Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

It felt like the throwing down of a gauntlet. A challenge. Maybe an insult. The minute Jesus pronounced the words, the disciples’ backs went up. “Tonight you are all going to desert me.” It was an arrow to their very souls. They were offended, hurt. How could He say this about them? Hadn’t they left everything and followed Him? Hadn’t they persevered through a thousand things already? No one had thrown up their hands or thrown in the towel. They were all still there, still faithfully following Jesus. No one was planning to separate, walk away, or go into hiding. 

No one except Judas. Judas had his own secret plans unfolding. His divided heart had been swayed by sin and Satan. Greed had become his master. His dirty plans would culminate a few short hours later. Proof that one cannot serve two masters. But that’s a story for another day. (Matthew 6:24)

With that one exception, not one of the disciples had given any thought to deserting Jesus. Ever. Caught up in the awe-inspiring, soul-stirring ministry of Jesus, they didn’t want to be anywhere else. They couldn’t imagine leaving. Where would they go? What would be as exciting as following Jesus? Nowhere on earth could compare to living in His presence. Their staunch discipleship made this statement of desertion especially surprising. The very thought was appalling. They boldly declared it would never happen. They would never deny knowing Him. They vowed to be there to the end. They meant it with all their hearts. Nothing would keep them from walking with Jesus.  

They ran away. Every single one of them. Deserters. Defectors. Driven by abject fear.  The fear that triggers your fight-or-flight response. Staggering terror that tightens your chest and clogs your throat. A deluge of panic that forces you to run and hide for your life. Living wholly in the moment, not realizing how quickly circumstances change, they had sworn to remain faithful even to death. They meant that promise with their entire hearts. That was a few hours ago. 

Things were normal then. Jesus and the disciples were gathered together celebrating Passover. Jesus was reclined at the table. They were talking and eating the meal. There was a strange discourse about betraying Jesus. Disconcerted, they all ask for assurance that it wasn’t them who would do such a dastardly deed. “Is it me? Is it me, Jesus? Surely not me?” They couldn’t fathom ever leaving Him, betraying Him, or denying Him. Surely not them. Never. 

Oddly, there seems to be no reaction when Judas is pegged as the offender. No one tried to show him the error of his ways. No one tried to persuade him differently. No one called in a favor. Perhaps they didn’t think it was going to happen any time soon. Perhaps they thought it was a prophecy for years down the road. Perhaps they thought they had plenty of time to get Judas back on track. They didn’t. As soon as Judas took the bread from Jesus, he went out to commit the betrayal of a lifetime. (Matthew 26:17-30; John 13:30)

The meal ended. They sang hymns together and went out to walk in the Mount of Olives. They don’t seem to miss Judas, or question why he is gone. They don’t wonder why Jesus waited until he was gone to make His declaration of their defection. They are too busy disputing it. They don’t even notice their world is beginning to unravel. 

At the edge of Gethsemane, Jesus leaves eight of them to wait while He goes to pray. Those left outside Gethsemane don’t appear to question why Jesus didn’t take them too. I wonder how they passed the time. Did they discuss the inequality of not being taken along? Did they even notice it? Did they pray? Sit quietly in solitary contemplation? Count the stars? Or fall asleep like their counterparts inside Gethsemane?  

That is what Peter, James, and John were doing. Sleeping. That faithfulness they swore they would always have was slipping. Jesus asked them to stay awake and pray. Pray for themselves. Pray for strength. Pray for faithfulness. Faithfulness to withstand the coming onslaught of temptation. Temptation to sin. Temptation to slip. Temptation to separate. They failed. Twice. They couldn’t stay awake. So complacent were they in their belief that the events of which Jesus had been speaking were far in the future, they didn’t apply themselves to do whatever it took to stay awake and pray. The shallow depth of their faithfulness was showing, but they were too drowsy to notice.  

