Mark 14:32-34 32And they went to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33And he took Peter and James and John with him and began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34And he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved even to death. Remain here and watch.”
The intensity of the plot increases with this next scene which takes place in the garden of Gethsemane. This orchard of olive trees was located at the foot of the Mount of Olives on the western slope. The name in Hebrew means “olive press.” It was a good place for privacy away from the hustle of the city. By this point, it was late at night, and everyone was tired after a busy day of celebration. Jesus gave his disciples a simple request to pray. He had modeled to them prayer and taught them how to pray many times in the past three years. They had watched him retreat before to quiet places to pray, but this time was unique because there was a lot at stake. They were still stuck in their old character of naive thinking and simplistic faith. They were stuck in their self-focused outlook and ignorant pride evidenced in verse 31.
This passage has two major themes summarized in verse 33 and repeated in verse 34. The first relates to the disciples. Peter, James, and John were special disciples Jesus chose as leaders whom he allowed to experience things that the other disciples did not (see 5:37; 9:2; 13:3). Mark does not record the reason Jesus brought these three with him. It is possible he wanted them to come close to him and support him as he wrestled in prayer. This was their opportunity to prove their devotion, as they had just claimed in the previous verses.
Jesus wanted these three to watch as he prayed. It is unclear what they were to watch. Watching is connected to praying in verse 38. To watch means to be alert and aware of what is happening around us. Jesus used the same word in 13:35, 37 in the call to his disciples to be ready for his return. It has the sense of preparation and awareness. One of the surprises of the passage is how the disciples did the opposite of what Jesus asked and fell asleep. They lost connection with the events that were happening around the. They failed because they were weak in their own strength.
Jesus describes his dire situation with four descriptions. First, he was greatly distressed (ekthambeisthai). This word is a strong word used to describe a person’s shock and has the nuance of strong feelings such as fear, surprise, or perplexity. The word does not mean Jesus was unaware of what was happening, but that he knew what was coming, and it was overwhelming. He found the answer by going to his heavenly Father in prayer. Second, he was troubled (adēmonein), which means to be anxious or significantly concerned about a situation. Third, he was sorrowful (perilypos), which is a deep grief and distress. Fourth, all of these words brought him to the point of death. These words describe the burden Jesus bore but also the cause of all the stress.
Jesus needed his closest followers to support him in those moments. Jesus’ humanity is vividly evident in this passage as he wrestled with the path before him. He faced the same type of temptation that we face. He knew what was before him and what he needed to do, but he hoped his disciples would walk the path with him, but he knew that they would not. He wanted them to watch how he handled the situation. He gave them the choice to participate, but they failed. This was a hard lesson for them to learn and one that undoubtedly make a huge impression on them the rest of their lives. They saw their Lord model the same struggles that faced, but he turned to God the Father for help and found strength and victory to face his trial. They could do the same. Although they failed at this time, with the inner strength provided by the Holy Spirit, they experienced victory when it came time for their own trials.
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