Are you asleep?

Grieved in His soul to the point of death and knowing what lay ahead, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to make peace within His soul and with God His Father. He asked of His beloved disciples to stay behind and keep watch while He went to pray, to avoid temptation - to share in His moment of struggle between flesh and spirit. Three times He came to find them sleeping.

The hour for which He had come to earth was upon Him. Being God, why the struggle? The very reason we can look to Jesus as our example is the reason why - He was as much man as He is God. In His flesh the Son of Man understood human emotion; He understood the struggle of temptation; He understood being hated, scorned and ridiculed. ... In His Spirit the Son of God understood intimacy with the Father; He understood being loved by Him beyond comprehension; He understood His compassion. The Son of Man cried to His Father, "If there is any other way, You can find it for there is nothing impossible for You!" ... The Son of God proclaimed, "Yet not what I want but whatever You want, Father, I will do." ... The Son of Man knew He would have to die a horrible unjust death. ... The Son of God knew that He could trust the love of His Father to release Him from the chains of death to sit at His Right Hand for all eternity.

The deciding factor? Three times He found His beloved disciples sleeping when asked to keep watch for but one hour. The flesh is weak, and this He knew could never change unless ... So with Love prevailing and peace in His soul His choice was clear - there was no other way but to choose death so the door to Life could be opened for Him and all who would enter there.

And He came and found them sleeping, and said, "...are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Mark 14:37 NAS