It's Bound to Take Your Life

Maundy Thursday


Mark 14:32-35

They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

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Don't go around tonight,
Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.

"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

Maybe we should all recognize by this scripture from Mark that Jesus, the fully human and fully divine Son of God and Son of Man did not have a death wish. Jesus did not tell neither his Father nor the world, "Bring it on! You got something for me, I got something for you!" No, Jesus was grieved knowing what was coming. Jesus knew the pain, suffering, and shame the world would inflict upon him all too soon. He is Messiah, not masochist. Only a fool would say "Bring it on!" Jesus was grieved.

Jesus was grieved knowing that the heavenly Father, for whom nothing was impossible, would not take the cup of death from his lips.

Jesus prayed that this time, this hour, this trial, this disgrace, this indignity, this death, would pass him like the cloud of death on Passover. He prayed his friends would be strong enough to stay awake and pray, he even brought his three closest friends to be closer and do just two things: stay put and stay awake. They got it half right but if you fall asleep gravity does the rest.

Let this show us two things. The first is that we all fail Jesus. Let those who say they are without sin know that they fool themselves more than they fool anybody else. The apostles, the twelve, those closest to the Messiah fall short. If they fall short in the physical presence of the Messiah what does that hold for us.

The second thing is that Jesus perseveres. He is human enough to treasure life, a life so full of love and hope that only the most human person, the only fully human person can live it. But because Jesus treasured all life and worked for its redemption, because Jesus lived fully even in the hour of his arrest, only because he knew the bad moon was rising and it was bound to take his life; because of Jesus we live.