Scripture tells us that after sharing the Passover meal together, Jesus and the disciples go to Gethsemane. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with Him and asks them to stay and wait while He goes off to pray. When Jesus returns, He finds them sleeping. Jesus says to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40)

A second time, Jesus goes off to pray. He returns to find the disciples asleep again. So, He goes off to pray a third time. On His third return, the disciples are still sleeping. “Are you still sleeping and resting?” He says. (Matthew 26:45)

Jesus knows what He is about to face. Over a span of three years, Jesus became close friends to the men called to follow Him. Yet these close friends can’t even stay awake long enough to offer Jesus support when He needs it the most. And when Jesus is arrested, His friends scatter like hundreds of tiny marbles dropped on the floor.

What a sad, lonely time this must have been for Jesus. And yet, we know this is just the beginning of the sorrow and pain Jesus will suffer.

As we begin Good Friday, let us spend time reflecting on Jesus’ sacrifice. Let us learn from His humility and obedience. And let us rejoice that nothing can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:39)

“No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul like the scene on Calvary. Nowhere does the soul find such consolation as on that very spot where misery reigned, where woe triumphed, where agony reached its climax.”
-C. H. Spurgeon