Peter in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46)

This sermon was preached on 15/5/2011

Some may wonder why Jesus did not go back to Bethany as he had done on previous evenings during this time in Jerusalem. The probable reason is that it was required by the Jewish ceremonial law that all participants in the Passover should live within the city boundaries during the time of the feast. This then raises the question as to why Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane. One answer is that he was a poor man, unable to pay the cost of staying in a house in the city, which may have been the case during previous visits there for the annual feasts, but unlikely on this occasion because he could have remained in the upper room where he had washed the feet of his disciples.

Another suggestion is connected to the undisturbed location of the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. One can go to Jerusalem today and visit the suggested location and see some of the olive trees that were there at the time of Jesus. It was a place that Jesus frequently went to (Luke 22:39), probably for peace and quiet. From the disciples’ perspective, there seemed to be nothing unusual about the evening. And in that, there is a reminder for us to be always ready for the unexpected.

We can also observe in passing that Jesus’ going to the Garden of Gethsemane is an example of his bravery. Remember that Judas had already agreed to betray Jesus, and the traitor knew the habits of Jesus and was aware that Gethsemane was the place to where he would go. Jesus knew what Judas would do. Accordingly if Jesus had wanted to avoid arrest, all he had to do was not go to Gethsemane. Yet he resolved to go there.

Verse 32 states that the primary reason as to why Jesus went to the Garden was in order to call on his Father. On arriving there, Jesus told his disciples to pray that they would not enter into temptation (Luke 22:40), which indicates that the Saviour was aware of the terrible situation that was about to happen. Yet he did not ask them to pray for him, even although he knew that he was about to enter the most difficult period of his life. He did not need their prayers, a reminder to us that although Jesus is like us in many ways, there are also many ways in which he is different from us. Jesus had gone there to pray by himself for himself.

This is the second occasion of prayer that has taken place since Jesus and the disciples left the Upper Room. The other prayer is recorded in John 17 and was probably offered as Jesus and his disciples made their way to Gethsemane. There is a great difference between the contents of the prayers, which indicates that something occurred in Gethsemane that caused the Saviour to change the focus of his prayers. In John 17, Jesus is calm and focussed on the glory ahead of him, and concerned about his disciples’ protection and comfort until they too arrive in heaven. In Gethsemane, Jesus is distressed and concerned about the cross that is ahead of him.

Peter and the other disciples have been discovering more and more about their Master. On this very evening he had already taught them in the Upper Room a great deal about the imminent coming of the Holy Spirit (John 13–16). Those teachings would have been difficult to grasp for the disciples, but they were about to see aspects of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane that would have astonished them, and these aspects point once again to the reality of his humanity.

The authenticity of his humanity

The accounts say that Jesus took with him the three-favoured disciples, Peter, James and John. It is not said why he took them (we have thought about possible reasons when thinking about their presence with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration). Perhaps this was the usual routine when they went to the Garden: the eight praying together (nine, when Judas was present); the three praying together; and Jesus praying by himself. Yet before he went to pray, the disciples observed a tremendous change in their Master.

What is prayer? It is an expression of our dependence on God. We pray for our daily needs to be met by God and for his ongoing protection from evil. Prayer is an expression of creature weakness and in praying for deliverance from what was about to happen to him, Jesus truly reveals the reality of his humanity.

Another aspect of Jesus’ genuine humanity is seen in the emotions that he felt during this time. Often we think of his emotions such as love and joy, but here we see another of his emotions, that of deep distress.

We also see his humanity in his desire for company. While it may be right to suggest that Jesus wanted eyewitnesses of what was about to happen to him, it is evident that he wanted sympathy from his three friends. Although he knows that they cannot help him in the trial he is entering, he does want them to observe what is about to happen to him. Hugh Martin observed: ‘And he told the three. For sorrow seeketh sympathy when it will conceal no more; and the man of sorrows was in all things like unto his brethren. The relief which pouring his anguish into their bosom could bring – even this was precious to him in the crisis of his sore affliction!’

His humanity is also seen in his humility in accepting help from an angel. What this angel said or did is not recorded. Some think he worshipped him, others think that he reminded Jesus of biblical passages such as the closing verses of Psalm 102, others say that Jesus, who was appreciating in an increasing way the horror of sin, was comforted by the presence of a sinless being. It certainly was a high privilege that was given to this particular angel. Yet his presence is a vivid reminder that the Saviour was a true man.

The anguish of the Saviour

As Jesus began to anticipate in a fuller way the agony of the cross, he became increasingly concerned. This distress that was descending upon him was bringing him to the point of death. Gethsemane means ‘oil press’, and here the Saviour sensed personal crushing.

Sometimes people speculate as to why Jesus, since he was God, was so afraid. The answer is that he possessed a holy humanity. If he had a sinful humanity, he would have rebelled against the God who was about to inflict him with such trouble. There is not a hint of rebellion. Instead, he reacted in the only appropriate way a holy person could when confronted by the anger of God, which is, to be afraid.

What was happening to Jesus that caused him such great distress? The answer to this question is that he was experiencing an anticipation of what would take place at Calvary when he endured the anger of God against sin. R. A. Finlayson summarises why Jesus was in such a state: ‘The desire to escape the dregs of the Cup was natural. Because he was human and had a reasonable soul he shrank from bitterness so terrible. Because he was holy he desired to escape from a burden so loathsome, for he was now to be closed in filthy garments. Because he was a devoted Son, he shrank with a holy sensitiveness from the prospect of his Father’s sore displeasure.’

