GETHSEMANE (Mark 14:27-42)
INTRODUCTION:
Can you imagine being sinless and living in a world corrupted by sin, a world that you had created perfect but now marred by sin. This is the world that the Son of God was born into and throughout His life on this earth you can read of the grief and sorrow that Jesus experienced. Jesus grieved over the spiritual blindness of the people and their religious leaders. He sorrowed over the physical suffering of the sick and disabled. Jesus wept at the grave of a beloved friend. Jesus felt and experienced the sorrow that comes from living sinless in a world corrupted by sin, sickness, and death. His understanding of the suffering of others caused Him to be moved with compassion. In John 11 at the grave of Lazarus, John describes the strong emotion of Jesus in verse 33, “When Jesus therefore saw her [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled,” (John 11:33, NASB95)[1] This intense emotion was the result of the death of Lazarus, the grief of Mary and Martha, the reality of unbelieving Israel, and the understanding of the impact of sin and death on the history of mankind.
That intense pain over sin was in a small way like the pain, heartache, and severe anguish that Jesus experienced in the garden of Gethsemane. We will never understand the depths of His agony, in those early morning hours before the cross. That agony was infinitely greater than anything anyone else in human history has ever experienced. The spotless Lamb of God would soon be separated from His heavenly Father and He would be crushed under divine wrath in order to pay the penalty of the sins of others. No agony could be greater than knowing that He would soon drink the cup of God’s wrath and judgment against sin. Let’s pray and then get into our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Mark 14:27-42. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word, and follow along as I read.
Mark 14:27-42,
“And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away, because it is written, “I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ But Peter said to Him, ‘Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.’ But Peter kept saying insistently, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ And they all were saying the same thing also. They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, ‘Sit here until I have prayed.’ And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.’ And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’ And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. And He came the third time, and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!’ ” (Mark 14:27–42, NASB95)[2]
JESUS’ PREDICTIONS (Mark 14:27-31)
When we ended our study of Mark last week, Jesus and His disciples had just celebrated the last Passover and the first Lord’s Supper in the upper room in Jerusalem. The Passover meal often lasted five to six hours, from after sunset, around 6:00 pm, to not long before midnight. When it ended Jesus and the eleven remaining disciples left the city and headed across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. Leaving the city they would have passed through the eastern gate, going down into the Kidron Valley, crossing the brook that was still flowing with water from the late winter rains, and then begin to ascend up the Mount of Olives.
Before reaching their destination on the Mount of Olives, Jesus made a shocking prediction to His disciples, telling them that their courage would fail and they would abandon Him. The disciples strongly protested any such notion, but their words proved to be far more courageous then their actions later that night. In just a few hours, everything Jesus predicted about them would occur.
Though Jesus predicts the weakness of the disciples in these verses, these same verses reveal several wonderful truths about the Lord Jesus. His faithful endurance even in the face of suffering shows forth against the frailty and failure of the disciples. The disciples lack of understanding, lack of courage, weakness and pride serves to highlight the majestic character of the Lord Jesus making His knowledge, courage, power, and humility stand out in striking contrast.
First, Jesus’ omniscience in contrast to the lack of understanding and doubt of His disciples, because He is all-knowing, “Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away.’ ” (Mark 14:27a, NASB95)[3] The term translated “fall away” is a Greek word that means the eleven would soon abandon Him. But their abandonment would only be temporary. The Lord Jesus’ perfect knowledge not only included an understanding of what would happen in the future but also a full understanding of His Father’s will. Knowing all this He still did not shrink back from what His Father called Him to accomplish.
The courage of Jesus Christ is also displayed in this passage. Jesus verified His prediction by quoting biblical prophecy. Jesus quoted from Zechariah 13:7, when He said, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ ” (Mark 14:27, NASB95)[4] Jesus applied these words to Himself as the shepherd and to His disciples as the sheep, Jesus uses this prophecy to assure His disciples that even their failings would not overturn the purposes of God. Their desertion of Jesus was predicted by the prophet Zechariah hundreds of years earlier. Jesus knew that He would be struck down and the disciples would be scattered in fear, yet His resolve did not waver even with desertion and death hanging over Him. His undeterred courage stands in stark contrast to the disciples’ cowardice.
