November 11

Watch With Me

Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” — Matt 26:38 BSB

This request shows the humanness of our Lord. As He entered the darkness, He craved sympathy. He wanted His dearest friends close to Him. It wasn’t because they could actually do anything to help Him. They couldn’t lighten the awful load He carried, not even by a feather’s weight. They couldn’t share the burden in any way. But their presence would have strengthened Him to endure. The knowledge that loving hearts were nearby would have been a source of comfort in His overwhelming anguish.

We all understand this from our own experiences. A child’s terror in the dark vanishes instantly when a mother speaks or reaches out to touch them. A sufferer can endure pain more easily when a friend sits beside them, holding their hand. We all long for companionship in life’s great trials. These are glimpses into the feelings and desires of Jesus that night when He asked His three closest disciples to stay with Him and watch while He went through His agony.

Jesus no longer suffers in a Gethsemane, but He still calls us to watch with Him. Many of His people suffer today, and He calls us to come close to them, offering love, sympathy, and tenderness to strengthen and sustain them. When we watch with even the least of Christ’s followers in their time of pain or sorrow, we are watching with Christ Himself.

We can also watch with Christ by staying loyal and devoted to Him in the darkest hours when His cause seems to be failing, and many of His followers are turning away. The time to show true friendship is when someone is in trouble or when others are abandoning them. Likewise, our loyalty to Christ should be most steadfast when His enemies are most active, and His followers are few. He wants us to be true to Him in these times. He wants us to stay close to Him. Surely, we would never want to hurt Him with coldness or indifference.