The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak

 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

'I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.'

"But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And they all said likewise.

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch."  He went a little farther, and fell on 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, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.  And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.  Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  It is enough!  The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

- Mark 14:27-42

Yesterday, we read that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So his disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And they all said likewise.   Some ancient texts do not include "because of Me this night."  Jesus quotes here from Zechariah 13:7.  It's not just a time for one betrayal that is coming from Judas, but there are many other forms of the sword that strikes the Shepherd that are happening -- the disciples will stumble, Peter will deny Him.  Peter is vehement, he will never do so, even if he has to die with Christ.  So say all the rest.

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch."   John's Gospel says that Gethsemane is a place know to Judas; Jesus intentionally chooses this place knowing what is to happen.  They are on the Mount of Olives.  Gethsemane means "olive press."  It's important to understand the subtle ties here in the language.  In the Greek, the word for mercy ("eleos" - the root in Kyrie Eleison, "Lord have mercy") sounds the same as the word for olive oil.  Therefore oil, anointing, and the healing balm of the ancient world, all resonate in meaning and all are associated with the mercy and grace of Christ.  We can catch the understanding that here is the place of the press the provides the oil -- the time of deepest testing.  Jesus shares Himself with the disciples, as friends, saying, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death." 

He went a little farther, and fell on 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, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."   We see Christ's distress.  His relationship with the Father is such that He prays, "Abba" -- like "Papa."  In our deepest places, Christ shows us that it is God we can go to, as a child.  Jesus emphasizes the importance of prayer, particular in times of great testing and trial, and therefore temptation.   The spirit is truly willing, Peter's sincerity in swearing he would die with Christ is authentic.  But the flesh is weak -- we don't necessarily know our weaknesses, where we're vulnerable.  Prayer is the defense, the protection.

Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.  And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.  Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  It is enough!  The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."  Three times He returns to the disciples to find them sleeping, but Christ spends the night in prayer.  He knows what is happening, He is the one who is truly "watchful" and "alert" to the reality of what is going on.  He goes voluntarily, strengthened in prayer, knowing it is the way.

There are times in life when we go through what feels like a really difficult period of testing.  Often these times involve hard choices, cutting to our core.  They take us to places where we really don't know what the right thing is to do:  all that we have learned and know seems to come together in some sort of contest -- pitting some things we think are right and true against others.  We look at the situation that Jesus is in.  He loves Judas, who has betrayed Him, one of His hand-picked apostles, one of the Twelve, who's been with Him through the ministry.  But He knows what is going to happen.  It will be a time when His sheep are scattered.  What will happen to them without His leadership?  And yet, here it comes, right down to the wire -- and there must still be prayer involved.  Each moment counts when we're in such a type of situation, no matter how much less significant we may feel it is than this one!  Jesus turns again and again -- as a child, with the word, "Abba" ("Papa") -- in prayer.  Which way is He truly to go?  His distress is plain.  He has evaded seizure and arrest until now; it wasn't His hour, not time.  He leaves it in the hands of God the Father:  "Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."   Prayer is the act of remaining with God, praying for enlightenment and understanding, clarity for the way to go.  It's a time when we may expose our desires to God, but we ask for affirmation.  Above all, we know He's been there before us and given us this example.  Times of testing and trial may come in many forms:  the illness of a loved one, a terrible public burden where no one else understands what God is asking of us in the heart, and like Christ also, being torn between those we love and their betrayal of us.  There is no limit to where we find ourselves in the  middle of crisis and dilemma, times for decisions we're not necessarily prepared to make, in waters deeper than we know of ourselves how to negotiate.  We're caught in that oil press where troubles will not let up, and burden us with a demand for a choice we don't want to make.  This is the place where we decide who we really are, and whose voice we're loyal to.  Often, there's no one else to help make the decision; even if we're blessed with friends and loved ones, we somehow find ourselves alone.  That's the time for faith, and the time for prayer.  We watch, we are alert, we must engage in dialogue with Abba, Papa.  It's our faith that gives us strength for the difficulties, and prayer to help shield against the weakness, so that we know where we're going and what for.   In the toughest times, it's the plan that makes the difference, our faith and covenant with Him.