Jesus Christ showed His power by looking beyond the cross to His resurrection, He assured the disciples that their desertion would only be temporary. He would gather them again. Jesus encouraged them by saying, “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” (Mark 14:28, NASB95)[5] Jesus repeatedly claimed resurrection power, promising the disciples that after His death He would rise again. That power contrasted with their weakness.
Even though Jesus predicted they would fall away, and cited Old Testament prophecy to verify this truth, Peter proudly protested. “But Peter said to Him, ‘Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.’ ” (Mark 14:29, NASB95)[6] In his proud overconfidence Peter declared that he would never abandon his Lord. Jesus responded to Peter and said, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” (Mark 14:30, NASB95)[7] Roosters begin to crow in the hours just before dawn. In a matter of hours, before the sun rose on Friday morning, Peter would deny the Lord three times just as Jesus’ predicted.
Peter refused even to receive this warning. Mark writes, “But Peter kept saying insistently, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ ” (Mark 14:31a, NASB95)[8] Peter’s declaration of loyalty to Christ was noble, his unwillingness to listen to Christ’s admonition was not. He was blinded by his own pride and overconfidence. Peter was not alone in his insistence that he would stand by his Savior’s side, Mark tells us the others were saying the same thing as well.
The pride of the eleven contrasts sharply with the humility of Jesus in His willingness to die on a cross for their sin, even the foolish pride they displayed in this moment, along with the sins of all who would believe in Him. After His resurrection, He would gather them again, restore Peter, and commission them to serve Him as apostles.
JESUS’ PAIN (Mark 14:32-34)
Having traversed the valley and reaching the Mount of Olives, Jesus led the disciples to a garden, an olive grove on the slope of the Mount of Olives. The garden was named Gethsemane which means “olive press.” We do not know who owned this garden, but Jesus did and had permission to go there and had often gone there with His disciples. It was a place where Jesus and His disciples could get away from the bustle and crowds of Jerusalem for rest and solitude. Since it was a garden it would have been surrounded by a fence or wall with a gated entrance.
When they arrived at the garden, Jesus “said to His disciples, ‘Sit here until I have prayed.’ ” (Mark 14:32, NASB95)[9] Jesus left eight of the eleven near the entrance to keep watch and pray. “And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.” (Mark 14:33, NASB95)[10] These three were the inner circle of the disciples, these three had seen Jesus transfigured and had seen Him in His heavenly glory. Now they would witness the agonies of His earthly suffering. Seeing and experiencing this would teach these three an important lesson about their own frailty and the vital importance of prayer in the face of temptation. This lesson they would then teach to the other disciples.
As Jesus anticipated what would soon take place, He began to be very distressed and troubled. The word translated “distressed” means to be alarmed or amazed. The word translated “troubled” is a strong term indicating severe distress and anguish. This was the deepest sorrow Jesus had ever experienced. The intensity of the pain was so great that He was alarmed by it.
The main cause of His distress and anguish was neither Israel’s rejection, nor Judas’ betrayal, nor the disciples’ desertion. It was not the injustice of the religious leaders or the mockery of the Roman soldiers, or even the impending reality of physical torture and death. All of those concerns, as painful and horrifying as they must have been, were secondary. The agony and alarm that overcame Jesus in the garden went infinitely beyond any of those concerns. His grief was brought on, first and foremost, by the horrifying recognition that He would soon become the bearer of sin and the object of God’s wrath. For the first time in all eternity, He would experience separation from His Father being crushed by Him as a guilt offering for sinners. This reality was nearly too much for even Jesus to survive. As He told the three disciples He had brought further into the garden with Him, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” (Mark 14:34, NASB95)[11] The phrase “deeply grieved” means to be surrounded by sorrow and overwhelmed with sadness. We cannot even imagine the agony and distress that He was in, so intense it felt as if it was crushing the life out of Him.
JESUS’ PETITION (Mark 14:35-36)
The sorrow and grief that Jesus experienced defies comprehension, because it was a supernatural struggle. Besides the cross, this was the apex of Jesus’ suffering. It was here in the garden of Gethsemane that Jesus faced His greatest moment of temptation as He considered the cup of God’s wrath that would soon be poured out on Him. This battle was far more intense than His temptation by the devil in the wilderness. This was a temptation and battle like no other.
