Mark 14:37, “And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?”

Here is a remarkable contrast. A watchful Saviour but sleeping saints. The Lord will not so much as slumber, never mind sleep. The disciples on the other hand cannot remain vigilant for even one hour of watch duty. The Captain is always awake but the soldiers are asleep. Falling asleep while on sentry duty is a serious offence. The Athenian General Iphicrates was much admired by Alexander the Great for his military skill. He was however a merciless Commander when he caught watchmen sleeping. Once during the Corinthian Wars he visited the guards on the walls of Corinth. In the process of doing this he found a sleeping watchman. Rather than wake and rebuke the man he thrust him through with his sword. In recalling the story later, Iphicrates said, "Dead I found him, and dead I left him!" The Apostles were glad that their Captain is rich in mercy. He found them sleeping again and again and only gently rebuked them. How rich in grace is our dear Lord! How steeped in folly are His saints! Still, we must avoid presumptuous sinning and obey the Lord when He says, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:33).