1. What are the disciples’ responses to the arrest of Jesus? (vv. 29-31, 47, 50, 51)
2. What is Jesus’ response to his arrest? (vv. 28, 48, 49)
Note: The Old Testament background for Jesus’ arrest is provided by Zechariah 12:10, 13:1, 7: “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son [...] On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse from sin and impurity. [...] Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me, declares the LORD Almighty. Strike the shepherd and sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.” (NIV)
3. Was Jesus stressed at Gethsemane? (vv. 33-34)
4. How does Jesus respond to his distress? (vv. 32, 35, 39, 41)
5. Why does Jesus tell the disciples to pray? (v. 38)
6. Does Jesus get what he asks for? (v. 36; cf. Heb 5:7-10 below)
Note: A New Testament reflection on Gethsemane: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Heb 5:7-10 NIV)
7. Why was Jesus silent? (vv. 60-61)
8. What did Jesus claim in his answer?
God’s right hand (Ps 110:1)
Coming in the clouds (Dan 7:13-14)
9. What was the offence for which Jesus was condemned? (v. 61-64)
10. What do you think was the cause of Peter’s failure? (cf. vv. 37-38)
Stop and thank God that Christ resolutely went to the cross for us.
Do you know the experience of being abandoned or forsaken by your friends? Have you ever been left high and dry for some reason? Do you know what it is to be left alone?
Children are very good at this. I remember as a boy going on a YMCA outing. I must have been 9 or 10. And I remember making a friend, sitting next to this other boy on the bus. He was my friend for perhaps 30 minutes. But then he turned on me. And I said to him ‘You were just using me!’ I guess I experienced a little of that betrayal that perhaps you have experienced.
But I remember during year 11 and 12 there was a boy at school. He was with the cool surfer group. He was definitely part of the group, had been for many years. And he was pretty cocky. But one day, for reasons that none of us on the outside knew, his group rejected him. They turned on him. The sent him away. He was ejected, and alone. Popularity is fickle. And the pack can be cruel. He was favoured and followed by the group for years, but, apparently, cast out in a day.
That is the experience of Jesus in this passage. He was abandoned by his friends, abandoned by his people, Israel, and heading to the ultimate abandonment, that of God: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Here we see the Son of God being tried.
Of course, Jesus expects all of this. Nothing has taken him by surprise. Unlike me and my ephemeral friend, unlike the boy spurned at high school, Jesus is master of the situation, supremely in control of his own abandonment.
In verses 27-28, Jesus is on the Mount of Olives. And he tells his disciples what will soon come to pass. We pick up the passage at verse 27:
"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered."
The NIV’s ‘fall away’ can more literally be rendered ‘stumble’ (skandalizo). "You will all stumble, on account of me." It is different to Judas’ wilful sin: planned, cold, and calculated. But they will all stumble. Often we don’t plan to sin, we just fall into it. We fail to watch and pray. We are weak. We show little resolve. And this is the picture of the disciples.
They all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way. (Isa 53:6)
But in doing so, they fulfill Zechariah 13:7. The script for this drama, you see, was written long ago. Verse 27: "God will strike the shepherd". That is astounding enough, but the consequence is "the sheep will be scattered". And this storyline will be played out in our passage.
But Jesus looks ahead, not just to the cross–no, he sees that all too clearly, as we will see–but he looks through his death to his resurrection, and his reunion with them. Verse 28: "But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
Jesus looked to his resurrection, and therefore could endure the cross. As the author to the Hebrews says:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. (Heb 12:2)
Jesus could endure the cross by looking to his vindication in resurrection. But he also must go through it. And this is what our Lord apprehends in the Garden of Gethsemane. We might call this 'the King’s Grove '.
There has been much interest in the movie, ‘The Passion of the Christ’. I must say, I haven’t seen the movie, so I feel even more free to be able to speak about it. Many people have been profoundly affected by it, as often people are by others of Mel Gibson’s movies, 'Mad Max' and 'Lethal Weapon'.
But what most people I notice mention to me is the flogging and the bending of the nails. But it is not the physical suffering that makes this death different. Pilate, you see, was a butcher. He had 2000 people crucified on one day. Many suffered crucifixion. And many more suffered more than the Christ, because the Christ died quicker than most.
In fact, according to Mark, it is not the flogging and the crucifixion where we seen the Christ’s pain. Mark simply says "he was struck with fists". Again and again they struck him on the head, and they crucified him. And there is no mention of how Christ feels, or how he responds.
