Mark 14:32–42
32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “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 he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed 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 very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Among the other events we could discuss from Maundy Thursday, today I want to focus on Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. This scene has always fascinated me on many levels: the raw emotion in Jesus, the repeated failure of the disciples, and the theological complexity of Jesus' prayer.
This is the third time in Mark that he documents Jesus going off alone to pray. Each time it precedes a major event in the life of Jesus. This prayer should provide comfort and guidance for believers in crisis. First, Jesus turns to prayer when major events loom. This is when he needs strength more than ever. Instead of a rousing pep talk from Peter or a job to distract himself, he seeks time alone with God most of all. This should serve as a model for us.
Second, in his humanity Jesus' emotion is as raw and real as it gets. He is "greatly distressed and troubled". His "soul is very sorrowful, even to death." He falls, likely prostrate or to his knees, on the ground in prayer. The burden of identifying with the sin of humanity, taking it upon himself and being alienated from the Father in these moments weighs heavily on his soul. So Jesus cries out to the Father. Instead of a Stoic, reserved and dismissive approach to his suffering and death as we would expect from the hero of an ancient tale (like Socrates), Jesus is filled with raw emotion. Here we should find freedom to express our hearts to God when we face trying circumstances.
Third, Jesus prays for God to remove this cup from him. The cup is an oft used symbol in apocalyptic literature to refer to one's destiny usually in relation to God's wrath (Is 51:17, 22; La 4:21; Ps 11:6; 75:8; Rev. 14:10; 16:19). Knowing the physical and spiritual suffering that awaits him Jesus asks the Father to remove this from him, yet this is followed immediately by a submission to the will of the Father. Again, we ought to find in this an example of how we ought to pray. We can certainly pray for God to remove suffering and affliction from us but we must closely follow that up with what we value more than our comfort and avoidance of pain—the accomplishment of the will of God. (Matt. 6:10)
Finally, Peter is going to have a rough 24 hours here. In this event he falls asleep three times. In the ensuing events he will betray Jesus three times, this after even being warned (14:29-30). These are only two of his many failures throughout the book. Remember it took him, and the other disciples, till chapter 8 to declare Jesus' true identity. Their lack of faith and understanding is prevalent throughout. This ought to give followers of Jesus great hope and comfort. Even after failing in so many ways Jesus never gives up on him. No matter your past, or how badly you've failed Jesus, you are never beyond his grace.