Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
He wakes His sleeping disciples for the third time to tell them the hour has come and to rise and go forward because the one betraying Him into the hands of sinners is near, even as the footsteps of the approaching mob are heard. Knowing the betrayer and the armed crowd are at hand, He goes forward to meet them and face betrayal and arrest rather than attempting to escape or flee. He steps forward with calm dignity, with no trace of His recent struggle and agony visible on His face. This closes His fearful hours of solitary prayer in Gethsemane on the night of His last agony, where though sinless He bore the guilt of fallen humanity and the iniquity of all laid upon Him, fearing to be shut out from His Father's love and feeling God's wrath against transgression to be sorrowful even unto death. Yet overwhelmed by anguish He submitted fully to God's will and pressed on with the work He came to do, choosing to drink the cup and save the guilty at any cost to Himself when He could have refused suffering and left humanity to perish, while the disciples who failed to watch with Him left Him to endure the trial alone.
Gethsemane Arrest Approaches
The words close fearful hours of solitary prayer in Gethsemane on the night of His last agony. That garden was a spot He had often visited for meditation and prayer. He speaks them after finding the disciples asleep for the third time and saying the hour had come for the Son of man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Even while He is speaking, the footsteps of the mob searching for Him are heard, with Judas leading, the high priest closely following, an armed crowd come to hand Him over to sinners.
He wakes the sleeping disciples and tells them to rise and go forward because the betrayer is near. Knowing that the betrayer and the pursuing crowd are at hand, He goes forward to meet them and face betrayal and arrest rather than attempting to escape or flee. His words lead directly into Judas's arrival with the armed crowd and the arrest, marking the arrival of the betrayal and the beginning of His arrest.
He steps forward with calm dignity, with no trace of His recent struggle and agony visible on His face. He knew Judas and the pursuing mob were near, warned His disciples, and calmly chose to go out and meet His enemies rather than flee.
Bearing Human Guilt Willingly
In Gethsemane He bore the guilt of fallen humanity with a heart full of sorrow. Through all His life on earth He had walked in the light of God's presence, always doing those things that pleased the Father. Now He seemed shut out from the light of God's sustaining presence, numbered with transgressors. Upon Him who knew no sin was laid the iniquity of us all. Sin appeared so dreadful to Him and the weight of guilt so heavy that He was tempted to fear it would shut Him out forever from His Father's love. Feeling how terrible is the wrath of God against transgression, His soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death.
In that suffering He submitted fully to God's will, bearing the sins of the whole world. Though sinless, He was treated as a sinner so that sinners could be treated as innocent. He chose humiliation and death, surrendering His own will to God's will.
Though overwhelmed by anguish and the burden of the world's guilt, He pressed on with the work He had come to do, rising at the end of prayer to meet the betrayer and the arrest at hand. Though He could have refused the suffering and left humanity to perish, He chose to drink the cup and save the guilty at any cost to Himself. He came to suffer and die and then rise again. He came to establish a kingdom of love and peace and purity in people's hearts.
Sleeping Disciples and Warning
Mark 14:42 belongs to the struggle in Gethsemane when Jesus faced the powers of darkness while His disciples failed to watch with Him and slept, leaving Him to endure the trial alone. It is the moment of His agony in which He longed for their sympathy and companionship in suffering and need. On that night of agony the disciples were asleep and did not hear His voice. Their drowsiness kept them from receiving the evidence of heaven's presence that could have strengthened them for the terrible events ahead.
Their failure to watch left them less prepared to understand His suffering and to face His death. That suffering was for the sins of the world, for He came to suffer and die and then rise again and to establish a kingdom of love and peace and purity in people's hearts. Jesus wisely prepared His faithful followers for the betrayal, suffering and death He knew were near, so that the fickleness of others would not take them by surprise or shake their faith.
John was one of the three disciples permitted to witness that agony. James, John and Peter were with Jesus in the garden that night, and James later understood more fully the words about sharing His cup and baptism when he was imprisoned and summoned to execution. Peter slept while Jesus was prostrated there in great agony through fearful hours of prayer, with bloody sweat forced from His pores staining the sod.
Peter afterward denied the Man of Sorrows in His hour of humiliation and acquaintance with grief. But repentant and reconverted, he came back to that same spot and prostrated himself where Jesus had lain. He remembered his sleep during Jesus' prayer, and with blinding tears and a broken heart moistened the sod with penitential weeping. He left the garden a converted and humbled man, ready to pity the tempted, sympathize with the weak and erring, caution and warn the presumptuous, and strengthen his brethren.
