How sad the Saviour's heart was under the olive trees the disciples could not know ; but the sadness was deepened when, coming back to them for a moment, He found them so little like Himself as to be all asleep. A sin of infirmity, no doubt; but what a revelation of the infinite distance separating them from Him ! This sleep could perhaps be explained, naturally enough, by reaction of mind after the tense excitement of the day — the passover and supper in the upper room, the long
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discourse, the wonderful prayer they heard Him offer, the hymn they had sung together, the walk in the darkness to the garden, and the slumberous murmurs of the night wind in the olive trees ; and yet it takes us by surprise. We could have expected something better than this. The Master evidently expected something better too. Even His generous excuse for them does not hide His disappointment. Even the palliation that they were "sleeping for sorrow" does not hide it either, for there is an accent of surprise in His words, " Why sleep ye ? " " Simon, sleepest thou ? "
The words are very sorrowful and touching. They show an ineffable depth of tenderness and compassion. He uttered no reproach, no sharp complaint, at their unseasonable slumber ; but only, " What, could ye not watch with me one hour ? " and He turned away all thought from Himself to them ; and, for their own sakes, bade them "watch and pray," for that their trial was at hand. In this we have a wonderful example of the love of Christ. How far otherwise we should act in such a case, we all well know. When any seem to us to be less keenly awake to the trial we may happen to be undergoing, we are above measure excited, as if some great wrong were done to us. There is nothing we resent so much as the collected manner of those who are about us in our afflictions. If they still seem the same when we are so changed — even if they can still be natural, feel common interests, and take their wonted rest, we feel exceedingly aggrieved, and almost forget our other trial, in the kindling of a sort of resentment
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Temptation.
The word "temptation" has come to be associated ex- clusively with that which is evil. We seldom speak of tempting a man to good. There is a colloquial use of the word, as when the lady of the house, presiding over her dinner-table, on which, more as an adornment than for use, are various mysterious confections, asks her guest, " Cannot I tempt you with a little of this souffle ? " in which case the word has a
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Buggestion in it that there is a debate in the mind of her guest as to the wisdom of making an experiment with something of doubtful and mysterious character. Ordinarily, however, the word temptation conveys the idea of inducement in the direction of that which is evil.
The exhortation to watch and pray implies that there is danger. And danger there is on all sides of us. There is / (1) the danger of letting our opportunities slip— our opportuni- ties of improvement, our opportunities of laying up treasure in heaven, our opportunities of benefiting those we love, our oppor- tunities of promoting our Master's glory — and therefore we must watch. There is (2) the danger of our being corrupted, and of the Church being corrupted, by false teachers — the danger of false doctrine arising and spreading, and we are to watch and stand fast in the faith. There is'' (3) the danger of being drawn away of our own lust and enticed, and we are to watch — keeping our hearts with all diligence, and keeping under the body. There is '(4) the danger of becoming wordly- minded — the danger of being overcharged with the cares of this life, of being deceived by riches, of giving our hearts to the world, and we are to watch. There is (5) the danger of being deceived and overcome by the many spiritual enemies who compass us about, and the danger of being devoured by the great adversary who goeth about like a roaring lion, and there- fore we are to be vigilant — we are to watch. And lastly and chiefly, there is (6) the danger of being found unprepared by our Master at His coming, and we are exhorted again and again to watch for His return.
1. The need of Watchfulness comes from the subtlety arid the surprise of temptation. Opportunities of promoting our own spiritual progress, the good of others, and God's glory, often present themselves unexpectedly, and just as unexpectedly pass away, and therefore we must watch. Errors in doctrine or in practice frequently arise from a very small beginning, and from what appears harmless in itself, and often have taken deep root and spread widely before men have discovered their true nature ; and therefore we must watch. Very frequently, too, temptation presents itself at an unexpected time, and in an unexpected
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form, and we must watch. And then our enemies are ever surprising us. They come suddenly and without the slightest note of warning. They may attack us on our right hand or on our left, and that at any moment, for we see them not. And then they come ever in disguise, and are constantly approaching us in some new dress. Their weapons, too, they are constantly changing, and their mode of attack ; and they are ever watching for favourable opportunities, and are constantly attacking us when we are least prepared for them. And they are many — their name is legion ; they are powerful — they are subtle — they are malignant — they are unsparing. Surely we ought to watch — not being ignorant of Satan's devices. He seizes upon every favourable opportunity, and we ought to watch. Esau was returning from the field, faint, for he had long fasted; he saw his brother preparing pottage, and thought not of an enemy ; but the enemy was there, and, taking advantage of this oppor- tunity, with his brother's tongue asked him to sell his birthright. He sold it — and then he felt that an enemy, the great enemy, had done it. But his birthright was gone — for ever gone. He sought to have it restored, but never could regain it, though he sought it carefully and with tears.