Paper 182 Overview: In Gethsemane

Jesus and his eleven apostles departed from the home of Elijah and Mary Mark around ten o'clock Thursday night, making their way back to their camp near Gethsemane Park. John Mark, having rested earlier, awakened upon hearing their departure and followed them, determined to witness everything that happened to Jesus throughout this pivotal night. As the group journeyed toward their camp, the apostles began discussing Judas's conspicuous absence, growing increasingly concerned that something wasn't right, especially in light of Jesus's earlier prediction about betrayal.

Upon arriving at camp and confirming Judas was not there, their anxiety deepened as they turned to Andrew for answers, but he could only express his fear that Judas had abandoned them. The night became increasingly solemn as Jesus led them in prayer, prepared them for the coming events, and then experienced his most profound spiritual struggle in the garden of Gethsemane. Throughout these final hours before his arrest, Jesus demonstrated incredible spiritual strength while also revealing his human vulnerability, as he prayed intensely and ultimately accepted the Father's will to experience death as all mortals must.

At approximately ten o'clock on Thursday night, Jesus led the eleven apostles from Elijah and Mary Mark's home back toward their encampment adjacent to Gethsemane Park. John Mark, who had been sleeping but awoke when he heard them leaving, followed them discreetly, determined to witness everything that would unfold during this fateful night. He stayed close enough to observe all that happened to Jesus, from this moment until the crucifixion the following day. As they walked, the apostles began discussing Judas's absence and speculating about his whereabouts, recalling Jesus's prediction that one of them would betray him.

Upon reaching their camp, they confirmed that Judas was indeed missing, which prompted them to question Andrew, who responded that he didn't know where Judas was but feared he had deserted them. This realization weighed heavily on all of them as they began to grasp that Jesus's warnings about betrayal might be coming true before their eyes. The absence of Judas was just the beginning of what would become the most difficult night of their lives as disciples of Jesus.

After arriving at camp, Jesus gathered his apostles and suggested they pray together to gain strength for what lay ahead. He led them a short distance up the Mount of Olives, where he asked them to kneel in a circle around him, reminiscent of the day when they were ordained as his apostles. Standing in their midst under the moonlight, Jesus lifted his eyes toward heaven and began to pray to the Father with profound emotion and conviction. He acknowledged that his hour had come and asked God to glorify him so that he might glorify the Father in return.

In his heartfelt prayer, Jesus expressed that he had been given authority over all living creatures and would give eternal life to those who became faith sons of God. He stated that he had manifested the Father to the men whom God had chosen from the world and given to him, and that these disciples had come to believe in him. Jesus then specifically prayed for his chosen apostles, asking not for them to be taken out of the world but for them to be protected from evil and sanctified in truth, just as he was about to send them into the world as he had been sent.

Jesus extended his prayer beyond the eleven apostles to include all who would later believe in him through their ministry. He prayed for all believers to be unified as one, just as he and the Father were one, so that the world might believe that the Father had sent him. Jesus asked that those who followed him might one day join him in glory and witness the eternal harvest resulting from the seed sowing of his time in the flesh. The prayer concluded with Jesus expressing his longing for his earthly brethren to see the glory he had with the Father before the founding of the world.

Following this prayer, the eleven apostles remained kneeling in silence for several minutes before rising and quietly returning to camp. Though Jesus prayed for unity among his followers, he did not desire uniformity, recognizing that righteousness nurtures the creative spirit of individual experience in the living realities of truth. Through his life and teachings, Jesus had effectively revealed the Father to the world in ways that expanded humanity's understanding of God, expressing himself as the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, and many other profound characterizations that demonstrated God's loving nature.

