Garden of Gethsemane Prayer
Back in December (no, not the Taylor Swift song), we had a post about the final moments of Jesus’ life according to the Gospel of Mark. Jesus’ last prayer as a “free man” is said to have occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane. While the record of what happened in the garden is short, it is so impactful, for then and also for us today. So let’s dive in.
Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.” Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. And again he came and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him. Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up; let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”
Mark 14:32-42 CSB
Jesus knew what was about to come. He knew the physical pain He was about to endure. He knew the mockery and betrayal that was ahead. That in itself is a sobering thought.
Jesus is a Praying Man
Not only here, but in so many other areas of the Gospels do we see Jesus praying. Jesus, being fully God and fully man, would spend time with the Father in conversation. I wonder how much of this was for our benefit, being a model of how to truly rest in Him.
Nevertheless, we see that Jesus knew what was to come and was “deeply grieved to the point of death.” One commentary I read stated that this phrase means that satan was trying to kill Jesus while in the garden so that Jesus wouldn’t be able to accomplish His plan of salvation for all mankind. I’m not sure I believe that thought, but it does make sense. I can imagine the human nature in anyone would be to just “check-out early” before the immense suffering could take place. But Jesus wasn’t just fully human, and his humanness wouldn’t win in this situation.
It seems that Jesus wanted to take these last moments to spend with His heavenly Father, and that alone is beautiful.
Jesus is a Persistent Pleader
Jesus prayed the same thing repeatedly. The Scripture says He went and prayed three times while in the garden, praying the same thing. (Matthew 26:44) He was very persistent, continuing to ask the same thing despite the difficulty and in knowing the outcome.
It can be confusing to wonder how Jesus, being fully God, would know that He had to be crucified, yet He pleaded with God to let the cup pass. One commentary helped me understand this better. It said that this is not the “struggle between a reluctant and a compliant will.” That would be the case in my own life if I were to pray for suffering to not have to happen. I would be reluctant in wanting to avoid pain and suffering, yet compliant in wanting to do God’s will. But this is not the case with Jesus. The commentator goes on to say this is the result of two views of the event to come, one that is abstract (because the crucifixion was completely revolting) and one that is relative (because of Jesus’ overwhelming obedience to His Father).
How often are we persistent pleaders in our prayers? Knowing that we cannot change God’s will, I’ll be the first to admit that I am not very persistent in my prayers. I have complete faith that God’s will is going to be enacted whether I want it or not so instead of praying for the same outcome in situations, I try to focus my prayers on His will being accomplished. But what if the persistence in our prayers is more to adapt our hearts to His will? Do we need to be persistent in the outcome we desire or in the heart change that can occur and the impact for the Gospel that can take place?
Jesus is the Acquiescing Son
To acquiesce means to accept something reluctantly but without protest. Jesus knew, in His omniscience, that what must take place would soon happen. He, unlike us, knew the reason why and the amazing effects it would bring.
Let’s look again at the second part of verse 36: “Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.”
Story time: I had a student a few years ago when I was teaching 3rd grade. (For the sake of privacy, let’s call her Dee, which is obviously my name but you get my point.) At the beginning of the school year, as I was trying to make connections with my students, it became apparent that she was going to be a challenge. She would not talk. To me, to her classmates, to other staff. If I asked her yes/no questions, she would nod or shake her head.
I quickly realized that Dee needed extra emotional support for whatever reason and I was quick to give it to her. It took a few months before she would actually answer me out loud instead of writing notes. As the school year progressed, she’d still have bad days where she’d bury her head and seem defiant to move from her desk, even when it meant we both missed lunch. But those bad days became less and she became more comfortable in her skin. Once I realized she had begun to trust me, we started having weekly “stay after school with the teacher” days. Not for tutoring as much as for her to have a trusted person. She confided in me about some of her traumatic childhood.
