Mark 14:32-42
32 They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.”
33 And He *took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.
34 And He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.”
35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.
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.”
37 And He *came and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?
38 Keep watching and praying, so that you will not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words.
40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say in reply to Him.
41 And He *came the third time, and *said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough. The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42 Get up, let’s go; behold, the one who is betraying Me is near!”
Prayer in Gethsemane
Prayer of distress
“Gethsemane” means “a place for pressing oil.” Likely it was a grove densely populated with olive trees at that time. It was a place Jesus frequently visited to pray. Upon arriving, the following events transpired: (1) Jesus distanced himself from the disciples and began to pray. (2) Jesus specifically called Peter, James, and John, bringing them closer. (3) Jesus prayed three times, and each time the disciples found themselves asleep. They probably were exhausted both physically and mentally from a full day. They failed to grasp that Jesus needed encouragement, did not understand that He was suffering for their sins, and fell deeply asleep. (4) Jesus, in deep distress and sorrow, was experiencing agony to the point of death. He prayed, “Father, if possible, remove this cup from Me.” Why did He endure such suffering? The reason was more spiritual than physical. Jesus was about to be separated from His Father (ref. Mark 15:34) and be counted among sinners (ref. 2 Cor. 5:21). This pain is so profound that it is beyond human comprehension.
Prayer of victory
At the end, Jesus prayed, “Yet not what I will, but what You will.” Here, Jesus made the decision to drink the “cup of wrath.” When He prioritized the will of His Father over His own safety, the victory over Satan was secured. Immediately after this prayer, Jesus will be arrested, and walks toward the cross. The series of events leading to the death on the cross was putting this prayer into action. The battle had already been won in the prayer at Gethsemane. Let’s reflect on our own battles. Whenever we prioritized our own will over the will of our Father, we undoubtedly experienced failure. Are you facing battle today? If so, let’s worship the Lord Jesus, who sweat drops of blood praying for us, and let’s pray that the will of our Father will be done.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, may I be able to pray the Lord Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. Please help me follow the footsteps of the Lord Jesus. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.