Matthew 26:40

‘And he comes to the disciples, and finds them sleeping, and says to Peter, “What, could you not watch with me one hour?” '

Taking a brief respite from His agony He returns to the inner three, but only to find them asleep, even Peter who had been so vociferous in his promises not to deny Him. If this was not denial, what then was it? It was denial of a kind. And from a heart disappointed and stirred, and very concerned, He cries, ‘What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?' Note that the words are said to all three.

As we read these words we have to stop in wonder, and ask why it was that three men, who had in the past regularly known the rigours of being at sea all night, were comparatively young and healthy, were used to the rigours of the road from which they had had at least a week's rest, and were enjoying a festal celebration on which many would remain awake through much of the night, could not themselves remain awake, and that in spite of the fact that they were aware that their beloved Master was going through an ordeal such as they had never seen before and had asked them to remain awake with Him. And yet in spite of all their best efforts they could not. This was a night on which they seemed to be able to do nothing right. It was a night when, in all but One, flesh triumphed over spirit.

We must not, of course, underestimate the tensions of the previous week. They had necessarily been busy protecting Jesus from the pressing crowds, they had been continually aware of the now constant and unceasing hostility of the Chief Priests and Elders, probably also the continued surveillance of the Temple police, and certainly the harassment of the Scribes and Pharisees, from which there was little let up in religious Jerusalem. All this must have drawn on their nervous energy and have been found exhausting. And they may well during that time also themselves have been engaged in different forms of ministry (we must not assume, because nothing is said about it, that all they did was go around after Jesus). But this is not really sufficient to explain their failure.

Perhaps Matthew 26:41 and Luke 22:31; Luke 22:53 supply the clues. It was a night of unparalleled activity by ‘the power of darkness', and the disciples did not at this stage have the power to resist it. It was certainly later seen as a night in which Satan was seen as very much active (Luke 22:3; Luke 22:31; Luke 22:53; John 13:2; John 13:27). This makes the words that follow even more poignant.

‘‘And He comes to the disciples, and finds them sleeping.' It would be as foolish to suggest that the disciples fell asleep immediately as it would be to suggest that Jesus' words were the only ones that He prayed during the whole hour. They no doubt fought sleep off for some considerable time until eventually they succumbed. Thus there is no good reason for doubting that they heard the words recorded here. It is what He went on to pray that they cannot tell us about.