32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35 And he went forward a little, and 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 unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. (Mark 14:32-42 KJV)
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
Christ is here entering into his sufferings, beginning with the deepest of them—those in his soul. Here we see him in his agony, as also recorded in Matthew. This inner agony was the bitterest part of his affliction, and it was not forced on him, but something he willingly accepted.
He withdrew for prayer. “Sit here,” he said to his disciples, “while I go a little further and pray.” He had recently prayed with them (John 17), but now he went to his Father alone. Note, praying with our families does not excuse neglecting personal, private prayer. Like Jacob, who was left alone before wrestling with the angel (Genesis 32:23-24), Christ found a solitary place for prayer.
He took Peter, James, and John with him (Mark 14:33)—three witnesses of this part of his suffering. Though those with strong spirits often prefer privacy in their agony, Christ allowed them to see his distress. These three had earlier expressed the most confidence in their ability to suffer with him—Peter here in this chapter, and James and John in Mark 10:39—so Christ allowed them to witness the intensity of his struggle to show them how little they understood.
There he was in deep anguish (Mark 14:33): “He began to be deeply distressed and troubled.” This word is not used in Matthew but is significant. It suggests a horror like that which fell on Abraham (Genesis 15:12), only more intense. The terrors of God surrounded him, and he fully considered them. No sorrow was ever like his. Yet, in all this, his emotional distress was not disordered; his affections were stirred under control. Unlike us, he had no sinful nature to corrupt them. Our affections are like water with sediment—clear until stirred—but Christ’s were like pure water in a clean glass, clear even when shaken. Some believe Satan appeared to him in a visible form to frighten him and turn him from his purpose, just as he tried to do with Job. In the wilderness, Satan left Christ “for a season” (Luke 4:13), planning a different kind of attack later—if not through temptation, then through fear.
When Jesus said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Mark 14:34), he was deeply burdened by the weight of sin and the curse he was about to bear on our behalf. Because he loved God, whom sin offends, and people, whom sin destroys, his sorrow was immense and sincere. He experienced the full bitterness of death and the natural human fear of pain and separation, as described in Hebrews. His sorrow calls us to hate sin, for it crushed him, and to mourn over what he bore for us. It also strengthens us in our own sorrow, reminding us that he too was overwhelmed and yet endured. Because he carried sorrow for us, ours can be endured with hope, knowing that if we belong to him, our suffering will end in eternal rest.
He told his disciples to stay near him, not because he needed their help, but to teach them. “Stay here and keep watch.” He had only told the others to “sit here” (Mark 14:32), but these three he expected more from. Then he prayed (Mark 14:35): “He fell to the ground and prayed.” Earlier, he had lifted his eyes to heaven (John 17:1), but now in agony, he fell on his face, humbling himself and teaching us to do likewise.
1. As a man, he prayed that if possible, the hour might pass from him (Mark 14:35):
“This short, sharp suffering—let man’s salvation, if possible, be achieved without it.” We have his exact words (Mark 14:36): “Abba, Father.” The word “Abba,” preserved from Aramaic, emphasizes the intimacy Jesus felt even in suffering. Paul later teaches us to use the same word when we cry out to God (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). “Father, all things are possible for you.” We should believe in God’s power, even when we can’t expect him to change our circumstances. Submitting to God’s will must be grounded in faith in his power.
2. As Mediator, he submitted: “Not what I will, but what you will.” He accepted that his suffering was necessary and welcomed it.
He returned to his disciples and found them sleeping (Mark 14:37-38). He came to check on them, since they were not watching him, and found them unmoved by his sorrow. This carelessness foretold their coming failure and made it worse. He had just praised them for staying with him through trials, despite their faults. But now, so soon after pledging loyalty, they fell asleep. He singled out Peter: “Simon, are you asleep? You, my friend? You, who swore not to deny me, can’t even stay awake? Couldn’t you watch one hour?” He didn’t ask them to stay up all night—just one hour. When we grow weary in serving Christ, we should remember he doesn’t overburden us (Isaiah 43:23; Revelation 2:24-25; 3:11).
Christ rebukes those he loves, but also teaches and comforts them. When he came to find them sleeping, first, he gave wise counsel: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Mark 14:38). It was bad enough to sleep while he was in agony, but worse was ahead, and they would need prayer to endure. And they failed, because they neglected this. Second, he gently excused them: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He acknowledged their sincere intentions—but warned that without watchfulness and prayer, even willing spirits would fail. Awareness of our weakness should drive us to prayer.
He returned to prayer (Mark 14:39), repeating the same request. This shows us we should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). If answers don’t come quickly, we must persist. Paul prayed three times about his affliction before receiving an answer (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). Previously, when Jesus said, “Father, glorify your name,” a voice answered immediately (John 12:28). But now, he prays again and again. God answers in his time to keep us dependent on him.
He also returned to his disciples. Even while they were half-asleep and unaware of their danger, Christ watched over them, just as he now ever lives to intercede for his church. He came a second time and again found them sleeping (Mark 14:40). Their weakness returned, despite earlier promises. These failing bodies often hinder the soul, reminding us to long for the day when they’ll no longer weigh us down. This time, they didn’t know what to say. They were ashamed—or perhaps so sleepy they weren’t fully aware.
But the third time, he told them to sleep if they wanted (Mark 14:41):
- “Sleep on now, and take your rest” —I no longer need your watchfulness.
- “It is enough.”—(A phrase not in Matthew.) You’ve had enough warning and didn’t take it. Now you’ll see how little reason you had to be secure.” Some understand this to mean, “I release you from your duty. The hour has come in which I knew you would all abandon me.”
- “The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners”—the chief priests and elders, who were especially sinful because they claimed to be holy.
- “Rise! Let’s go! Look, my betrayer is approaching.”—Now that trouble had come, it was time to meet it. When we see trials near, we should rise and prepare.