Jesus Asks a Question: “Are you still sleeping?”

Jesus Asks a Question, “Are you still sleeping?”

The Grand Inquisitor. Messiah Jesus was a Master of asking questions: some were open-ended, others were very pointed; some were out of curiosity, others were challenging; some seemed rhetorical, others seemed painfully obvious; some were to reveal Himself, others were to guide the other into self-understanding; some were intentionally provocative, others were to kick-start a conversation; some questions were asked to explore a topic to deepen understanding and stretch toward the truth; some were leading questions that He designed to suggest a particular answer, and others were questions in response to questions asked of Him; some were hypotheticals to stimulate the imagination, other questions were used  by Him as stepping stones to think logically from one point to the next. Jesus used questions to dignify the listener, letting that person know that He is taking that person seriously and listening carefully. Many of His questions were acts of friendship and used to pursue a more profound intimacy with someone. Jesus asked very few yes-no questions, and since time was usually irrelevant for Him when He was with people, He rarely asked a “when” question. Several biblical scholars have studied the gospels with Christ’s questions in mind, and they have literally counted a total of 307 questions in His various conversations and teachings. It seems that a worthy spiritual exercise when considering the many questions of Jesus is that we ask ourselves… should I take His questions personally, as if He was asking us that question right now?

The Question. “Are you still sleeping/” (Mark 14:37).

Context. “Then Jesus led His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. He told them, ‘Sit here while I pray awhile.’ He took Peter, James and John with Him. An intense feeling of great horror (‘ekthambeo’) plunged His soul into deep sorrow and agony. And He said to them, ‘My heart is overwhelmed with anguish and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying. Stay here and keep watch with me…” (Mark 14:32-34, TPT).

The Passover Watch. After the Passover meal there is traditionally the “night of watching.” The Lord redeemed His people at midnight, and so faithful Jews believe that God is asking them to keep vigil on Passover night and watch for the Lord to redeem them once again. “This was a night that the Lord kept vigil and watched over them to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when the Lord watches over all the people, keeping vigil through their generations.” (Ex. 12:42).  One rabbi put it this way: “God guarded the Israelites from the Destroyer on the night of the exodus, and will likewise guard them against malevolent forces again on the anniversary of that night.” As another rabbi put it, “The Lord is telling us, I kept vigil for you on that night, so It’s not too much to ask that you would keep vigil for Me.” The phrase “keeping the watch” after the Passover meal meant that as many as wanted would stay up late into the night, even all night if possible, to keep vigil and watch for the Lord’s return by drinking more wine, reading and discussing Torah, debating theology, reviewing rabbinic studies, and by praying. When Jesus asked His disciples to “keep the watch” with Him after that final Passover meal (Matt. 26:38), He was asking them to follow the Jewish tradition of staying up late to pray, to keep vigil for the Lord, to “keep the watch” all night if the men were up to it.

ekthambeo (ek-tham-bay-o) = to feel overwhelming anguish; to be thrown into terror; to be thoroughly terrified; to experience profound horror.

The Agony. The starting point of Christ’s Passion was right here in the Garden of Gethsemane, a grove of olive trees at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The word ‘gethsemane’ means ‘oil press,’ and in this passage the final pressing of Jesus begins in earnest until He is out of juice and nothing is left. His profoundly intense prayer time with the Father is often called the Agony. There are many signs of Jesus’ agony that are easy to observe just by reading various translations of the three Gethsemane passages: Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32 and Luke 22:40. In these passages, which are painful to read whether or not you love Jesus, we see that He was very distressed; that He fervently prayed as He fell on His face; that He was deeply grieved to the point of death; that He was swallowed up in sorrow; that He engaged in an anguished struggle. It is even reported in Luke that sweat fell down to the ground like drops of blood.

Crushed and Overwhelmed. One only has to read the definition of the unusual Greek word ‘ekthambeo’ to realize that Jesus wasn’t merely having an earthly panic attack. What Jesus was experiencing was acute suffering that few people have to go through. As Bible scholar and translator Dr. Brian Simmons says, “The Greek words used in these verses are unusual. The terms are extraordinarily emotional and expressive, describing the deepest feelings a person could experience.” 

