Fellowship in a Dark Hour

All the Gospels describe a final meal that Jesus had with his disciples. The first three Gospels make it clear that it was the Passover celebration. It is a helpful exercise to try putting yourself in the place of one of the Twelve and to imagine what you would have felt as the events unfolded that night at the feast.

At one point during the meal, Jesus takes the bread and he says: “This is my body.” He takes the cup and he says, “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many.” You have eaten the Passover feast maybe fifteen to twenty times since your were a teenager, but never have you heard anything like this. You have probably eaten the Passover with Jesus before, but now you are hearing him say something totally new and thoroughly strange. I would be surprised if some of them didn’t turn to others and ask, “What did he say? Did he say what I thought he said?”

Those of us who are Christians have heard those words many times, but what is familiar to us now had to be a shock to those who were there on that historic night. It is doubtful that any of them understood what he meant. Military people talk about “the fog of war.” The disciples were in the fog of the spiritual battle. It was all a confusing blur. We sometimes talk about this event and say Jesus was instituting the Lord’s Supper. However, this was probably the last thought on the minds of the Twelve. Sometime later they would reflect on all this, remember it, understand it and appreciate it. That night they were in the dark.

Matthew and Mark tell us the meal ended with the singing of a hymn before they headed for the Mount of Olives, a favorite place for pilgrims to bed down for the night. I have to believe that whatever the hymn was, the disciples just mouthed the words. It was probably the most unenthusiastic singing in the history of the Jesus movement. They were stunned, trying to understand what it was they were in the middle of.

Gethsemane

If the disciples’ confusion at the supper was great, it only got worse on the way to the campsite. First, Jesus gave them the sobering prediction that they would all fall away. When Peter objected and assured Jesus that this would never happen with him, Jesus predicted that with Peter it would actually be worse; he would disown Jesus three times (Mark 14:28–31). The fog and the darkness must have grown thicker.

Once on the Mount of Olives, east of the city across the Kidron Valley, Jesus retreated to an area called Gethsemane. Mark describes a scene heavy with pathos.

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." (Mark 14:32–34)

Jesus, at this most difficult moment in his life, was still building community. He was sorrowful and distressed, but he was asking his friends to be with him. He had to know they were not going to be much help, but in the kingdom of God, relationships are vital and must be maintained in all circumstances. Later on, they would remember how he did not choose to go it alone, but to have his friends with him. When faced with tough things, some of us, particularly those of us who are men, would rather handle it by ourselves--it seems less complicated. I have not always been good at asking friends to be with me in my dark hours. Even in this situation at Gethsemane, Jesus is teaching me.