Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Thursday of Holy Week feels like standing on the edge of a cliff. You can sense the weight in the air. The pace slows, the room quiets, and Jesus begins preparing His disciples for what’s about to unfold, both in Jerusalem and in the world.

The theme running through Matthew 25 is clear:

Be ready.

In this chapter, Jesus tells three parables: bridesmaids waiting for a groom, servants entrusted with talents, and a vision of a final judgment where sheep and goats are separated. Jesus has no place for minced words or subtlety during this moment of his ministry. He’s saying, “Don’t get caught unprepared.”

But here’s the twist: Readiness in God’s Kingdom doesn’t look like having the right answers or rehearsing the right performance (as we’ve seen throughout this whole week). It looks like faithful presence: lamps filled with oil, talents put to use, and acts of compassion offered to “the least of these.”

In these stories, Jesus is redefining what it means to be prepared.

It’s not about being defensive, panicked, or impressive.

It’s just about being faithful. Being awake.

But then Matthew 26 takes a sharp turn. The teachings end. The time for Jesus to be handed over had come.

The betrayal begins.

Jesus is anointed by a woman with expensive perfume, an act so beautiful and so misunderstood that Jesus says, “Wherever this gospel is proclaimed… what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (26:13). Meanwhile, Judas is finalizing a deal to sell Jesus out for thirty pieces of silver.

Jesus celebrates Passover with His disciples and introduces the Last Supper, a new take on the bread and the cup that they would have taken year after year according to their custom. At the Passover, Jesus breaks the bread and lifts the cup. But even in this sacred moment, He’s preparing them: “One of you will betray Me.” The room goes silent.

And then… the garden.

Gethsemane is one of the rawest and human moments in the life of Jesus. The weight of what’s coming presses down so hard that He falls on His face and prays, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (26:39).

He returns to find His disciples asleep and says something that they (and we) need to hear: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (26:41).

This is one aspect of Holy Week that has really resonated with me this year. The King of Glory is the one who stays awake while everyone else falls asleep.

While His closest friends can’t keep their eyes open, He keeps watch. While they drift off, He wrestles with the weight of the world. And when the moment of betrayal comes, He doesn’t run.

He stands.

Y’all. That is the kind of King we follow: one who stays present in the most painful of places. One who doesn’t turn away from sorrow, loneliness, or fear, but meets them head-on in prayer and surrender.

And He invites us to follow Him there.

Maybe you feel the pressure to “do more” this Holy Week: to pray harder, perform better, to clean yourself up. But the invitation isn’t to impress Jesus. It’s to stay awake with him.

What if spiritual readiness isn’t about having the perfect devotional rhythm (I CERTAINLY don’t), but about learning to keep your heart open when it would be easier to shut down?

What if it looks less like sprinting toward spiritual goals or checkmarks on your reading plan and more like whispering, “I’m here, Lord,” even when your faith feels fragile?

We all have our Gethsemanes, places where fear gets loud and hope feels distant. But we don’t walk through them alone. The same Jesus who stayed awake in the garden now walks with us through ours. He knows what it means to feel overwhelmed. And he knows how to stay present anyway.

So, wherever you are today - stretched thin, half-awake, or full of faith, simply bring your whole self to Him - He stayed awake for you.

You can stay awake with Him.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Holy Week Reflection:

Pause and Reflect

• Where in your life have you mistaken busyness or control for readiness?
  
• What area of your heart might Jesus be inviting you to stay awake to, even if it’s uncomfortable?
  

Be Still

• Set a timer for two minutes. In that time, don’t ask God anything. Just sit with Him. Whisper, “Jesus, I’m here. I’m awake.” Let that be your prayer of surrender.
  

Prayer

• “Lord, You stayed awake for me. Help me to stay awake with You. Wake me where I’ve gone numb. Strengthen me where I’ve gone weak. Teach me to watch and pray. In Your name, I pray, amen.”
  

Take a Step

• Identify one area of your life where you’ve been running on autopilot. This could be your faith, your relationships, or your routines. Make one intentional change today to re-engage with presence. It could be as small as putting your phone away at dinner or carving out five minutes to check in with someone you’ve been distant from. Wakefulness begins with awareness.