But here, in the Garden of Gethsamane, is where we see the passion of the Christ. It is almost as if the battle is fought and won in Gethsamane. And as we approach Gethsamane, we walk on holy ground, as we are given the clearest insight into the nature of Christ’s sufferings. Here is the passage in Mark where Jesus bares his heart. Only the cry of dereliction, "My God my God, why have you forsaken me?", approaches this. We see his great spiritual suffering. Verse 33: "He began to be deeply distressed and troubled." Jesus is alarmed at what lies in front of him. Verse 34: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Verse 35: "Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him." Verse 36: "here is the plaintiff cry of a beloved Son to a loving Father." Abba, Father! "My dear Father, take this cup from me", with the knowledge that his Father won’t. There will be no change of mind. He must drink the cup down to the dregs.
Luke adds to all this, that an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. At the cross there was no angel. But in the garden, the Father sends an angel. For in Gethsamane, his Father saw his need. And Luke continues: "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:43-44).
The judgment of my favorite commentator on Mark, James Edwards, is right: "According to Mark, the decision to submit to the Father’s will causes Jesus greater internal suffering than the physical crucifixion on Golgotha" (Edwards, Mark: Pillar, 431).
Notice Jesus’ turmoil. He doesn’t look at death as some of the Greek Philosophers did, for example. The stoic approach to death is serene resignation, composure, and peace, even to embrace death as a friend. The modern version is, "Oh well, I’ve had a good innings, I can’t complain."
Remember, Jesus knew that on the third day he would break through death. That death could not hold him, and that he would rise again. So why is death so awful, abominable for him to contemplate?
Why? Because in his death, the Father too will forsake him. The wages of sin is death. You see, here is the Christ who knew no sin, who did no sin, on whose mouth was no deceit, Yet, who is being made sin for us. He is taking our sin on himself to become a sin offering for our sin. And frankly, the sinless Christ is quaking under the weight of our sin. His knees are buckling under the mountain of our sin.
And so in response to this, Jesus’ prays. Let’s look at his prayer. Verse 35 and 36:
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father’, he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. (NIV)
My dear Father, nothing is impossible with God. With God all things are possible. That is what Jesus taught his disciples when they feared about their salvation. Perhaps there is another way. Perhaps you need not turn your face away from me. You found another way with Abraham and Isaac. There, on the hill of the Lord, it was provided! But here is something impossible for God: for God to save us with integrity, and for God not to turn his face from his Son.
Forgiveness is costly. The price must be paid. Only man should pay it. Only God could. And therefore, only the God-man, Jesus Christ, could bring salvation. Isaac was spared, in the end, because Jesus wouldn’t be. You are spared, because Jesus wasn’t.
So the Father refuses Jesus prayer. Abba Father says to his beloved Son: "No, I will not take this cup from you. This hour will not pass you by. Jesus doesn’t receive what he asked for. The answer to his prayer is 'no'."
And the answer is 'yes', for in another sense, Jesus gets exactly what he asked for. The last part of verse 36: "Yet not what I will, but what you will." The author to the Hebrews gives us a commentary on these events. He says in Hebrews, Chapter 5 verses 7 to 9:
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Heb 5:7-9)
Jesus was heard by his Father. It is as if he said, "Father, here is my heart. I don’t want to be cut off from you. Do not forsake me. But not what I will, but what you will. Jesus taught us to pray 'Your will be done on earth as in heaven.' And here, during the fiercest fight in his greatest battle, we see him praying 'if it is your will'."
Sometimes people will tell you it is unbelieving to add to your prayer ‘if you will’. Jesus doesn’t think so! Not my will, but your will, is the prayer of the sinless Son of God. We do well to follow his example. Three times Jesus prays, ‘if the Lord wills’. But his three friends cannot. They are tired and weak. Three times Jesus stirs them to watch, to pray. Three times he warns them of the temptation into which they are about to fall. Three times, he finds them unable, weakened by grief.
Watch and pray is the perennial call to us. Paul tells us, "Be alert, and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Eph 6:18). Jesus is the example of the benefits of obedience. By praying, he was strengthened and fortified for the test.
The disciples in weakness, sloth and indifference, slept in the hour of temptation. And they all fell away. Dear friends, let us always be praying the petition, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For God surely answers that prayer. God listens and answers.
Have we trials and temptations, is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness: take it to the Lord in prayer. (Verse 2 ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’.)
Jesus through his prayer has now been strengthened to die. And his disciples through their prayerless slumber have prepared themselves to fall into temptation. So now Jesus goes out of the grove to be struck. And wakes up his friends so that they might be scattered.
Judas (vv. 43-46)
This will be the last meeting between Jesus and Judas. His extravagant kiss and honorific title 'Rabbi' are the start of the mockery that Jesus will experience over the next 12 hours.
The Disciples (vv. 27-31, 50)
But Judas is not the only disciple who has forsaken Jesus. Look at verse 50: "Then everyone deserted him and fled." All drank the cup. All pledged to die with him (v. 31) And all desert him. Peter, James, John, the rest of the twelve, all the other disciples flee.
