Title: Mark 14:32-42 Simon, are you sleeping?

Contents

Simon, are you sleeping? (Mark 14:32-42)

Now get up and let's go together

Today, in a spiritual lethargy, we need to recharge our life energy

It is the principle of creation in which the night and the day are separated by God. There is human sleep and awakening in the principle of creation. Sleep is essential for humans, but there are times when we need to sleep and there are times when we need to wake up.

The seriousness of the event in Gethsemane today is that the disciples were deeply asleep at a time when they should not have been asleep. So the Lord Himself approached Peter and said, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay awake with me for an hour?" he asked. We cannot fully comprehend the meaning of Jesus' question, but we can roughly understand His heart. The Bible says, “The Lord was greatly astonished and grieved” (verse 33). Also, the writer of Hebrews records that “with bitter weeping and tears he offered up supplications and wishes” (Hebrews 5:7).

Right now, Jesus is praying earnestly, risking his life or death, in front of the suffering of the cross to redeem mankind for his sins. Then the Lord asked the disciples to pray together. Whether the mission of the cross of the Lord was so heavy and powerful that he asked the disciples for prayer support, or whether it was to prepare the disciples for the trials and temptations that would soon begin, the deep meaning of the Lord is unknown. But the Lord clearly told his disciples to watch and pray.

At that time, if Peter were Jesus' chief disciple, he must have shared the feelings of Jesus at this time and should have been able to share the pain as well. But the reaction the disciples showed at that time was their heartless sleep. This cannot but be the actions of the disciples who completely disobeyed the Lord's expectations.

Human sleep can be a physiological phenomenon. And it is true that sleep is very necessary for humans. However, sleep is a time to sleep and a time to wake up. Not being able to sleep when people need to sleep is a problem, but not being able to wake up when they need to be awake is also a serious problem. The problem, however, is that the disciples today did not stay awake with the Lord even for a moment at the desperate time that the Lord needed them so much.

What made them sleep so restlessly? Regarding the cause, today's text (verse 40) said, “Their eyes are very tired.” If so, what kind of fatigue was it that led them to this miserable appearance? When ordinary people talk about fatigue, they can say ‘mental fatigue’ and ‘physical fatigue’, but what kind of fatigue was the disciples at that time? Obviously, Jesus also had a body like ours. However, despite that, even after working for more hours than the disciples, aren't you praying all night long so that your sweat turns to blood? If so, what exactly is the fatigue that is weighing down on the disciples now?

These were not just the disciples at the time. As always, the way to follow the Lord is to be able to see the cross with the Lord first. The way of life of faith without the cross and the path of mission without the cross are completely false. So you may be saying that you are always tired and that is why you are always tired. It's not because you're busy, but because you don't have spiritual energy.

Perhaps, Jesus asked, “Simon, are you sleeping?” was a call to wake up from that spiritual sleep, seeing the image of the disciple Peter, who had lost his spiritual energy and lost his spiritual self. It must have been that Peter woke up from a deep sleep after losing his spiritual energy, although he had followed the Lord outwardly and formally followed the Lord to the mountain. So perhaps Jesus said to Peter, “Tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Otherwise, why would Jesus hear the crowing of a rooster among the many sounds of the world?

Chickens are the animals that wake up the dawn. Chickens are awake animals. An animal that signals that it is time to get up. Peter to Peter who is ultimately in a spiritual sleep! wake up From that filthy sleep, from that cowardly sleep, from that cowardice sleep, from the sleep of fear, from the sleep of death, from the spiritual sleep, Peter, the spiritual commandment of the Lord is clear. Perhaps the spiritual commandment heard in the Caiaphas process is the commandment of the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Get up and go together!” It may have been the second voice of the Lord who said,

Dear all! If we are tired now, what is the cause of that fatigue? Maybe we ask, “Simon, are you sleeping?” Aren't these people who need the Lord's point of view? Where is our spiritual home? Now get up and let's go together. With the Lord, I hope that the way of the cross and the way of resurrection can rise up and go together.

Sermon notes

The way of life of faith without the cross and the path of mission without the cross are completely false. So you may be saying that you are always tired and that is why you are always tired. It's not because you're busy, but because you don't have spiritual energy.