If this was your last night, how would you spend it? That dark scenario is the occasion of the text. It was late Thursday night. The evening was spent in the Upper Room, observing the Passover. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and broke the news about what would soon occur. 

• One of them would betray him. 
• Another one would deny him. 
• All of them would desert him. 

The disciples could not process these unbelievable predictions. They would not have long to try. The predicted events were imminent. Within hours, what Jesus said to and about them would come to pass. Under these circumstances, Jesus led the disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He would not leave a free man. Judas led the religious leaders, temple soldiers, and an armed mob to Gethsemane. He betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Jesus was arrested, put on trial, and condemned to die. He was crucified by noon by high noon on Friday. 

  The hours in Gethsemane prepared Jesus for the hours on Golgotha. 

Mark 1:1 states the main idea of Mark’s Gospel: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark declares, displays, and defends the deity of Christ. In Gethsemane, we see the most human depiction of the divine Christ in Mark. It is the greatest crisis of Jesus’ life and ministry. Jesus’ story occurs in the shadow of the cross. In Gethsemane, Jesus comes face-to-face with the agony of the cross. 

• Would Jesus turn away and flee? 
• Would Jesus go forward and die? 

Mark 14:32-42 answers these looming questions. This sad, solemn, and stirring story is good news for every Christian: Jesus’ struggle is our victory! Sinclair B. Ferguson wrote: “Gethsemane was unique. We do not go through our own Gethsemane. Jesus has done that for us. But we must learn to place our feet in the footsteps of faithfulness which he planted there, if we are to be his disciples.” How is Jesus’ struggle our victory? 

Jesus Struggles with his Father. 

The text has two sections. In verses 32-36, Jesus struggles with his Father in prayer. The section unfolds in a dramatic progression of three movements.

Jesus and the Eleven. Verse 32 sets the scene and establishes the occasion. 

The Secluded Place. Having departed the Upper Room, Jesus left Jerusalem and crossed the Kidron Valley to the western slopes of the Mount of Olives to “a place called Gethsemane.” John 18:1 calls it a “garden.” John 18:2 says, “Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.” Jesus was no longer moving stealthily. He went where it would be easy for Judas to find him. Gethsemane means “oil press.” The name is ironic. Here Jesus would be crushed to prepare him for the cross. It happened as Jesus struggled with the Father in prayer. You need a secluded place where you can meet with God in the quiet chambers of your own praying ground.

The Strategic Plan. Verse 32 says, “And He said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’” The “disciples” are the eleven. Judas slipped out of the Upper Room, finally finding an opportunity to betray Jesus. Jesus sat the eleven down near the entrance of Gethsemane. He told them why they were there – so he could pray. It is the third time Mark records Jesus at prayer. 

• Mark 1:35 is Jesus at prayer at the beginning of his ministry. 
• Mark 6:46 is Jesus at prayer in the middle of his ministry. 
• Mark 14:32 is Jesus at prayer at the end of his ministry. 

Each prayer session occurred at night. Each took place at a critical time in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus experienced two crisis experiences – in the wilderness and Gethsemane. He used two weapons during these spiritual battles. When tempted in the wilderness, Jesus fought with scripture. In Gethsemane, Jesus fought with prayer. The battle in the wilderness was against the devil. “It is written” defeated the enemy. Here the struggle was with his flesh. Victory would only come through believing prayer! 

Jesus and the Inner Circle. Verses 33-34 reduce Jesus’ companions from eleven to three.

 The Three Companions. Verse 33 says, “And he took with him Peter and James and John.” These three were handpicked to be with him on special occasions. 

• They were chosen in Mark 5:37 to see his greatness when he raised Jairus’ daughter. 
• They were chosen in Mark 9:3 to see his glory on the mount of Transfiguration. 
• They were chosen in Mark 14:33 to see his grief in the garden of Gethsemane. 

Peter, James, and John were the official witnesses of Jesus. They would become the foundational apostolic leaders of the early church. Jesus singled them out to prepare them for their future roles. Their selection here should not be taken as a sign of favor. Jesus brought them along to take them down, not lift them up. In Mark 10:38-39, James and John insisted they were able to drink the cup Jesus would drink. In Mark 14:29-31, Peter insisted that he would stay with Jesus and die with him. In Gethsemane, they would get the chance to show that their walk matched their talk.

   The Terrible Crisis. With his inner circle, Jesus’ mood changed drastically.

What he felt. Verse 33 says he “began to be greatly distressed and troubled.” Mark uses strong, emphatic, violent language. Jesus became horrified and terrified. Jesus would suffer physically on the cross. The Romans coined a term to describe the pain: “excruciating.” Jesus died on the cross to make substitutionary atonement for our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” At the cross, God treated Jesus as if he had committed our sins so that he might treat us as if we had committed the righteousness of Christ through faith in him. Facing these realities, Jesus began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 

 What he said. Verse 34 says, “And he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death..’” Jesus’ soul was “hemmed in with sorrow.” The grief and gloom created a near-death experience. Jesus almost died from sorrow in Gethsemane before he died by suffocation at Golgotha. There is no way to explain this exegetically, doctrinally, or theologically. The proper response is to take these words at face value and remove our shoes, for we are on holy ground. Jesus instructed the inner circle, “Remain here and watch.”Jesus did not ask them to pray with or for him. He asked them to watch. It is not a call to be on the lookout for Judas. For their own sake, they were to watch as Jesus struggled with his Father. If only they would have watched Jesus struggle, it would have given them the victory. 

Jesus All Alone. Note the progression of the text. 

• Jesus enters Gethsemane with the disciples. 
• Jesus goes farther in with the inner circle. 
• Jesus goes a little farther to be all alone. 

 Once all alone, Jesus struggled with his Father. 