He wakes His sleeping disciples for the third time to tell them the hour has come and to rise and go forward because the one betraying Him into the hands of sinners is near, even as the footsteps of the approaching mob are heard. Knowing the betrayer and the armed crowd are at hand, He goes forward to meet them and face betrayal and arrest rather than attempting to escape or flee. He steps forward with calm dignity, with no trace of His recent struggle and agony visible on His face. This closes His fearful hours of solitary prayer in Gethsemane on the night of His last agony, where though sinless He bore the guilt of fallen humanity and the iniquity of all laid upon Him, fearing to be shut out from His Father's love and feeling God's wrath against transgression to be sorrowful even unto death. Yet overwhelmed by anguish He submitted fully to God's will and pressed on with the work He came to do, choosing to drink the cup and save the guilty at any cost to Himself when He could have refused suffering and left humanity to perish, while the disciples who failed to watch with Him left Him to endure the trial alone.
Gethsemane Arrest Approaches
The words close fearful hours of solitary prayer in Gethsemane on the night of His last agony. That garden was a spot He had often visited for meditation and prayer. He speaks them after finding the disciples asleep for the third time and saying the hour had come for the Son of man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Even while He is speaking, the footsteps of the mob searching for Him are heard, with Judas leading, the high priest closely following, an armed crowd come to hand Him over to sinners.
He wakes the sleeping disciples and tells them to rise and go forward because the betrayer is near. Knowing that the betrayer and the pursuing crowd are at hand, He goes forward to meet them and face betrayal and arrest rather than attempting to escape or flee. His words lead directly into Judas's arrival with the armed crowd and the arrest, marking the arrival of the betrayal and the beginning of His arrest.
He steps forward with calm dignity, with no trace of His recent struggle and agony visible on His face. He knew Judas and the pursuing mob were near, warned His disciples, and calmly chose to go out and meet His enemies rather than flee.
Bearing Human Guilt Willingly
In Gethsemane He bore the guilt of fallen humanity with a heart full of sorrow. Through all His life on earth He had walked in the light of God's presence, always doing those things that pleased the Father. Now He seemed shut out from the light of God's sustaining presence, numbered with transgressors. Upon Him who knew no sin was laid the iniquity of us all. Sin appeared so dreadful to Him and the weight of guilt so heavy that He was tempted to fear it would shut Him out forever from His Father's love. Feeling how terrible is the wrath of God against transgression, His soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death.
In that suffering He submitted fully to God's will, bearing the sins of the whole world. Though sinless, He was treated as a sinner so that sinners could be treated as innocent. He chose humiliation and death, surrendering His own will to God's will.
Though overwhelmed by anguish and the burden of the world's guilt, He pressed on with the work He had come to do, rising at the end of prayer to meet the betrayer and the arrest at hand. Though He could have refused the suffering and left humanity to perish, He chose to drink the cup and save the guilty at any cost to Himself. He came to suffer and die and then rise again. He came to establish a kingdom of love and peace and purity in people's hearts.
Sleeping Disciples and Warning
Mark 14:42 belongs to the struggle in Gethsemane when Jesus faced the powers of darkness while His disciples failed to watch with Him and slept, leaving Him to endure the trial alone. It is the moment of His agony in which He longed for their sympathy and companionship in suffering and need. On that night of agony the disciples were asleep and did not hear His voice. Their drowsiness kept them from receiving the evidence of heaven's presence that could have strengthened them for the terrible events ahead.
Their failure to watch left them less prepared to understand His suffering and to face His death. That suffering was for the sins of the world, for He came to suffer and die and then rise again and to establish a kingdom of love and peace and purity in people's hearts. Jesus wisely prepared His faithful followers for the betrayal, suffering and death He knew were near, so that the fickleness of others would not take them by surprise or shake their faith.
John was one of the three disciples permitted to witness that agony. James, John and Peter were with Jesus in the garden that night, and James later understood more fully the words about sharing His cup and baptism when he was imprisoned and summoned to execution. Peter slept while Jesus was prostrated there in great agony through fearful hours of prayer, with bloody sweat forced from His pores staining the sod.
Peter afterward denied the Man of Sorrows in His hour of humiliation and acquaintance with grief. But repentant and reconverted, he came back to that same spot and prostrated himself where Jesus had lain. He remembered his sleep during Jesus' prayer, and with blinding tears and a broken heart moistened the sod with penitential weeping. He left the garden a converted and humbled man, ready to pity the tempted, sympathize with the weak and erring, caution and warn the presumptuous, and strengthen his brethren.