Watch!
Mathew 26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, 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. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 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. 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
The Veil
Mathew 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
What did Jesus mean when he told the disciples to watch? Was he talking about standing guard and if so were they caught sleeping on guard duty? Did Jesus not know that the enemy would find him there?
To understand what Jesus means when he tells us to watch it helps to understand a little about the veil in the temple.
I. The Veil Separated the Holy Place From the Most Holy Place
A. Only the High Priest could go into the Holy Place, only once a year and only with the blood that he offered for his own sins and for the sins of the people.
B. This was a type of Jesus entering into heaven once with his own blood at his death.
C. It is then safe to say that behind the veil is Heaven.
II. On this side of the veil are the things that are seen on the other side of the veil are the things that are not seen
A. As Christians our focus must be on what is behind the veil
B. “comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual”
C. “If you be risen with Christ seek those things that are above”
D. Only God’s people have access to what is behind the veil. That is what qualifies us to be the salt of the earth.
E. If Job had only known that behind the veil a conversation had taken place in which God asked Satan, “Have you considered my servent Job?”
III. The Veil is a One Way Mirror
A. From Starsky and Hutch to The Closer we have seen the interrogation room. There is always one or two cops trying to intimidate the suspect. The suspect is supposed to think he is all alone and what goes on in that room is not seen by any other eyes. They may use the, “good cop, bad cop scenario.” What the suspect sees in the mirror is the same thing he sees if he looks around the room. But we know on the other side of the glass there are people watching what is going on through the one way glass.
B. The veil is much like that, if you can get to the other side of the veil not only do you see the things that are not seen, but you also see the things that are seen from Heaven’s perspective!
C. Just maybe, if Peter and the other disciples could have seen the conflict in the Garden of Gethsemane form Heaven’s perspective they might have surrendered along with Jesus but they were not seeking Heaven’s perspective they thought they had it all figured out
D. By contrast Jesus is watching in prayer, praying until his sweat became as great drops of blood, Satan may have whispered, “So you think you are actually God’s Son? Maybe you are schizophrenic. Maybe you are delusional. You could easily rally public opinion behind you and against the Sanhedrin and the Roman Government. Let’s just suppose you are the Son of God, no man should have to put up with the pain affliction and indignation you are facing from such a puny thing as men.”
IV. The Veil is Still Standing, Now We Access.
A. “The Kingdom of God Cometh not with observation, neither shall they say low here or low there the Kingdom of God is within you.
B. “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you!”
C “Many prophets and wise men have desired to see the things that you have seen and have not seen them...”
D. These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers in the land...God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect.
E. You are a Royal Priesthood a Holy Nation and Peculiar People that ye show forth the praises of him that has called you out of this darkness into his marvelous light.