Jesus struggled in prayer. Verse 35 says, “And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if possible, the hour might pass from him.” Luke 22:41 says, “And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed.” Mark says Jesus did not just kneel down; he fell down. He prayed that, if possible, the hour might pass from him. Hebrews 5:7-9 says, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus[a] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”

Jesus submitted in prayer. Verse 36 records what Jesus prayed in three big statements. 

Adoration. If there was ever a time to get right to the request, this was it! Yet Jesus began his prayer in worship: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.”

• Abba is the Father in Aramaic. 
• Father is Abba in Greek. 

The present crisis did not shake Jesus’ confidence in his heavenly Father. 

Petition. Jesus prayed, “Removed this cup from me.” When used metaphorically, a “cup” refers to one’s fate, destiny, or circumstances. It refers here to the judgment and wrath of God. Jesus would suffer at the cross. He asked that the cup would be removed. He could not and would not remove it. Only the Father could do so. Would he? Jesus asked him to do it. 

Submission. Jesus prayed for what he wanted. Yet he bowed the knee of intent to the will of the Father: “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Feel free to ask the Father for what you need and want. If you cannot accept that what you want may not be God’s will, it is spiritual manipulation not believing prayer. 

Jesus Struggles with his Friends. 

In verses 37-42, Jesus engages in two more seasons of prayer. The emphasis shifts. Jesus’ struggle with his Father moves to the background. The focus is now on his struggle with the inner circle. The two sections are interwoven with dramatic effect. 

• The first section depicts Jesus all alone physically. 
• The second section depicts Jesus all alone spiritually. 

Jesus’ struggle with his friends is recorded in three disappointing returns from prayer that express concern, commitment, and confirmation.  

Concern. Verses 37-38 show Jesus’ concern for his disciples. 

The Pointed Questions. Jesus was engaged in the most important prayer meeting of his life. Yet he paused his prayers to check on his friends. His concern was not reciprocated. They were fast asleep. Jesus addressed Peter with two questions in verse 37: “Simon, are you sleep? Could you not watch one hour?” Jesus addressed Peter as “Simon.” It seems like a subtle rebuke. The converted Peter is acting like the unconverted Simon. This is the worst case of “sleeping on the job” in history.

In Mark 14:30, Jesus predicts Peter will deny him three times. The prediction is fulfilled at the end of this chapter. In a sense, it was also fulfilled in our text. Jesus asked Peter to watch. Peter denied Jesus by going to sleep three times. 

The Profound Instructions. 

• Verse 37 addresses Peter. 
• Verse 38 addresses all three. 

It was a time of spiritual warfare for Jesus and the disciples. Jesus gave them the key to victory and a call to arms. 

The key to victory. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” To watch is to be awake and alert. It is spiritual vigilance that is ready for battle. You need to be ready to defend against the attacks of the enemy. You need to be ready to seize the opportunity to gain ground. Spiritual readiness requires that you watch. As you watch, you must also pray. 

• You must watch to know what is right. 
• You must pray to do what is what is right. 

The call to arms. “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This spiritual battle was not against Satan. It was warfare against the enemy within. Don’t trust yourself! Good intentions are not enough to keep you from the temptation to be unfaithful to God. You may be willing to do the good and godly thing. But your flesh is weak. Our only hope is that God is at work in you to will and to do for his good pleasure. You must watch and pray!

Commitment. Jesus’ closest friends were not there for him when he needed them the most. Yet his commitment to them did not waver. Here is good news for all of Jesus’ fickle friends: The Lord will not give up on you! Note the tension of the text. 

Persistent Prayer. Verse 39 says, “And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.” You would think Jesus said everything that needed to be said during that first hour of prayer. But Jesus entered into a second season of prayer. Mark notes he was “saying the same words.” 

Matthew 6:7 warns: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words.” Vain repetition in prayer is self-condemning. Repetition in prayer is not. Some claim that repeating prayers is a lack of faith. The opposite is true. It takes real faith to pray until something happens in, through, or for you. There are battles you will not win unless you persist in prayer. In Genesis 32:36, Jacob models the proper spirit of vigilant prayer: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Speechless Slumber. Verse 40 says, “And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.” You would think the Jesus’ admonition would have jolted them to be awake and alert. That was not the case. When Jesus returned to prayer, they returned to sleep. Mark typically portrays the disciples as clueless. Here he makes an excuse for their lethargy: “for their eyes were very heavy.” 

It had been a long day. They were full from the Passover feast. Jesus’ predictions stressed them out. Luke 22:45 says they were “sleeping for sorrow.” Their broken hearts rendered them into a sleepy depression. Their eyes being “weighed down,” they could not keep them open. When Jesus returned, they “did not know what to answer him.” This is exactly where Jesus wanted them – and us! You cannot truly hear and heed Jesus if you keep talking and do not learn to be quiet. 

Confirmation. Jesus has the last word in verses 41-42. 

The Determination of Jesus. Verse 41 says, “And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?” This rhetorical question says a lot. Jesus said, “It is enough; the hour has come.” 

• It was no longer time to rest. 
• It was no longer time to pray. 

The “hour” Jesus prayed would pass in verse 35 had now come. What hour? “The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” “Son of Man” is how Jesus regularly identified himself. It was a way of revealing his messianic identity without compromising his redemptive mission. The Son of Man was the Son of God. Yet he would be “betrayed into the hands of sinners.” These were not the notorious sinners – prostitutes and tax collectors. Jesus was talking about the religious leaders. They were considered righteous men. Their sinful hearts were exposed by how they treated Jesus. How are things between you and Jesus? 

The Dignity of Jesus. Verse 42 says, “Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” Instructing the disciples to get up, Jesus did not try to escape the inevitable. He led them forward to face the betrayer who was approaching. Jesus died as a volunteer, not a victim!