Listen
Read
Matthew 26:36-41 nrsv
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Look
Observe the visual qualities of the image: line, shape, movement, and texture. How do the visual elements connect to the scripture text? What emotions emerge for you as you observe the art?
Reflect
“I can only imagine how profoundly alone Jesus feels in this moment. All he wants is for the disciples to stay awake with him in the midst of his despair, and they can’t even do that. Instead, Jesus shakes with grief and shivers as the sting of death draws close, while his friends drift far away in their dreams. Jesus cries out to God, but his request for the cup to pass from him is denied. He is utterly alone. I imagine he feels like the garden is closing in on him, with vines twisting and turning around his body and flowers stretching their petals toward his bloody tears. As he throws himself on the ground, I imagine he feels the damp soil against his face, between his toes, and under his fingertips, and shuttered knowing that the cold ground would soon be his dwelling place.” —Artist Lauren Wright Pittman
Pray
May I stay awake to the suffering in the world and responsive when you call me to be present with those in need. Amen.