Sure, one puts up a token resistance. We have the allusion to Peter severing Malchus’ ear (cf. John 18:10). But Jesus makes it clear that his program does not involve armed rebellion. He has not come to start a rebellion, but to fulfill Scripture. The shepherd has been struck, and the sheep have been scattered. So the disciples will be characterized not by fight, but flight.
Even an un-named young man following Jesus runs away naked (vv. 51-52). We cannot prove it, but it may be Mark’s way of putting himself in the story. Here we see fulfilled Amos’ prophecy (Amos 2:16). Even the bravest of warriors will flee naked on that day. But perhaps also this nameless lad, not the first recorded streaker in the Bible (cf. Adam, Eve, Isaiah), is meant to be un-named. Perhaps we are meant to see ourselves in him. All of us like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on the shepherd, the iniquity of us all.
In the remainder of chapter 14, we see two trials: the trial of Jesus in court, and the trial of Peter in the court yard.
The Trial in Court (vv. 53-65)
Now, this pretty much looks like a kangaroo court: no phone call, no bail application, no opportunity for a lawyer, hastily convened at night. There is no procedural justice, because the ends justifies the means.
It was really a result looking for a case. Verse 55, "The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death."
There were essentially three attempts at trying to frame Jesus. The first involved some unspecified false testimony. Verse 56: "Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree." The second involved false testimony about Jesus’ statements regarding the temple. But they couldn’t agree either. So the third attempt we might call ‘entrapment’. The high priest is looking for an offence to be committed there and then. Verse 61: "Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’"
Up until this point, Mark has characterized Jesus’ response as ‘silence’. Verse 61: "But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer." But this is not just Jesus exercising his right to remain silent. For he is fulfilling Scripture. Isaiah 53:7 characterizes the suffering servant as silent: "he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth, he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."
But now Mark records that Jesus speaks, in response to the question that Mark has raised from his very first verse. Verse 61: "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus' response is in verse 62: "I am", said Jesus, "and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Jesus is saying, "Yes, I am God’s Son. I am the Christ. I am the Son of Man." Here, Jesus’ answer combines Psalm 110 and Daniel 7. He is God’s right hand man. In other words, he is the Messiah. And he is the Son of Man, the one who all peoples and nations will worship, and whose kingdom will last forever.
This, perhaps, is the worst miscarriage of justice, worse than even the false testimony. Jesus truthfully says who he is, and he is condemned because of it. But the Christ must suffer.
The Trial in the Courtyard (vv. 66-72)
Peter, clearly, managed to escape clear of the armed posse. But at some point he turned back. He wanted to help, to see what he could do. If Jesus’ eschewed armed rebellion, perhaps another way of escape would present itself. John’s Gospel tells us that the apostle John also was with Peter, leading Peter there. And while they wait in the courtyard, Jesus’ matter was tried in the Court of Israel, the Sanhedrin.
And as there was three attempts to frame Jesus, so also there were three tests of Peter. The first, is that of a servant girl. Verse 67, "You also were with that Nazarene." Peter denies it. I know nothing. The second occurs in the entrance way.[1] Verse 69: "This fellow is one of them." And the third is the accusation, "Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean." And Peter’s response sadly fulfils Jesus’ prediction. Verse 71: “He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, 'I don’t know this man you’re talking about!'” He anathematized himself. He won’t even utter Jesus’ name. His denial of his master is complete. Before the rooster crows, you would have disowned me three times.
Peter, the apostate Apostle! Peter, the denying disciple. I wonder, when he broke down, whether he remembered Jesus’ words: “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory.”
Peter is both a warning and an encouragement, isn’t he? He is a warning of how the mighty can fall. Pride and prayerlessness came before Peter’s fall. "Even if all fall away, I will not" (Mark 14:29). And now he has denied his Lord. Friends, who knows when the day of testing comes. It approaches us from the strangest angles. When we are least ready, from unexpected quarters, our trial comes. And for the unarmed, unprepared, prayerless disciple, it might bring us undone. Thanks be to God, that none can snatch them out of his Father's hand.
But there is an encouragement in Peter, isn’t there? The encouragement is that with Jesus there is forgiveness, therefore he is to be feared. Peter sinned and fell. But Peter wept and was restored. Peter’s fall was not final, as was Judas’. He is an enduring testimony that "all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven". For Jesus restored and forgave Peter. And friends, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is ready and willing to forgive you and me.
So come to Jesus now. If he restored Peter, he can restore us. If he forgave Peter, he can forgive us. And Jesus can do this, because of what he is about to do that first Good Friday, to bear the sin of the world.
Lets Pray.
[1] Note that Lk 22:58 indicates it was ‘another man’. "It seems that on this second effort the girl persisted and others joined her." (Bock, Luke: BECNT, 2:1784)