Is It So Hard To Stay Just One Hour With Jesus?

How love is tested in difficult times

One of the most revealing Bible verses about Jesus’ humanity is this passage:

“Could you not watch one hour with me?” — Matthew 26:40, DRA

For me, this is also one of the most unforgettable questions Jesus ever asked.

Could we not watch even one short hour with Him?

Could we not accompany Him during the time that He needed it most? Must we give in to sleep when all He has asks for is to have our company?

Before Jesus asked this question, He had already told His disciples that their faith would soon waver:

“This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed’” – Matthew 26:31 (NABRE)

To this, Peter boldly replied:

“Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.”
– Matthew 26:31 (NABRE)

And yet, that same night, when all that Jesus ever asked was that they remain with Him for a while, they could not do so, even for one short hour.

How could they fall asleep when Jesus already told them how sorrowful He was?

“My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” – Matthew 26:38 (NABRE)

Jesus called His closest friends to be with Him in that dark time, and yet they could not resist the temptation of falling asleep.

Perhaps they did not understand what Jesus was saying. And this makes Jesus’ sorrow even worse.

How lonely it is to suffer and not be understood! How agonizing to suffer alone.

Isn’t this the same with life? It is so easy to claim that we love someone. It is so easy to profess our undying love with words! And yet, when trying times come, who would remain faithful?

We so easily choose comfort over discomfort. We get sidetracked along the wide and easy road. We love only when it feels good! But when love veils itself and shows in the form of sorrow, weariness and hard times, we forget about it. We abandon those whom we profess to love the most.

I once wrote a poem about our need for friends when tough times come.

It is a plea of those who suffer. It is the cry of those who yearn to have a friend when life becomes too difficult and dark.

Jesus is no different. He may be God, but He is love. And He became a human being like us, someone whose heart knows how to weep and bleed.

When Jesus calls, can we stay even an hour with His bleeding heart?

Stay

Won’t you stay with me in this silence,
there isn’t much to say;
Still I want you by my side,
as I watch the tides.

Let’s look at the sea
as the waves crash by the shore;
Let’s breathe the salty air
until I can sense peace again.

For there is a storm within me
that’s raging fiercely right now,
and there is nothing I can do about it
though I’ve really tried.

All that remains is to wait till it’s over,
until I can be myself again.
But until then,
can I ask you to stay?