closed and doesn’t want to see the changes that are taking place and the changes that are needed? How are we asleep to the needs of those closest to us? Are we asleep to how self absorbed we have become? Who is sleeping while the world is begging for healing and hope. How are we asleep? Will we wake up? Will we let the undying love of Jesus open our eyes? Wake us up? Energize our beings? Jesus is not asleep. He is waiting for us, praying for us.

Prayer: Jesus, wake us up to the full and abundant life that awaits us when we follow you. Wake us up to the joy that comes from being in solidarity with those who are falsely accused, unjustly condemned, or innocent victims of institutional violence. May our attention be focused on you as you promised to come to us – in the least of these. Amen.