“On the night in Gethsemane”

Mark 14:32-42, 4/23/2006

Translated by Victor Lin

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Three of the four Gospels record the story of Jesus in Gethsemane (Matthew, Mark, Luke). This story can help us individuals as well as the whole church grow and be encouraged. From one perspective it lets us see cruelty of this world; there are many matters that do not go our way or according to our wish. Therefore, our spirits are frequently in struggle. From another perspective we also see the maliciousness of some people, such as Judas who betrayed Jesus. In reality, such story occurs daily in different forms. From yet a different perspective, the night in Gethsemane teaches us how to overcome life crisis, how to be prepared to face the life’s biggest challenge.

Today we will be sharing what struggles Jesus went through during “that night in Gethsemane “.

■ First, struggling with suffering: deeply distressed and troubled (vs. 32-33)

“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.”

Why did Jesus, on that night in Gethsemane, struggle with suffering? Was it because the time of death was near and he wanted to fulfill God’s will? Or perhaps he sympathized with his own ideas? Did he want to lead the disciples away from “Gethsemane” or to wait there for the approaching soldiers?

Mark 14:32-33 very clearly tells us the reason that Jesus went to Gethsemane was to pray to the Heavenly Father and to seek the God’s will. In Jesus’ life, the majority of time was spent in the prayer, but the prayer in Gethsemane was possibly the last time Jesus prayed together with his disciple in this world. The Bible said that he took Peter, James, John along with him and his heart was “deeply distressed and troubled”. The Bible rarely mentions Jesus feeling “deeply distressed ” or “troubled”, but this truly was Jesus’ mood that evening. The Lord felt sad and bad not due to the fear of death, but due to the fear of sin’s burden and abandonment by God, the Father (Mark 15:34).

Jesus possibly frequently led the disciples to the Gethsemane garden to pray, because Judas was also very familiar with this place. It was a place for pressing olive oil. “Gethsemane” means “oil press”. This precisely describes Jesus’ mood at that moment. At that moment Jesus’ mood was crushed like the olives being extracted of its oil. This was a struggle with suffering.

■ Second, the struggle with choices: If possible, however… (vs. 35-36, 39)

“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will… Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.”

In our lives, we go through different life stages, and face different choices, choices that unceasingly test us. Some choices are not difficult, but some choices can cause unbearable suffering, creating enormous pressure on us. All decisions we make impact our future. Jesus struggled with choices. On the night in Gethsemane, Jesus faced the most difficult choice in life. He prayed that, “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will!” From this prayer passage, we see that Jesus’ choice was to pick God’s choice, although he also had his own ideas, but he decided to leave the final decision to God. Whether it was that “the hour might pass” or accepting “this cup”, he believed that the God would be in control. The meaning of “the cup” included suffering distress and death (Mark 10:38). “This cup” is the cup of God’s righteous anger (Rev. 14:10). It was originally set aside for us, but God sent Lord Jesus to this world, so that he could drink this cup for us, and so that he could bear our sins and suffer death on the cross. Therefore, the cup pointed to death on the cross.

When facing with choices, the easiest thing for us to do is to evade, avoiding the matter.

The important choices in life are often decided in a few seconds, but their impact lasts for generations. When struggling with choices, once again, we see that the Jesus prayed continuously three times. This prayer example has become a model prayer for many people in the last two millenniums. “My father, if possible, I ask that you take this cup away from me. However, it is not according to my will but according to your will. My father, if this cup cannot be taken away from me and is required for me to drink, may it be done according to your will.” Lord Jesus prayed three times to God. All three prayers were the same. This shows us a principle of prayer: prayers must be sufficient, must be careful, must continue to communicate, and not stop until God answers.

■ Third, the struggle with loneliness: lonely journey, lonely petitioning (vs. 37-38, 40)

“Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Simon,’ he said to Peter, ‘are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’ … he again found them sleeping …”

Mark 10:31 tells us that Peter said that he was willing to die with the Lord, but here we see an instance where he was not able to stay awake with the Lord during the watch. Jesus wanted the disciples to watch and pray with him, because Jesus knew that in order to resist Satan’s confusion, the only mean was to “watch and pray”. But from the disciples’ response we see that the state of “the flesh” is frequently inconsistent with “the will” of the person. What is in the heart can be different from what is actually carried out. This is like in early morning, your heart wants to quickly get out of bed, but your body wants to keep staying in bed. This is also what Apostle Paul says: “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18). Therefore, he says that we need to train our body to the point of “I beat my body and make it my slave” (I Cor. 9:27).

When a person is facing a big choice, he may feel lonely and in need of companion support and encouragement. Jesus was no exception. Jesus led 11 disciples to “Gethsemane”, dividing them into two groups. While one group was waiting in one place, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to another place to pray. These three disciples were Jesus’ “most intimate” disciples. When Jesus was “transfigured” on the mountaintop, they were also there with him. The Gospel of Luke tells us that the last few days of “worrying” (Luke 22:45) caused them all to fall asleep. Jesus did not blame them but in sympathy said: “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Jesus came back three times and saw them sleeping, so that he had to fight a lonely battle.

Speaking of Jesus, whether it was entering “Gethsemane” or exiting “Gethsemane”, all was lonely and full of struggle. In this final and loneliest journey, the author of gospel of Luke tells us: “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:43-44) Since Jesus prayed until “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground”, it was clear how big the struggle was, how deep the loneliness was, and how difficult the choice was. His pain was severe!

■ Fourth, struggling to find the answer: Rise! Let us go! (vs. 41-42.)

“The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

If our life is a long process of searching for the answer, then all our labor is directed toward the anticipation of the final “revealing answer” and our diligence is not wasted. Before the hour of “revealing answer”, we usually have the biggest struggles and anxiety, simultaneously with eager anticipation and dread. Following the hour of revelation, our struggles and anxiety can also grow bigger. “The night in Gethsemane” was Jesus’ last night in this world. It was the night that Jesus sought a heavenly “the answer” from this world.

The time had come for “the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners” and the betrayer was near. Jesus cried out to the disciple: “Rise! Let us go! ” From this moment, Jesus was ready to go from the struggle on “that night in Gethsemane ” to a greater battle. That bigger battle was his battle on “Calvary Mountain”. Outside the Jerusalem city gates, “Calvary Mountain” is the final answer to Jesus’ quest. At that place Jesus said “Father, forgive them!” At that place Jesus said, “It is finished”; that horrible “grave” eventually became “the rose garden” for the salvation of the world.

■ Conclusion: The teaching from story.

Jesus’ spiritual struggle in “Gethsemane” gives us guidance: It allows us to realize the terror of sin; It allows us to understand the great cost of redemption; It allows us to treasure Lord’s grace; It allows us to see an example of the Lord’s sufferings.

Jesus’ spiritual struggle in “Gethsemane” allows us to see that each of us has our own “Gethsemane”. When we experience broken spirit, loneliness, or helpless suffering, we must learn from Jesus to bravely face it. In our own “Gethsemane”, each of us must learn to say to the Lord that “Lord! According to your will, not according to my will but according only to your will!” Thus, we can be like Jesus who entered “Gethsemane” in darkness but came out in bright daylight, because he had communicated with God; he entered “Gethsemane” in sorrow but left with peace and triumph because he had already poured out to God. His pain, brokenness, loneliness, and helplessness had been healed.