Wake up Call

Mathew 26:36-46

³⁶ Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. ³⁸ Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”³⁹ And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” ⁴⁰ And He *came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? ⁴¹ Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” ⁴³ Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. ⁴⁵ Then He came to the disciples and said to them, "^]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Jesus ascended into heaven leaving His disciples behind to complete the work He established. He gave them the Holy Spirit to guide them in their work. Let us look at the scripture referenced above.

Here, Jesus was in the garden of Gathsemane preparing for His arrest and crucifixion. He was pleading with His father, grieving and distressed over His fate. He asked the disciples to keep watch because He knew that His accusers were on their way, but the disciples were unaware. They became complacent, apathetic over the fact that Jesus was in great distress, and fell asleep. Not once, but three times after Jesus asked them to stay awake.

What fate is the body of Christ in today?  Is the body aware of what is going on in their midst?  Are they in tune with Christ, available to hear His communication warning them of the danger lurking in their midst? According to recent statistics, the answer would be NO.  Many have fallen asleep, not listening to Christ's plea to stay awake.

Are you awake? Do you know your responsibility as a disciple?  Are you intentionally staying "awake" for Christ or have you become complacent, disregarding the request and doing what you want for your own comfort? If so, you must open your eyes. Seek Christ to know your responsibility and obey your calling.