Genesis 35-37, Psalm 12, Mark 14
Today, in Mark 14, Jesus and the disciples are in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is distressed. He knows the day has come. This is it. They are coming to take him away. He knows his fate. In his grief, he turns to prayer and additional support from Peter, James, and John. Heading off on his own, he tells them to “keep watch.” To keep watch means to be on guard. To be alert. But for what? On guard for Judas, the betrayer? On guard for an angry mob? Not this time. Jesus already knew he would be taken away. He’s accepted his fate. He wasn’t looking to guard against that. No, Jesus wanted them to “keep watch” so that they would not fall into temptation.
Normally, when I think about temptation, I think about cookies and ice cream. But that’s too simple. Temptation also shows up as gossip, complaining, jealousy, envy, lying, and cheating. Are these what Jesus wanted the disciples to “watch” for? Not this time. There are two major temptations that show up in times of crisis, doubt and distrust.
Our first temptation when under self—preservation is doubting God’s power. Imagine you are one of three people on a sinking ship and there are only two life preservers, what do you do? Jesus says, “keep watch.” We may also be tempted go doubt God’s provision. Envision you and two others are on a deserted island. You have a bag of rice that nobody knows about. What do you do? Jesus says, “keep watch.” The temptation, of course, is to hoard resources. That does not work in Jesus’ economy. If we are keeping watch, we are guarding our hearts from these temptations. A successfully heart, has an outward focus of love rather than an inward focus of self. To be like Jesus, we must “keep loving one another earnestly, and show hospitality” (1 Peter 4:8). Especially in a crisis.
We are in crisis mode far more than we realize. They range frozen water lines, to chaos in Israel. I hear Jesus calling us to “keep watch.” Our response to today’s crisis is an opportunity for others to experience Jesus. John 13:35 says it best, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 (NLT)