Finally, Jesus comes and wakes them. It’s time. He speaks urgently, but in their sleepy state, they miss the exigency. As they are stretching and yawning and rubbing the sleep from their eyes, Judas and his horde swarm the Garden. A mob armed with swords and clubs surround the betrayer of the Son of God. Those three disciples weren’t prepared for the events that followed. The kiss. The betrayal. The arrest. The dark cloak of choking terror that fell over them as they did the very thing they swore they would never do. They ran away. (Matthew 26:17-56; John 22:39-46) 

I wonder how the account would differ if the disciples had stayed awake and interceded for themselves as Jesus instructed them to do. Would they have still run away? I wonder if Judas’ life story would be different had the other disciples seen the error of his ways and interceded for him. Would he have still hung himself? I wonder if, when fear overtook them, the answer to their prayers would have been a boldness they had never before experienced. I wonder what would have happened if they had faithfully stayed awake to pray. 

Up to that point, their lives as disciples of Jesus had been marked by faithfulness. Faithful following. Faithful obedience. Faith in God. Their own words indicate they believe themselves to be above betrayal. Above desertion. Above unfaithfulness. “We’ll follow you to death!” they exclaimed. Their actions indicated the opposite. They didn’t stay awake. They didn’t watch. They didn’t pray. They did nothing faithful disciples would do in that moment. They slept. Then they ran away.

It cuts very close to home, this lack of faithfulness. We, too, busily proclaim our unwavering faithfulness to Jesus. Like Ruth clinging to Naomi, we vow never to leave Him, to follow Him anywhere, even to death. (Ruth 1:16-17) We are well intentioned. We truly believe we won’t betray Him. Ever. We are His for better or worse. We’ve never had to test the theory. No angry mob has stormed our home as we prayed beside our window. Unlike Paul, our friends haven’t lowered us over a wall to escape those trying to kill us for our beliefs. (Acts 9:25) Would we remain faithful then? 

We are woefully ill-prepared for those circumstances. God isn’t. As we face the current onslaught beating on us to lower our standards, stop taking the Bible seriously, call evil good and good evil, Jesus says the same thing to us as He said to the disciples so many years ago. “Stay awake. Be alert. Pray. Temptation is lurking and, although your hearts don’t want to be derailed, your physical selves have less compunction.” Be vigilant. Pray for soul protection. Focus so intently on God that you aren’t deceived by the news, the subtle advertisements, the opinion articles. Pray that you aren’t lulled into complacency. Beg the Father to keep you faithful in a world rife with unfaithfulness. (Isaiah 50:7; Matthew 6:13; I Peter 5:8; James 4:7)

Prayer is our only hope. Jesus tried to tell the disciples this. He tried to equip them for the frightful hours and days ahead by telling them to stop resting on their spiritual laurels and get on their knees. They didn’t hear Him. As our world turns sideways and things go awry, Jesus is saying the same thing to us. Quit your lackadaisical spirituality, stop drifting, stop dozing. If you want to see true change in yourself, your community, your church, your world, wake up and pray! (Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 18:6; James 5:16; Matthew 26:41)

So often we call ourselves faithful because we attend church every Sunday, quote Scripture, practice integrity, fidelity, and charity. Those are all commendable things, but the disciples had much to recommend them too. They had Jesus physically with them. They had witnessed His miracles, been part of them. They knew His teachings, His ways, His desires. Even with all those things to back them up, when it came down to the wire, they still fell prey to temptation and went to sleep when He needed them to be awake and interceding. Jesus is asking you to stay awake and pray, too. Fight off the temptation to be lulled to sleep by spiritual apathy. When you feel hopeless, helpless, frightened, and terrorized, pray. Intercede. Ask. Seek. Knock. He will hear. He will answer. But you’ll have to choose to stay awake. Will you join the disciples in slumber or unite with the faithful in prayer? (Colossians 4:2; Romans 12:12; I Peter 4:7; Psalm 5:3; I Thessalonians 5:16-18; Matthew 7:7-8; Psalm 50:15)