Mt. 26:38 - "Stay here and watch with me."

We are thinking about Jesus' suffering as we move toward Easter, convinced that meditating on His death will draw us closer to Him. In Matthew 26:37, we read that as Jesus entered the Garden, an overwhelming sorrow came over Him. In verse 38 He says to Peter, James, and John, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Yesterday we learned that this sorrow "to the point of death" was more far more than anxiety about His impending suffering. He was, even then in the Garden, becoming the Divine-human Substitute for the world's sin, and it was crushing out His life (Isa. 53). Now Jesus pleads for His three closest disciples to stay with Him and keep watch. Always the One to support others, Jesus now feels His need of human support and the assurance they are praying for Him. But it may also have been for their sake He invited their prayers. They needed to enter into what Jesus was going through for them. If they had, they would not have fallen, and they would have understood so much more of the events of His Passion. "Stay here and keep watch with me." Jesus words are also for us. We need to stay right here--in the Garden of Jesus' suffering, keeping watch and praying. Do not run through the Garden in your devotions. Stop and ponder the meaning of each word, each emotion Jesus expresses, and you will learn precious things that will bind Him to your heart. We need to "stay here" in His story regularly and often, or we will forget what Jesus' sacrifice cost. And if we forget, we wander from His love.