The apostles were deeply shocked to discover Judas's absence from the camp, which made them truly begin to worry about Jesus's earlier warnings regarding betrayal. While the eleven discussed their traitorous fellow apostle, David Zebedee and John Mark privately informed Jesus that they had been observing Judas for several days and knew he intended to betray him to his enemies. Jesus listened calmly to this confirmation and responded with remarkable composure, saying, "Nothing can happen to the Son of Man unless the Father in heaven so wills," and encouraging them not to be troubled because all things would work together for God's glory and human salvation.

As time passed, Jesus's mood grew increasingly solemn and sorrowful, concerning the apostles who were reluctant to retire to their tents despite his encouragement to rest. Jesus requested that Peter, James, and John remain with him while the others went to sleep, though all were exhausted from their recent lack of sleep in Jerusalem. Before separating, Simon Zelotes led the apostles to his tent where he had stored weapons and distributed swords to all of them except Nathaniel, who refused to arm himself, citing Jesus's repeated teachings that his kingdom was not of this world and would not be established through violence.

Jesus then made arrangements to send word to his followers in other places, calling for a messenger named Jacob to whom he entrusted a message for Abner in Philadelphia, informing him that Jesus would be delivered to his enemies, put to death, but would rise again and appear to his followers before going to the Father. He similarly addressed the visiting Greeks who were camping with them, warning that he would be put to death but would rise to be with them briefly before ascending to the Father. Despite the late hour, only David Zebedee and John Mark understood that Jesus's enemies, led by Judas, would come that very night.

While David stayed to keep watch on the upper trail and John Mark positioned himself along the Kidron brook path, Jesus spoke privately with Andrew, encouraging him to help keep the other apostles together during the difficult times ahead. The rest of the apostles eventually fell asleep, unaware of the immediate danger, assuming the Jewish authorities would not act until morning. Meanwhile, Judas was meeting with the captain of the temple guards, who had assembled men in preparation to arrest Jesus, as the betrayer led them to his location.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John a short distance into a nearby ravine where he often went to pray and commune with the Father. The three apostles immediately noticed Jesus's deep distress, having never before seen their Master so burdened with sorrow and heaviness of spirit. Jesus asked them to sit and keep watch while he went about a stone's throw away to pray alone, falling on his face and beseeching the Father, "I came into this world to do your will, and so have I. I know that the hour has come to lay down this life in the flesh, and I do not shrink therefrom, but I would know that it is your will that I drink this cup."

After praying briefly, Jesus returned to find the three apostles sound asleep, their eyes heavy with exhaustion despite their best intentions to stay awake. He gently woke them, asking with deep emotion, "Can you not watch with me even for one hour? Cannot you see that my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death, and that I crave your companionship?" Jesus then returned to his place of prayer and again prostrated himself, continuing his heartfelt communication with the Father, saying, "Father, I know it is possible to avoid this cup—all things are possible with you—but I have come to do your will, and while this is a bitter cup, I would drink it if it is your will." During this intense prayer, a mighty angel appeared beside Jesus, speaking to him and providing strength and support.

Jesus returned to the apostles twice more, each time finding them asleep despite his request for their watchfulness and prayer. During his third prayer, he fully surrendered to the Father's will, saying, "If this cup may not pass, then would I drink it. Not my will, but yours, be done." When he rose from this final prayer, Jesus had achieved a profound spiritual victory, having completely reconciled his human nature with his divine mission. He woke the sleeping apostles one last time, telling them the time for decision had passed and the hour had come when the Son of Man would be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.

Throughout this critical hour in Gethsemane, Jesus demonstrated both his humanity and his divinity in profound ways. With each prayer, his human will more fully aligned with the divine will of the Father, strengthened by the angel's message that the Father desired him to complete his earth bestowal by experiencing death as all mortal creatures must. Although Jesus was weary from work and emotionally exhausted from concern for his apostles' safety, he made the conscious decision not to use his sovereign power to escape his fate. His human heart longed to find some legitimate avenue of escape from the suffering ahead, but when no such path was found, he willingly accepted the cup of sacrifice, demonstrating perfect submission to the Father's will even at the cost of his own life.