Around spring break time, Dee was like a completely different child. She had a few friends, she answered questions out loud. She was confident in her reading skills enough to read out loud a few times. Her grades improved. At the beginning of the year, I was all but convinced she would fail 3rd grade because she seemed to struggle so much. However, by the state test time, not only did she pass, but she scored well above grade level in math and on grade level in reading. Words cannot express how proud I was of this student!
I should also mention that I was the unashamed teacher who openly talked about Jesus and Christianity with her students. Dee had made me aware that her bio parents, whom she did not live with, were adamantly opposed to Christianity. I know you don’t think I would let that bother me, lol. Oh man the prayers I prayed about this child.
Fast forward to the next school year, as scared as Dee was to go to 4th grade, she had her best friend in her class and I had prepped the 4th grade teachers to be gentle with her. Every chance I had, I would pause in the hallway to see her or wave through a classroom door at her. A different class was an adjustment, but she adapted quicker than the year before. She still had bad days, where she’d ask to come sit in my room with my new set of students, or we’d sit and chat during lunch or specials. The guidance counselor was also very involved as she knew more of Dee’s homelife situation.
Around October of that year is when things drastically changed. Dee was removed from the home she’d begun to flourish in. I remember the day it happened and the caseworker was at school. You would’ve thought she had threatened my own child’s safety- I gave the case worker my phone number, and begged her to keep in touch. Dee and her siblings hugged me. I snuck my phone number to Dee. We cried. We weren’t sure what would happen next. Oh man, the prayers I prayed that day.
A few days later Dee returned to school. She wasn’t the bubbly child she had become, but she also didn’t completely return to her mute self.
To summarize the rest of the story into a shorter version, the courts ended up deciding that Dee and her siblings return to bio mom and her boyfriend/ younger kids’ dad. Dee confided in me about her excitement of this and also her intense fear. A family member who was also hesitant to allow the kids to be returned reached out to me with details of other abuse that had never been reported. I reported it (as teachers are mandatory reporters). I will never forget the abuse hotline agent’s response to me that it wasn’t enough information to warrant further investigation. And my response “well, what? You want to wait until she’s dead in a ditch before you do investigate?” Which probably wasn’t the most kind response I could’ve given.
Dee did in fact return to her bio mom. Thankfully, Dee and her siblings continued coming to our school for a few weeks. It was evident, at least to me, that things were not okay. One of the siblings regressed terribly and began having many emotional outbursts and Dee retreated inside herself more. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what was causing the children’s regressions. And oh man, how I prayed for Dee and her siblings. After a few weeks, Dee and her siblings moved and transferred schools. I didn’t get to say good-bye. For a few months, when she was able, she would send me emails. But they were very vague and child-like.
It’s been well over a year since I’ve received any emails from Dee. I don’t know where she is. I don’t know how she is. One of my biggest fears is that I’ll get news of her disappearance or her passing. And even though I did everything in my human power to protect her, she will have paid the consequences of the dark realities of life.
Talk about persistent prayers??? I pray all the time for this sweet girl. I thank God for the time I got to know her and love on her. I beg God to keep her safe and to put people in her life who will continue to share Jesus with her. I plead for justice for her and for God to walk her through life.
God did not align His will to mine in this instance, as in many other situations. What I so desperately wanted… her to stay and flourish in a loving environment, never to be forced into trauma again. It did not happen. Instead, because we live in a fallen world, this sweet girl, who would now be a preteen, has been dealt a deck of cards that would be a challenge for the best of us.
Does that mean God ignored my prayers? Not at all. But it does mean that I had to acquiesce to His will, even though I do not understand it. It does mean I have to place every ounce of trust into God’s will over Dee’s life. I have zero control and now, zero connection to even know if she’s momentarily safe.
At the end of the day, there are so many things I don’t understand about this life and the reasons why things happen like they do. But it brings me such comfort that even though Jesus knew what was going to happen, He still prayed for the cup to pass. Then He followed it up with - “not what I will, but what you will.” Let that be our model of prayer- telling the Lord our will, our hope, our desires and then following it with the pleading that God will align our will to His.
