The Spiritual Danger of Physical Weariness

by Pastor Tony Cervero

One of the most poignant moments in Gethsemane was when Jesus exclaimed: "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matt. 26:41) This exclamation was more than a prayer; these words flowed from a heart of passion and desperation.

Jesus said these words during a sleepless, stressful, and traumatic night. He would be betrayed, denied, beaten, scourged, unfairly tried, and forsaken by all his followers in the next few hours. The emotional weight must have been excruciating. So, Jesus reminds us that it is in moments of weariness and stress that we will face temptation and weakness - even when our spirit may be strong.

In his book, On the Anvil, Max Lucado tells a gripping true story of a New York Judge. It will be remembered as one of the most confounding unsolved-missing-persons case. It was late summer, when 55 year-old Joseph Crater waved good-bye to friends after an evening meal in a Manhattan restaurant, flagged down a taxi, and rode off. He was never seen or heard from again.

Years of research have offered countless theories but no conclusions. Since Crater was a successful New York Supreme Court Justice, many have suspected murder, but a solid lead has never been found. Other options have been presented: kidnapping, Mafia involvement, even suicide.

A search of his apartment revealed one clue. It was a note attached to a check - both were left for his wife. The check was for a sizable amount and the note simply read, "I am weary, very weary. Love, Joe." The note could have been nothing more than a thought at the end of a hard day. Or it could have meant a great deal more - the epitaph of a man overcome by the temptation that follows weariness and stress.

Weariness is tough. I don't mean the physical weariness that comes with mowing the lawn, or the mental weariness that follows a hard day of decisions and thinking. No, the weariness that attacked Judge Crater is much worse. It's the weariness that comes just before you give up ... that feeling of honest desperation. It's the dispirited father, the abandoned wife, or the retiree with painless moments. It's that stage in life when motivation disappears; the children grow up, a job is lost, a wife dies. The result is weariness - deep, lonely, frustrated weariness.

Only one in history has claimed to have an answer for it. He stands before all the Joseph Craters of the world with the same promise: "Come to me, all you who are weary ... and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28) But He clearly warned us of the temptation that follows weariness and weakness, even when your spirit is soaring ... Watch and pray - Don't give up - the resurrection is just around the corner!

Comments