Giovanni di Paolo, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane

Thoughts thought during my Bible reading today:

I’ve been reading Mark 14. This dramatic chapter covers the anointing of Jesus by the woman at Bethany, the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, and His trial before the Sanhedrin.

The anointing incident kicks the crisis off by pitting Judas against Jesus (we know from another gospel that Christ rebuked him personally). Immediately after that he goes to the priests to offer his services as a button man. Then–from a human point of view–the whole thing heads rapidly downhill. Judas is just the first defection in what will become a general rout.

Jesus warns the disciples that they will “all fall away.” Peter emphatically denies the possibility and gets his own denial predicted in detail. While Jesus prays in the Garden, all the disciples fall asleep. Jesus is saddened by their weakness (Mark 14:37-38). But He’s not surprised, and He’s not discouraged.

The disciples are utter, complete failures.

But from the point of view of Christ’s mission, this sad fact is entirely irrelevant.

Because it doesn’t depend on them.

This is the lesson I keep coming away with, as I study this chapter. We ought to do right. Our failure to do so grieves the Lord.

But it doesn’t affect the outcome, because that’s His work, and His work is perfect.

I shouldn’t take too much comfort in this. That would tend to make me complacent (a sin to which I am prone).

But it’s a great comfort nevertheless.