Mark 14:32-42

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 in Gethsemane

Following the transfiguration, the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was a dramatic shift from an emphasis on Jesus’ divinity to an emphasis on his

.

Jesus had neither a martyr

, nor stoic

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.

Quoting from Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Romans, Chapter 4:
I write to the Churches, and impress on them all, that I shall willingly die for God, unless you hinder me. I beseech of you not to show an unseasonable good-will towards me. Allow me to become food for the wild beasts, through whose instrumentality it will be granted me to attain to God. I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.

Rather entice the wild beasts, that they may become my tomb, and may leave nothing of my body; so that when I have fallen asleep [in death], I may be no trouble to any one. Then shall I truly be a disciple of Christ, when the world shall not see so much as my body. Entreat Christ for me, that by these instruments I may be found a sacrifice [to God]. …But when I suffer, I shall be the freed-man of Jesus, and shall rise again emancipated in Him. And now, being a prisoner, I learn not to desire anything worldly or vain.

The Spirit is Willing but the Flesh is Weak

When he went to pray, Jesus brought with him his inner

: Peter, James, and John.
It is often the case that there is a significant gap between our

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and our

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.

Peter had made two promises to Jesus just prior to this situation:
1. “I will not

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.”
2. “I will never

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you.”

Are you Asleep?

It was normal on the Passover for people to stay up late and talk about God’s

.

It is good to ask ourselves as we read this story, whether we are looking through a telescope or a

.
We are not in control of how anyone

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to Christ, though we are in total

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of what we say, what we do, and our priorities.

We, like Ezekiel, must step up to do the duty of a

. (See Ezekiel 33:1-6)
We know the danger that threatens, and also where people can find

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.

Discussion Questions

1. If you think of yourself positioned atop a tower and you look down at all the places your life touches, who are the people you should be inviting, encouraging, and warning?
2. Do you find Jesus’ response to his situation in the garden one that is relatable? In what ways?
3. What are ways we can be “sleeping” other than just physical slumber?
4. What are times you have spoken up? What are times you have kept silent? Have people responded to you as you expected?