Dreading the Thought. It’s easy for to see what was causing Jesus such deep agony. He knew what was coming, He understood what He would soon have to experience… betrayal; arrest; severe beatings with fists and clubs; near-fatal whippings; heaps of scorn, mockery and shame; rejection by the religious authorities; considered less worthy than a murderer and terrorist; the torture of huge nails driven through hands and feet; nakedness in the sight of all when He is lifted up on the Cross; being taunted while He is dying; struggling for His last breath in tremendous pain; mourning a brief but profound disruption of the intimate union with His Father; the knowledge that His death would break the heart of His dear mother Mary. This was all going through the mind and emotions of Jesus in the Garden, but we will never be able to understand the depth of His suffering unless we are asked to duplicate His experience in martyrdom. The Father sent an angel to minister to Him in His agony. One translation suggested that Jesus himself requested an angel to come, to comfort and strengthen Him while flat on the ground in anguish. His anxiety was understandably profound as He prays alone to the Father, to His loving Abba, feeling like the whole world was on His shoulders. As it turns out, of course, that burden became literally true later on the Cross.

“… And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground (“pipto”), and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’” (Mark 14:33-36; also refer to Matt. 26:36-39).

Your Will, Not Mine. Weaving together the three Gethsemane texts, the prayer of Jesus, that he repeated three times to the Father, may have looked like this: “Abba Father, Papa in Heaven, I know that all things are possible for you. Could you please take this cup of suffering away from me? If this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it myself, your will be done above all else. It is not my will, Father, but your will be done.”

Abba! During His unspeakable suffering in the Garden, Jesus cried out to “Abba, Father.” Abba is an Aramaic word that is a child’s affectionate term for a beloved father. It is a title that directly addresses the father in a family setting much like ‘dad’ or ‘papa.’ Abba is a word that assumes a profound personal relationship between child and father. Abba is a term that refers to God as Beloved Father, and can be a believer’s term of respect, honor, intimacy and trust for our Father in heaven. As we know, Jesus even asked us to address God as Abba in his model of what to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4.

“Pipto” = The root Greek word meaning to fall down to the ground, used over 90 times in the New Testament; is the starter word for dozens of terms involving falling downward from a higher place to a lower place; pipto is the biblical term for prostration, falling onto one’s face on the ground, to collapse to the ground; to fall flat down in worship, reverence, allegiance, or submission; to drop down to the earth as if dead. In the Christian tradition, to fully prostrate oneself often includes confession and gratitude, as well as to pray from a low place before God’s greatness and awesome mystery. To prostrate oneself before the Lord is to assume a humble, servile position before our Master, the almighty God.

“Pipto” was fairly commonplace in the biblical era, as well as in other parts of the world right now. The West does not like to be humbled, evidently. The lesser form of pipto is when one would kneel with both knees on the ground and the forehead touching the ground as well. It was a position slaves would take with their master out of duty and respect. Often out of disrespect a person witnessing this would kick the rear end of the person lying on the ground. This would confirm that person’s place in life. The full prostration would be lowering oneself to the ground and assuming a position in which the entire body was flat on the ground, from the head to the toes to all the limbs. Often the phrase “throw oneself to the ground” would indicate a full prostration, with the word pipto more times than not referring to the full prostration.

Flat on the Ground. When a defeated soldier is brought to a conquering king, the captured foe lays his body out, face down, fully on the ground. That physical act acknowledges the fact that he is in subjection to the king, that he submits to his power and authority. Prostration is a rather radical, visual way to signal one’s submission and respect to God. It would be interesting to try this posture in private prayer, no less in community worship.

Jesus Prostrates Himself. We see here that Jesus is in desperate distress, and He literally threw Himself to the ground, fully prostrating Himself in prayer to His Father. Jesus is humbly submitting to the Father as He opens His heart to Him. He is fully on the ground, in total privacy, stretching out and remaining vulnerable to whomever might come to Him there. But that is not all He is doing on the ground like that. According to many biblical scholars, Jesus is also identifying Himself with the fall of mankind, kissing the dust of the earth. Jesus “lets Himself fall into man’s fallenness.” (Fr. Ratzinger). With a tormented soul, Jesus collapses to the ground and assumes a servile position before the Father as well as a position of solidarity with His fellow human beings in the flesh.

