35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[f] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” I think Jesus was asking the Father if there was any other way. Imagine being human and being asked to do what Jesus did for us. Would it even be humanly possible? I don't think so.
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!” Nothing makes Jesus appear more human to me than reading these verses. He knows suffering. And he knows it because of us.
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Pat Ball: 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.”
These
words make me feel the burden Jesus had upon him. The enormous responsibility
he carried. Our salvation.
35 Going a little farther, he fell
to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[f] 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!”
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John Burnett:
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.” The sins of the world were being
accredited to Him so you can understand that His soul was being overwhelmed.
35 Going
a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the
hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[a] Father,” he
said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not
what I will, but what you will.” Honor thy Father. He couldn’t sin
for our sake or He would be an unacceptable sacrifice. He was perfect and
never sinned but became sin for us. He could have turn His back on the
world and said let them suffer their own consequences but instead submitted
Himself to the will of His Father.
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!” Just as planned.
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Allen Michaels: 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!”
Jesus
did his best to prepare his disciples for what was to come -- his betrayal,
rejection by his own people, and violent death on the cross. This was to
fulfill what the scriptures and the prophets had foretold, that is was
necessary for the Messiah to suffer before he entered into his glory. Jesus
was tempted like us in everything but sin. Now he undergoes the worst
temptation yet to face him, to accept or to reject the agony of death on a
cross. Jesus had the power and the means to escape defeat and death at the
hands of his enemies. But he chooses the way of the cross for our sake and for
our salvation. How do you face opposition, failure, trial, and
rejection? Do you look to God for strength to overcome adversity with
faith, trial with hope, and rejection with love? Jesus went to his favorite
place of prayer, the Garden of Gethsemane, to face such trial and
testing. In prayer to his Father in heaven he found the strength he
needed, both to embrace the Father's will and to accept the suffering that must
come his way in order to carry out that will. What is the cross that you
and I must face each and every day? When our will "crosses"
with God's will, then his will must be done. Are we ready to take up our
cross to follow the Lord Jesus?
Satan
will try his best to induce us to choose our will over God's will. If he
cannot induce us to apostatize or to sin mortally, he will then try to get us
to make choices that will lead us away from what God wants for us. Jesus
was tempted like us and he overcame not by his own human strength but by the
grace and strength which his Father gave to him. He had to renounce his
will for the will of his Father. He succeeded because he wanted to please
his Father and he trusted that his Father would give him the strength to
overcome the obstacles that stood in the way. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit
to be our strength and guide and our consoler in temptation and testing. God
the Father is ready to give us all that we need to live in his way of love and
righteousness. We must rely on the Lord for our strength and help.
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Monday's reading for Mark 14:43-52
43 Just
as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd
armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the
law, and the elders.
44 Now
the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man;
arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to
Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized
Jesus and arrested him. 47 Then one of those standing near drew
his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
48 “Am I
leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs
to capture me? 49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the
temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be
fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted him and fled.
51 A
young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they
seized him, 52 he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
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