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."
Just a short time later, Jesus in his greatest despair and turmoil, came back to where he left his three closest friends and disciples and found them asleep. Matt. 26:40-41 tell us:
The 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."
I lived a small part of this narrative recently. A friend of mine who is a teacher told me through his blog that one of the students that he was very close with was killed in a car accident. Given his love for children and his long history of selfless mentoring, I knew how much this was affecting him. Before I left for work, I told him that I would pray for him throughout the day. Yet once I arrived at work, I quickly got absorbed into what I was doing. It was only when I got home late that night that I remember what I had promised, yet failed to do. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.
