PrintToday's "Moment with Mark" (100)
1 March, 2013
Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak." (Mark 14:38 NLT)
I am so glad Jesus said this!! It means He understands my humanity with all its possibilities and limitations - especially the limitations!! Mind you, it's not that He is making excuses for the disciples but He is helping them understand why they can be so well-intentioned and yet not carry through those good intentions to fulfilment.
The contradiction is explained by the fact that we are essentially spiritual in nature but we are housed in a physical body. Those good intentions (or "God-intentions") are the expression of the spiritual dimension of our being. The failure or inability to turn those good intensions into reality is because of the physical aspect of who we are. i.e. the spirit is willing but the body is weak.
The spirit and the body. Willingness and weakness. This is the story of the human condition. Two dynamics, each with opposing agendas. The Apostle Paul referred to this duality in Romans 7 and again in his letter to the Galatians.
Jesus is not finding fault with the three disciples. I would have thought some kind of rebuke was in order given the opportunity that was theirs to stand with their master. When this happened three times, the text tells us they didn't know what to say. Embarrassing ? I'm sure it was! Would word about their failure have spread among the others? Possibly.
But what matters finally is not what some court of human opinion determines but what our Master says. He demonstrates understanding and patience. He didn't ignore the short-comings of the three disciples. But Jesus made it clear that he understands the limitations that accompany life of earth. After all is said and done, Jesus was tempted and tested in every way as are we.
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