Near midnight and into the early hours of the morning, just hours before His death, the Son of God endured Satan’s final attempt to deter Him from the cross, Satan tempted Him to put His own human will above that of His heavenly Father. If Satan had succeeded, Jesus would not have accomplished God’s redemptive purposes, His messianic mission would have ended in failure; The Word of God would be untrue, the gospel meaningless. Heaven would be empty, and Satan would have claimed the victory. Knowing what was at stake, Jesus earnestly petitioned His heavenly Father. Mark writes that Jesus went a little beyond Peter, James, and John and fell to the ground and began to pray. Unlike the disciples who kept falling asleep instead of staying vigilant, Jesus responded to each wave of temptation with intense periods of prolonged prayer. The author of Hebrews explains it this way in Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.” (Hebrews 5:7, NASB95)[12]
Jesus’ tearful prayer was “that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.” (Mark 14:35, NASB95)[13] As He anticipated His suffering and death, Jesus asked the Father if the cross might be avoidable within the framework of God’s purposes. Some of Jesus’ petition is recorded in verse 36, “And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’ ” (Mark 14:36, NASB95)[14] Jesus always addressed God as His Father. The term “Abba” is an Aramaic term of endearment and intimacy, the first word of an infant for his father, like Dada, Papa, or Daddy. Jesus uses the term to show His intimacy with the Father, and it reflected the earnestness and sincerity of His petition. Next He acknowledged His Father’s omnipotence, Jesus in saying, “All thing are possible for You,” He was acknowledging that there was nothing outside the power of God that He could not do. Jesus knew that God never acts contrary to His character, purpose, or Word. Because of this, Jesus is not asking His Father to violate His redemptive plan or go back on His promises. Jesus Christ’s prayer was an inquiry into whether or not redemption might be accomplished through some other means. Jesus’ request was not a sign of weakness, but the completely expected response of one whose pure, sinless character necessarily and severely recoiled at the thought of bearing man’s sin and guilt, and suffering God’s wrathful judgment. If He did not react in this way, it would raise questions about His absolute holiness, so Jesus pleaded with the Father to remove the cup from Him. In the Old Testament, the cup was often used as a metaphor for the wrath of God. On the cross, Jesus would drink the cup of God’s wrath against sin.
Though this horror made Him cry out to avoid the cross, the Lord Jesus was completely submissive to the will of the Father. He ended His battle with temptation and His triumph over it with these words, “yet not what I will, but what You will.” Jesus’ submission to the Father’s will had characterized His whole life and ministry; now it would also characterize Him in death. Knowing that the cross was essential to the redemptive purposes of God, Jesus surrendered Himself entirely to the Father, willingly “becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8, NASB95)[15]
JESUS’ PRONOUNCEMENT (Mark 14:37-41a)
Jesus, in the midst of His struggle, went to check on the three disciples He had brought with Him. Mark writes, “And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?’ ” (Mark 14:37, NASB95)[16] In the parallel passage in Luke, he explains that the reason for their weariness was not only fatigue but that was compounded by sorrow and despair. They saw the agony that Jesus was in over His coming death and then the prediction that they would desert Him, caused them to be overcome by the weariness of grief. Still this sadness was no excuse. Jesus had asked them to watch, and they should have done whatever was necessary to stay alert.
Jesus rebukes Peter, but in light of what is happening, His rebuke was mild and gracious. Even in the midst of our Lord’s agony, He shows genuine concern for His disciples. That they could not keep watch for one hour suggests that Jesus had been praying for about that duration of time. He came and woke them, not to shame them but to tenderly exhort them. “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38, NASB95)[17] “Keep watching” meant to stay alert, not only physically but spiritually, remaining vigilant in the face of spiritual attack. The Lord’s instruction to watch and pray was important because as He explained “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” If they were to overcome the weakness of their unredeemed flesh, they desperately needed to depend on the power of God. The disciples undoubtedly wanted to stay alert. They also wanted to remain loyal to Christ, insisting that they would never abandon Him. Even though they had good intentions, in both cases they succumbed to the flesh.
Jesus left them again and went away and prayed, saying the same words that we just read a few minutes ago. After a second session of intense prayer to His Father, He came back again to check on His disciples. Mark writes, “And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.” (Mark 14:40, NASB95)[18] For the second time, Jesus awakened them, and they had no answer as to why they were sleeping instead of watching and praying.