“Then Jesus returned and found the disciples asleep again. He said, ‘Are you still sleeping? Couldn’t you watch with me even for one hour? Watch and pray, so that you don’t fall into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:37-38).

Still Asleep? Peter, along with James and John, were asked by Jesus to accompany Him to the Garden to pray. They were the inner circle of Christ, and Jesus thought He could count on them since they were the only disciples to experience the miracle of the Transfiguration. They had been through a lot together, so He expected their full support. The three disciples fell asleep at their post while Jesus agonized in prayer with the Father. After finding all three disciples asleep each time He sought them out for encouragement, Jesus singled out Peter for rebuke, and then told him to stay alert so he wouldn’t be tempted beyond what he was able. For even when the human spirit is eager and willing to do the right thing, the human body can betray it. Even if someone is well-intentioned, sometimes the body makes it difficult to follow through. Jesus shows remarkable patience with His best buddies, even if they disappointed Him at this critical time. Of course, Jesus is living into Psalm 103:14, “For the Lord knows our frame; He remembers that we are made of dust. He realizes how weak we are; He is mindful that we were all created from the dust of the earth.”

“Simon, Simon, listen to me! Satan, the Adversary, demanded to shake you all violently as one does wheat, and have you people for himself causing you to fail! But I have pleaded in prayer for you in particular, Simon, that your trust in me might not fail. And you, once you have repented and turned back to me again, strengthen your brothers! (Luke 22:32).

Satan Prowls for Peter. Just before that word of caution, Jesus had told Peter personally that Satan had asked in particular for Peter’s soul, “that he may sift you as wheat.” Jesus then tenderly said that He would pray for Peter, that his faith would not fail. It is then that Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny Him three times. (Luke22:31-34). It’s clear that there was a lot of spiritual warfare over Peter, the future leader of the new Christian church in Jerusalem. Not only did Jesus predict his denials, but He also said that Peter would return to Jesus and would strengthen the brothers. Could it be that Peter was simply not prayed up enough after his nap in the Garden, and that he was unprepared for Satan’s assault in the courtyard? On the other hand, were it not for Jesus’ prayers of protection over Peter, we may have never heard from Peter again.

Good Intentions, Poor Follow-Through. Peter had made many strong statements about his belief in and support of Jesus earlier: “Lord, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death.” (Luke 22:33); “I will lay down my life for your sake.” (John 13:37); “Even if everyone else falls away, I will not.” (Mark 14:29); “Even if all are made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.” (Matt. 26:33); “Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you.” (Matt. 26:35). Peter meant well, and surely meant every word, but he overestimated his ability to remain true to Jesus. His spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak. Perhaps he talked himself into thinking he had the ability within himself to make his promises come true. It wasn’t long before he made all those promises come true at the end of his life.

Taking Christ’s Question Personally. “Are you still sleeping?” All of us who are seeking to follow Jesus would be wise to take this question seriously as a question Jesus asks each of us 2,000 years after He asked it.

The Song of Ephesians. “Arise, O sleeper! Rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine into you and upon you!” (Ephesians 5:14). The Song to the Ephesians was no doubt familiar to the members of the early church, and Paul sought to use this baptismal hymn excerpt as a wake-up call to those believers in the church who might be falling asleep spiritually. Paul didn’t want the Christians in their midst to “forsake their first love,” as John mentioned in Rev. 2. The early church hymn implores some believers to wake up from their spiritual slumber. Wake up, sleepyheads! Rise and shine! Climb out of your coffins, as the Message puts it. Open your eyes in wakefulness and the Lord will shine on you, the Lord will give you light. If you are not baptized, then let’s get it done, and watch Jesus Christ shine his light into you and upon you. Watch your new day dawn on you. If you are baptized, then walk in the light. Bask in it. Live into it. Stay away from the darkness surrounding you.

Be on Your Toes. Christ’s words of warning to Peter in Gethsemane are apt for all of us: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41). Jesus the watchman has given all of us fair warning, not only about our vulnerability without Him, but He also told us repeatedly to watch and be alert concerning the Last Day:

1. “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36; also refer to24:42 and 25:13).
2. ‘It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes… be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” (Luke 12:37-40).
3. “Keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:35-37).