Mark 14:41
And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
On His third return He found the disciples asleep and told them the time for rest was ended, for the hour had come when He would be handed over into the hands of sinners and they must rise to meet His betrayer. He spoke as the mob was heard approaching, led by Judas with an armed crowd to seize Him with a kiss of betrayal. In that night of agony the sinless Son of God was bearing the sins of the whole world, with the iniquity of all laid upon Him who knew no sin. After praying three times for the cup to pass He chose to save humanity at any cost to Himself, becoming the propitiation by which sinners could be counted innocent. Coming in hope of a word of love to strengthen Him, He found them overcome with sleep and was left to face the powers of darkness alone, for the flesh is weak even when the spirit is willing.
Hour and Setting in Gethsemane
Coming a third time to the disciples He found them asleep and told them the time for rest was over, for the hour had come and the Son of man was being handed over into the hands of sinners. He roused them to rise and go to meet His betrayer, facing the coming arrest with awareness and resolve. He spoke the words at the very moment the footsteps of the mob searching for Him were heard, even as those seeking Him approached. Judas was leading them with an armed crowd and the high priest following, and Judas identified Him with a kiss while addressing Him as Master.
This belongs to the night of His last agony in Gethsemane, a place He had often visited for meditation and prayer but never before with a heart so full of sorrow. Through His earthly life He had walked in the light of God's presence, unforsaken by the Father because He always did what pleased Him, even in conflict with men inspired by Satan. In Gethsemane He seemed shut out from the light of God's sustaining presence and numbered with the transgressors.
In solitude through fearful hours of great agony He was prostrated on the ground, with bloody sweat forced from His pores staining the sod. His soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death as He felt how terrible the wrath of God against transgression is. Sin appeared so dreadful to Him and the weight of guilt so great that He was tempted to fear it would shut Him out forever from His Father's love.
Bearing Sin to Save
In Gethsemane the sinless Son of God bore the sins of the whole world, and His suffering went beyond that of any other human being. Upon Him who knew no sin was laid the iniquity of us all, the guilt of fallen humanity. Sin appeared dreadful to Him, and the weight of guilt was great.
He prayed three times as He faced the horror of bearing sin and its consequences, asking that the cup might pass from Him. At this decisive moment He chose to save humanity at any cost to Himself and to become its propitiation. The sinless Christ was treated as a sinner so that sinners could be treated as innocent, taking humanity, living without sin, and making atonement for human transgression.
His suffering shows complete submission to God's will, for though He could have refused humiliation He accepted it and went toward death. An angel strengthened Him to accept the cup and endure its bitter woe. Had He refused to drink it, the human race would have faced eternal ruin.
His betrayal, trial, and crucifixion were part of Satan's attack, yet after repeated prayer for deliverance He continued toward the sacrifice He had come to make. His being betrayed into the hands of sinners points to the similar persecution His followers will face for His sake, including false testimony instigated by religious rulers. Cruelty inflicted on those who belong to Him, whom He redeemed with His blood and called by His name, counts as cruelty done to Him.
His betrayal, suffering, and death were a trial for which He had prepared His faithful disciples. Because they had already seen followers turn away from Him, they would not be wholly surprised when the crowd rejected Him and those who had professed love for Him abandoned Him. Their faith was not to rest on the fickle approval of others. James was with Him in the night of agony in the garden after being asked whether he could share His cup and baptism, and when James was later imprisoned and put to death he understood those words more fully as a call to share in Christ's suffering.
Sleeping Disciples and Warning
For the third time He came hoping for a word of love to strengthen and comfort Him and found them fast asleep, overcome and weary and heavy with sleep, dropped back into unconsciousness. They had seen the glory shining around Him and felt no further fear for Him, and their sleep was caused by Satan and his evil angels when love for their suffering Master should have kept them awake. He looked sorrowfully upon them as He aroused them, longing in deep woe and grief for their sympathy in His agony. That longing proves the desire for love and sympathy is implanted in the heart by God Himself, a need shared even by one like Paul who seemed indifferent to hardship yet yearned for companionship in loneliness and desertion.
Their drowsiness kept them from hearing His voice and receiving strengthening evidence of the angels' presence before the trials ahead. They had only a dim sense of its power and glory, and missed what could have strengthened them for the terrible events ahead. By failing to keep watch and pray despite His warnings they were left unprepared for the test of His arrest and death.
He desired them to watch with Him so they would better understand the sorrow pressing on Him and be fitted to behold His death on Calvary's cross. Watching would have kept before them His repeated warnings that men would turn against Him and put Him to death and that He would rise again, so rays of hope would shine amid gloom and faith would hold when Satan and his angels seemed to gain the victory. It would have taught them He came not to set up an earthly kingdom with them as chief rulers but to suffer and die for the sins of the world and to set up a kingdom of love, peace, and purity in hearts until men are fitted for heaven. It would have made them ready to bear the scorn and mockery that fell on Him and not leave Him alone in bitter trial.
During His hour of trial they gave way to sleep instead of watching with Him and left Him to face the agony and the powers of darkness alone. Their failure shows the flesh is weak though the spirit is willing, even in Peter who said he would go to prison and death with Christ yet could not watch one hour. Peter afterward in true contrition returned with blinding tears to that same place, prostrated himself where his Saviour had been prostrated, and remembered sleeping during those prayers. Broken in heart, with penitential tears moistening the sod, he left converted and humbled, ready to pity the tempted, sympathize with the weak and erring, caution the presumptuous, and strengthen his brethren. John was among the three disciples permitted to witness the agony in Gethsemane.