Jesus returned a third time to pray, petitioning the Father three times to remove the cup of suffering. After this third wave of temptation ended, the submissive Son of God emerged triumphant from the battle, fully settled in His resolve to trust Himself to the Father’s will. The tempter had been defeated, and Jesus remained in perfect step with His heavenly Father. Just as in the wilderness after the temptation God sent angels to minister to Him, Luke tells that an angel was dispatched on this occasion. Now that His final temptation was over, Jesus was ready to endure the cross.
During this third time of prayer the disciples had fallen asleep again. Mark writes, “And He came the third time, and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting?’ ” (Mark 14:41a, NASB95)[19] In the weakness of their flesh, Peter, James, and John proved unable to stay alert, even after being awakened and exhorted twice by Jesus. When they should have been prayerfully preparing themselves for the coming confrontation, they were sleeping. Now the moment had arrived, and they were woefully unprepared.
JESUS’ SURRENDER (Mark 14:41b-42)
Jesus had prepared and having surrendered and yielded to His heavenly Father during those hours of prayer, Jesus would leave Gethsemane triumphant in His commitment to do all that the Father asked Him to do. He speaks again to the disciples, “It is enough; the hour has come. ” (Mark 14:41b, NASB95)[20] Any temptation to avoid the cross was now past, the time had arrived for the Messiah to fulfill His earthly mission as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.
Much to the shock of the sleepy disciples, the Lord announced, “Behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.” (Mark 14:41, NASB95)[21] A hostile mob led by Judas Iscariot, soldiers, temple police, and members of the Sanhedrin were on their way to take Jesus into custody. I am sure that they heard them coming and saw the torches as they began their ascent up to the garden. The disciples were wide awake now as this mob approached their secluded retreat.
Jesus did not shrink back in fear or try to hide; Jesus boldly went out to meet His attackers. Looking at Peter, James, and John, who were wide-eyed at what was happening, Jesus said, “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” (Mark 14:42, NASB95)[22] Having entrusted Himself to the One who is able to save Him from death and raise Him from the grave, Jesus showed no fear in the face of death. The cup of God’s wrath was in His hand, but He was not trembling. Drops of blood, sweat, and tears were still visible on His face and brow when He issued the triumphant command to go out and meet the enemy. Instead of running from the cross, Jesus moved towards it with settled confidence. His death on the cross was His ultimate act of submission and surrender to His Father.
CONCLUSION:
As we come to the end of this passage of Scripture, the application is simply this: all of us should give ourselves to regular daily prayer. If you are not living a life of dependent prayer, you are sinning. Jesus told the disciples to watch and pray, to be alert and pray. Without prayer you will not have the strength necessary to follow Christ. The call to prayer is a call to discipline. Many reject this idea, they may argue it promotes legalism. But there is an eternity of difference between legalism and discipline. Legalism has at its core the thought of becoming better and thus gaining merit through religious exercise. The Pharisees are a perfect example of legalism. Discipline springs from a desire to please God. Paul, an outspoken opponent of legalism admonishes us to “…discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;” (1 Timothy 4:7, NASB95)[23] As God’s servants we must exercise ourselves with an athletic-like discipline as we pursue God’s purposes for our lives. There will be no prayer life without this discipline. Jesus modeled it for us throughout His life, and in today’s passage He showed us that the only way to wrestle with temptation is with prayer. He was triumphant to the end.
Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers speaking on our Lord’s triumphant submission in Gethsemane declared: “No clarion blast, nor firing of cannon, nor waving of flags, nor acclamation of the multitudes ever announced such a victory as our Lord achieved in Gethsemane. He there won the victory over all the griefs that were upon Him, and all the griefs that were soon to roll over Him, like huge Atlantic billows. He there won the victory over death, and over even the wrath of God which He was about to endure to the utmost for His people’s sake. There is true courage, there is the highest heroism, there is the declaration of the invincible Conqueror in that cry ‘Not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ With Christ’s perfect resignation, there was also His strong resolve. He had undertaken the work of His people’s redemption, and He would go through with it until He could triumphantly say from the cross, ‘It is finished.’ ”[24]
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[20]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[21]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[22]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[23]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[24]Surgeon, Charles, Christ in Gethsemane. The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Pasadena, TX : Pilgrim Publications, 1979