Matthew 26:36-41
I find many of Leonard Cohen’s lyrics moving. His songs are hopeful but realistic--his view of humanity beautiful but complicated. In “If It Be Your Will,” he describes people as “children here/in their rags of light.”
“Rags of light” about sums up the contradiction of being human. We can be fragile or survive the most brutal conditions. We can create beautiful art or hold the most vindictive grudges. We possess the discipline to create incredible inventions and medical cures, but our weapons provide the most dazzling illustrations of our brutal creativity.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson declared, the human being is “a god in ruins.”
Deep in the season of Lent feels like an appropriate time to reflect on the failings, contradictions, and opportunities that are a part of being human. As Jesus walks his path toward the cross, even in his sinlessness we see our fears and frailty mirrored in his humanity.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:36-41 (NIV)
All of us have experienced low points and will experience more in the future. In Jesus' anguish at Gethsemane, we feel the desperation and fear of someone facing incredible suffering even as we see modeled the courage of submission to God’s will. In striving to live in a state of wakefulness and submission to God displayed by Jesus, we bring forth our greatest human potential.
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you experienced challenges that required a similar prayer for escape from impending pain? How do you relate to Jesus’ anguish at Gethsemane?
- Why, when Jesus experiences the deepest anticipation of suffering, do Peter, James and John sleep? What is the purpose of Jesus’ anticlimactic irritation in the text?
Prayer:
Lord, help us see in the suffering of Jesus his full humanity and a model of submission to your will. Amen.
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