The Garden of Gethsemane

Biblical Passage

Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Psalm 39:7-13
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
8 Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
10 Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
11 When you rebuke and discipline people for their sins,
you consume their wealth like a moth—
surely everyone is but a breath.
12 “Hear my prayer, LORD,
listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”

Reflection

I cannot think of a better reflection during this time of Lent as Palm Sunday approaches.


In today’s text, Jesus is hours away from a chain of events that will bring him to his death. There is no question from a simple reading of the text that Jesus is not looking forward to what is about to happen. Just like any other person, Jesus is not looking forward to their death, especially because he knows it will be a painful thing.

Hoping that there might be another way, Jesus cries out to his Father, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

I am not sure if there is a more honest and beautiful prayer in all of scripture. In this one short prayer, we see that the heart of Jesus: both man and divine in conflict with each other. Jesus knows that the cross stands in front of him. That he will be torn a part from his Father, abandoned by his disciples, and left alone for the first time.

Ultimately, Jesus ends up submitting his will to that of the Father. Jesus takes on our loneliness, shame, and sin. It is for this reason that the Father glorifies Jesus. Jesus becomes our shame and sin; hedies on a cross so our shame might be taken away.

Inversely, Jesus’ disciples paint a different picture of what is about to happen. Jesus has just told his disciples that he is about to be taken away and that when this happens they will scatter like sheep.

Now the inner three, Jesus’s top students, come with Jesus to pray. Before Jesus leaves them, he has one request: “Pray with me that you might not fall away.”

As it turns out, Jesus’ disciples cannot even do that. Soon after Jesus leaves they fall asleep.

Sadly, this happens multiple times, Jesus comes and asks his disciples to pray, but they fail too. They just keep falling asleep as soon as Jesus walks away.

This story seamlessly demonstrates two realities: The human inability to follow the lead of our LORD, and the love Jesus has for us even when we don’t follow him.

Questions

1. Why did Jesus go to the garden to pray?
2. Why did Jesus encourage his disciples to pray?
3. What did Jesus’s disciples end up doing?
4. Why do you think they ended up falling asleep?
5. What did Jesus end up doing?
6. Why do you think Jesus did what he did even though he knew how he would have to suffer?
7. What does this tell us about God’s love for us?
8. What are some ways we can respond to God for what he did for us?
9. Pray as a family.