Mark 14:35
And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
In Gethsemane by night he left the rest of his companions seated, led Peter, James and John farther into the garden, went forward only a little farther within their sight and hearing, and fell prostrate with his face on the cold ground. The hour he begged might pass from him if possible was his bearing the sins and guilt of the whole fallen world and enduring the wrath of God against transgression. His anguish came not from fear of bodily suffering alone but from being numbered with transgressors, shut out from his Father's sustaining presence, and shuddering before a gulf of sin so broad, black and deep that he feared eternal separation from his Father's love. He offered that bitter cry three times in superhuman agony until bloody sweat fell to the ground, yet joined his dread to firm surrender to his Father's will while heaven sent a messenger to console him. He longed for his disciples to watch and pray with him and came back hoping for a word of love, but they slept under drowsiness wrought by Satan, and so missed the evidence that would have strengthened their faith for his cross and fitted them not to forsake him.
Garden Setting and Posture
The place is Gethsemane, the accustomed retreat where he often went apart to brace his spirit by fervent prayer for trial and duty. He had frequently spent the entire night there in meditation and prayer while his disciples watched a little while and then slept undisturbed a little distance away until he woke them in the morning, so his leaving them that night called forth no remark. As he neared the garden he was strangely sad and silent as never before, his form swaying as if about to fall. Every step was taken with labored effort while he groaned aloud under a terrible burden, so overcome that twice his companions had to support him or he would have fallen to the earth.
It was night in the solitude of the garden, at the time of the broad, full Passover moon when the city of pilgrims' tents was hushed in silence. He heeded not the chilling night dews as he lay prostrate on the ground, clinging to the ground with his face on the cold ground. His bloody sweat in great agony was forced from his pores through fearful hours and fell to the ground staining the sod.
He left his other companions seated behind to sit while he went to pray, and took only Peter, James and John farther into the recesses of the garden to pray yonder. John was thus one of the three permitted to witness the agony, with James and Peter. He then went forward only a little farther, a short distance from them, not so far that they could not see and hear him. He moved a little farther from the disciples to pray that the coming hour might pass from him if that were possible.
He fell to the ground, prostrate in deep sorrow and woe and in intense sorrow, praying that the hour and cup of suffering might pass. His frame was convulsed with anguish and his pale face expressed indescribable sorrow. His prayer in deep sorrow was joined to firm submission to the Father's will and belongs with his appeal to the disciples to watch and pray.
Meaning of the Hour
The hour he asked might pass was his bearing of human sin and enduring God's wrath against transgression, the cup being the penalty and consequences of human sin with the sins and guilt of the world and of the whole fallen humanity laid upon him. Through his whole earthly life he had walked in the light of God's presence, always doing what pleased the Father, and he had often visited the garden for prayer but never with a heart so full of sorrow. Now in his last agony he felt shut out from God's sustaining presence because he was numbered with transgressors to bear guilt, with the iniquity of all laid on him who knew no sin.
His anguish was not caused by fear of physical suffering alone, but by feeling separated from his Father by sin and facing the Father's displeasure toward sin. Sin appeared dreadful to him, and the weight of guilt brought fear of being shut out forever from his Father's love. The burden brought doubts about his oneness with Jehovah and made him feel separated from the Father's love by a gulf of sin so broad, black and deep that his spirit shuddered before it, being overpowered with terrible fear that God was removing His presence from him. It was an agony beyond unaided human strength that no human being had ever endured, as he bore the sins of the whole world while fainting under the burden of the world's guilt.
He feared his human nature could not endure the coming conflict, which would mean the human race was lost and Satan prevailed. He knew many would reject the salvation he was making possible at infinite cost and would not desire its righteousness. The prayer reveals the real weight of the trial before him. Though sinless he was treated as a sinner so that sinful people could be treated as innocent. Having taken human nature he would not exert his divine power to escape but must suffer the consequences of man's sin, and as a man he must endure them.
He could have refused the humiliation, suffering and death and left humanity to perish, but he surrendered his will to God's will and chose to save humanity at the cost of his own suffering, and his suffering and death made atonement for human transgressions. The prayer that the hour might pass if possible was a bitter cry made in superhuman agony through fearful hours, offered three times for deliverance. It was prayed in such great agony that bloody sweat was forced from his pores and fell to the ground staining the sod, while heaven sent a messenger to console him as he lay prostrate. His dread was joined to firm submission to the Father's will.
Disciples and Call to Watch
Even in that prostrate agony He longed for human sympathy and asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him, His need for love and companionship being real and deep. Having prayed alone for some time in deep woe and grief, He came back to them hoping they would speak some word of love to strengthen and comfort Him in His sorrow. He had gone only a little farther, not so far that they could not see and hear Him, yet He was left to bear the burden alone.
He had earnestly instructed them to watch with Him, but they were overcome by drowsiness and fell asleep when love for their suffering Master should have kept them awake. Peter slept instead of watching through those fearful hours while bloody sweat was forced from his Lord and stained the sod. Satan and his evil angels were on the ground causing that sleep.
Asleep, they missed the spiritual evidence of the scene which would have strengthened them for the terrible trials ahead, sensing the presence of angels only dimly. If they had watched with Him in His hour of pain they would have better understood the sorrow that pressed upon Him and would have been fitted to behold His death on the cross. They would have remembered what He had told them about His suffering and death and His rising again, and amid the gloom rays of hope would have shone with faith strengthened even when Satan seemed to gain the victory.
He desired them to watch that they might understand He had come to suffer and die for the sins of the world and to set up a kingdom of love and peace and purity in hearts fitted for heaven, instead of the earthly kingdom with themselves as chief rulers for which they hoped. Had they watched and prayed as asked, they would have been ready and able to bear the scorn and mockery that fell on Him and would not have left Him alone in His bitter trial.
The very spot where His sweat drops fell later became the place where repentant Peter prostrated himself with blinding tears and penitential weeping over having slept and having denied Him. He left that spot converted and humbled, fitted to pity the tempted, to sympathize with the weak and erring, and to strengthen his brethren. James also, who had been with Him that night with John and Peter, understood more fully the words about drinking His cup and undergoing His baptism when he was imprisoned and put to death.
The scene with its appeal to watch and pray teaches His people to remain awake and prayerful lest they enter into temptation. It belongs to His preparing His faithful disciples while still with them for the ordeal of betrayal and suffering and death. So prepared, the fickleness of the crowd and the desertion of professed followers would not take them by surprise or shake their faith.