Matthew 26:36-46
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, 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. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 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. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 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. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

They failed Him, but He still loved them with such fervency. They failed Him, but He would never fail them. They often gave in to their own desires, but Jesus surrendered His will to the Father and would go forward in obedience to something that caused Him this sorrow and heaviness, to something He asked three times to be taken from Him if possible.

This is the power of Jesus’ love. Though we fail Him over and over, He will not fail us. Though we disappoint Him and let Him down, He will never let us down. Though we are often unable and unwilling to do as He asks, He always keeps His word and does as He says He will do. Though our weaknesses and our lacks are often prominently on display, there is a power and a strength in Him that overcomes all weakness.

This is Jesus in His humanity, pleading with God for another way. This is Jesus in His deity, going forward to the cross, shedding His blood for our sakes, conquering sin and death and hell on our behalf. He will never fail. He will never falter. He will never stray from His path or His righteousness. He will never break a promise. He will, amazingly, never stop loving us no matter what we do or fail to do. Let us endeavor, then, to trust in Him, to strive to be faithful and to obey, to love Him and live for Him out of thankfulness for all that He does for us.