Could Ye Not Watch With Me?

To my son,

              This week we have the opportunity to remember the Savior and His final week on the earth. This was the most important week in history, with His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, His powerful teachings to the people in Jerusalem, His administration of the Sacrament to the apostles, His unimaginable suffering in Gethsemane, His agonizing death on the cross, and finally His triumphant resurrection at the tomb. Today I want to write to you about one particular moment in that week which can inspire us to be more faithful to Him in our lives. After Jesus administered the Sacrament to the apostles, He took them over to the Mount of Olives where the Garden of Gethsemane was. He told most of the disciples to “sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.” But three of them He invited to come with Him further: “And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.” This was Peter, James, and John, and He told them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.” It was evening, perhaps even night, and He asked those three to watch with Him. Matthew’s account continues, “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” He was about to suffer for the sins of all the world and could feel the weight of this most unimaginable burden coming on Him. He went back to the three “and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Here He was in the most terrible moment of His life, and His three closest friends had fallen asleep on Him. The account continues, “He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” He was so overcome with the terrible pain of suffering for the sins of the world that He sought for some other way that might be possible. In this most pivotal moment of all eternity, “He came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.” They had fallen asleep again! He went and prayed further, submitting His will to the Father, and “he came and found them asleep again” (Matthew 26:36-43). Three times He came hoping to find them watching and waiting with Him in this most difficult moment of His life, and they were asleep each time.

                The question that He asked them is an important one for each of us to ponder: “Could ye not watch with me one hour?” We of course don’t have the opportunity to sustain Him in His mortal experience, but every day we can show our commitment to Him and honor our covenant to “always remember Him.” I believe that each time we choose to study His word, to pray to the Father in His name, to serve someone around us, or to do anything good that He would do, we are answering His question, “Yes, I will watch with you.” When you and I were baptized, we accepted to take upon us His name, and this means at least in part that we will seek to do the things that He would do. As we choose to be kind when others are mean, to keep the Sabbath Day when others around us don’t, to use good language when others are vulgar, and to stand as a witness of Him in whatever we are doing, we are watching with the Savior. I invite you this week especially to remember to watch with Him by choosing to do those things that He would do. 

Love,

Dad