Painful Obedience



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.”

On numerous occasions in the Gospel we are told that Jesus separated Himself from everyone else and went to be alone with the Father in prayer. On this most poignant of prayer times, we are allowed a glimpse into the pain and struggle that Jesus walked through on His way to the cross. There will be brutal beating, shocking humiliation, untold suffering. But one must wonder if this moment, when the sins of humanity came crushing down, wasn’t the worst of it.

I’ve often wondered if the miserable failure of Peter, James, and John wasn’t “assisted” by the Holy Spirit. They were Jesus’ comrades and “best friends”, if you will. And yet when their Friend is in the greatest struggle ever to beset anyone, they fall into sleep. Part of me wonders if that wasn’t because the redemption of mankind was the work of Jesus alone, and there could be no one who could say, “I helped Him through it.” Had I been one of those three, that failure may have haunted my days.

In Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer, we find a role model for perfect submission to the will of the Father. He doesn’t hesitate to share His heart and feelings with the Father, but neither does He refuse to obey what the Lord had decreed will happen. I do find it interesting that we are given this window into His thinking and can see that our redemption was His choice. He could have said, “I’m not going to do it.” But instead we are the grateful recipients of His obedience.

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