Jesus himself describes it as a cup. What were the ingredients of the mixture that he was about to drink? In this drink, there was an increasing understanding of the horror of sin as he realised its awful punishment, there was an increasing anticipation of the absence of God that he was going to experience on the cross, there was an increasing awareness of the activity of the devil as he tried to get the Saviour to sin, and there was an increasing appreciation of what it would mean for him to experience the wrath of God. As he looked all this in the face, he trembled.

Therefore, as R. A. Finlayson commented, ‘Gethsemane is not a field for intellect, it is a sanctuary for faith. There was transacted something that brings us completely out of our depth, yet something that has such a distinct bearing on our redemption that we dare not pass it by. Here, in the innerness of his own experience, Christ knows what it is to be identified with the sinner, and to become himself the sinbearer.’

The Saviour’s prayer

Although Jesus trembled, he did not panic. Instead, he prayed. Yet he was distraught as we can see by looking at his posture of lying on the ground. The tense of the verbs indicate that he was doing this repeatedly. The thrust of his prayer was short but significant, although he did pray for about an hour, as can be deduced from his question to the disciple, ‘Could you not watch with me one hour?’ He prayed with a specific request, that if it was possible, the cup could be taken from him.

Jesus prayed aware of a precious relationship. The God who was about to abandon him was addressed as ‘Abba, Father.’ This was an expression of intimacy and trust. There was no disaffection in the heart of Jesus towards his heavenly Father.

Jesus prayed aware of God’s capabilities. In his prayer he said that all things were possible with the Father. Obviously it is helpful for us in our prayers to focus on an aspect of God that is relevant to our request. We should offer intelligent reasons in our prayers. In this prayer of Jesus we can see the exercise of his mind as he appealed to his Father’s omniscience regarding his will.

Jesus prayed with a submissive will. Although he prayed for a specific action by God, he was not assertive or aggressive in his request. Instead he was willing to submit to the Father’s will and take the cup of suffering from him. Here we see how to use our wills when praying to the Father. Of course, we know that when Jesus accepted the Father’s will in Gethsemane, he was continuing what had been his lifelong attitude of obedience to that divine eternal plan.

We know that the Father did not give to the Son the request he asked for, which at one level is a reminder that Jesus is able to sympathise with his people when divine wisdom does not provide them with answers to prayer that they have made with great desire and intensity. But the Father did give him the strength to proceed with completing the role that was required of him, and he will do the same for us. In the case of the Saviour, this strengthening was imparted by means of that favoured angel.

The admonition of the Saviour

Three times Jesus returned to his three friends and found them asleep. On the first occasion he addressed Peter, probably because he was the one who had asserted his devotion to Jesus. He indicates to Peter what it was that he wanted them to pray for – not to be led into temptation. Their danger was the same as what he had taught them in the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ (Yet he also noted their weakness, and made allowance for it – the flesh is weak.) There is a difference between Jesus teaching the necessity of this outlook while on a hillside in Galilee and his teaching it in the middle of his trial in Gethsemane.

On the third occasion, Jesus told them to get up. But they are no longer seeing a terrified Christ. Instead he is ready to face the onslaught that is about to begin with the arrival of Judas. Indeed he marches towards his destiny, cup in hand, ready and willing to drink the last dark drop at Calvary.

Five lessons for Peter

A few months earlier, when he had been on the Mount of Transfiguration and seen the glory of Jesus, Peter had fallen asleep. Here, too, when Jesus reveals other aspects of his path to glory, as he anticipates more deeply the exodus that was the focus of discussion on that mountain, Peter again falls asleep. On the previous occasion, when he saw Jesus in such splendour, Peter could not keep quiet, but unfortunately said inappropriate words. Here, as he sheepishly listens to a personal rebuke from his distraught Master, the future leader of the church has nothing to say. Yet he would have had many teachings to pass on later to the church from this evening. Here are some obvious details.

Firstly, Peter should have learned, and no doubt he did by later reflection, the horrible nature of sin by watching the distress of his Master. Sadly, as just noted, Peter was asleep. But there is also a personal aspect to the Saviour’s agony. Whose sins were causing this distress? Peter’s sins, and the sins of all other disciples. The self-confidence and imminent denial of Peter were horrible sins (as are all other sins), but Jesus had to pay the penalty God required. And Peter would have been able to tell how deep was the sorrow of his Master, and perhaps the apostle’s insights are seen in Mark’s account (which tradition says was influenced by Peter as Mark wrote it).

Second, Peter would have learned that the way to progress in the divine life is by submission to God’s will. How was Jesus going to get back to heaven? By the path of obedience to the Father’s will. It was the same for Peter and all the disciples of Jesus. And we can see in his letters how Peter stressed the importance of obedience to the teachings of the Bible.

Third, Peter had to watch out for sloth when engaged in repeated activities. The disciples had gone with Jesus to Gethsemane many times and Peter had become familiar with being there. His familiarity cost him a blessing and earned him a rebuke. Peter would recognise that he could never take any situation for granted, and later on, when writing his first letter, he reminded his readers, who were coping well with their troubles, to make sure that they stayed on the path of discipleship (1 Pet. 1:13ff.). We should treat each activity as the most important one we can engage in.

Fourth, Peter would have seen the necessity of prayer at important times in life. Of course, he already knew in theory of its importance. Yet now he had seen his Master praying with great physical energy and focussed concentration, an example of how to pray in a crisis. Peter would have realised that armchairs are not suitable places for praying about some situations.

Fifth, Peter should have learned to be gracious to failures. There in Gethsemane, he along with John and James failed in their devotion to Jesus. But how kind Jesus was to them, noting their human weakness and tiredness. Spurgeon once said that we are so busy making excuses for ourselves that we forget to make excuses for others. Failures by others often tests our likeness to Jesus. We should look for mitigating factors and be ready to encourage and help those who fail. As Peter was later to write, ‘love covers a multitude of sins’ (1 Pet. 4:8).