32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. 41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Earlier Jesus spoke calmly about his upcoming death but now, when the moment comes, he is extremely agitated. We must always remember that Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine and this is part of his humanity. Because he is God, he knows what awaits him and, because he is human, he is horrified by it. In verse 34, Jesus echoes the psalms (notably 31 and 55) and says that his sorrow is so great that it threatens to kill him. Like anyone else at such a dark moment, Jesus seeks the companionship of friends. Peter, James and John are there, not only as witnesses but also to give him some support. In this, as in so much else, they fail miserably. But before they fall asleep, they do hear something of Jesus’ prayer. He calls God “Abba”, a familiar term that no other Jew would have used. He also begs God to change the divine plan so that he can escape from his upcoming suffering. Note that this passage is part of the theological basis for the separate personhoods of God (Jesus’ use of “you” and “me”) as well as that Jesus has both a human and divine will.
In verse 36, Jesus says the word “cup” which the prophets often use for the suffering God will bring to the wicked. This suggests that Jesus is suffering for humanity’s sins. But there is more at work here for we have already been given clues about the reason for his death – that he will be a ransom for many. He is the Suffering Servant of God who will die for our sins. At the end, Jesus clearly accepts his fate, saying that the Father’s will must be done rather than his own. Mark does not give us the text of the “Our Father” in his gospel but Jesus’ prayer here clearly resembles it.
Throughout this passage we see how unprepared the disciples are. They have certainly been swept up in a swirl of activities since their arrival in Jerusalem a few days earlier, but this does not excuse them from failing to give any support to Jesus at his most difficult moment. In verse 38, Jesus tells them they need to pray for themselves for they will soon be tempted but they cannot even manage to do this. Note that in verse 37, Jesus calls Peter by his birth name, Simon, rather than by the name he gave him. This suggests that Jesus is not entirely pleased with Peter’s conduct. Just a few hours earlier, Peter said he would die rather than desert Jesus but he’s already asleep. Note too that Jesus comes three times to find the disciples asleep which parallels the three denials of Peter. In spite of all this, at the end, Jesus invites the disciples to go with him to the cross. He never gives up on them – or us.
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