Jesus and his friends get to a familiar place. They get to a garden, a cultivated place, in Gethsemene. Geographically, it is at the bottom of the Mount of Olives, a short way from Jerusalem.

They ate supper together, and then went for a walk.

It’s hard to talk about this story.

Jesus tells eight of his disciples that he wants to spend some time praying.

And then he moves on.

He tells three of his disciples that he’s dying, that his heart is aching so much.

And then he moves on.

He tells his dad that if it were up to him, he’d rather not have to go through with the plan they’ve talked about since there was no time.

And then he moves back and finds the three asleep.

It happens two more times.

The three had three chances to stay awake. They didn’t.

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. Proverbs 14:10

For now, two points.

1. Jesus knows what it’s like to have friends completely miss the depth of his agony. The eight didn’t have a clue. The three knew. He told them. They could have seen it. But they didn’t get it.

We have friends who miss the signs, who don’t understand how deep our pain is. Jesus understands.

2. Jesus knew who would listen to him, even though nothing would change. Jesus spent three sessions that night, one of them likely at least an hour, talking with his dad. Nothing changed, he still had to go through the upcoming death, but he spent time that night with God.

If you have a difficult event that must happen, a surgery, a funeral, an exam, it is nice to have someone close to be with you. His father was. And still is.