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« Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed," My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.

So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer! »

From this episode in Jesus’ life, two facts can be noted: Jesus’ anguish and sadness at the coming of the supreme hour of his sacrifice and the apostles’ strong sleepiness so that they could not even manage to keep watch with the Teacher for one hour.

From a comparative study of the Gospels, we learn that Jesus commonly went with his disciples to the Mount of Olives in order to pray and spend the night. In fact, when the Passover Feast was finished and some hymns were sung, according to the Jewish liturgy, Jesus sets off with his followers towards the Mount of Olives, leaving Jerusalem and crossing the river Cedron , which is to the east of the city. Now, things start to speed up. Jesus’ capture by the Jewish leaders is only hours away. Jesus knows that the mission for which he came to this earth is about to be fulfilled. During the Passover Feast, he briefly indicates the betrayal of Judas. But his divine nature still keeps him in control of the situation. In fact, he finds the correct words in order to leave his disciples, and by distributing the bread and wine, he indicates in these two elements the tangible signs of his body which would be sacrificed on the cross and of his blood which would be scattered for the sins of the world.

Moments of divine inspiration alternate with moments of sadness. In front of his eyes, Jesus has the clearest vision what will soon happen. His capture and his death on the cross are therefore not unexpected events that suddenly put an end to his earthly career as a prophet and teacher. It is rather the exultant conclusion of the Messiah’s works.

The sentence « This very night you will all fall away on account of me » that he directs at his disciples on the walk to the Mount of Olives is immediately followed by encouraging and hopeful words for himself and his followers: « But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee »

Gradually as they draw near to their destination, Jesus’ human nature begins to get the upper hand. It isn’t by chance that he chose, for these last few hours of waiting, the Garden of Olives, a familiar place where he commonly went with his disciples to pray. In order to understand the state of Jesus’ soul in these moments, we must not forget that he, being the Son of God, was at the same time, a man like us with our same fear, our weaknesses, and with all of the temptations that each of us are subjected to. Moreover, he couldn’t be any differently. His fears, his weaknesses, and his sufferings had to have been real since only by fully participating in their same human nature, could he truly understand and help man for whom he came to this earth to die. (Hebrews 2: 14-18)

Having arrived at the place where he often spent the night with his disciples, Jesus goes far away from them in order to pray and is accompanied only by his three favourites: Peter, James, and John. They, on various occasions and in the most crucial moments, are always found next to their Teacher. It is, in fact, them who go with Jesus to the Mount of the Transfiguration where, blazing with light, they see him talking with Moses and Elijah about the way he would end his mission in Jerusalem and therefore, about his death on a cross as a necessary part in order to be glorified. It is truly remarkable how these three apostles, after having attended such an exultant manifestation of glory in which the divine nature of Jesus was evident, must now be witnesses of a completely different scene in which the human nature of their Teacher is about to be revealed in all of its harshness.

A terrible anguish and a mortal sadness begin to grip Jesus’ heart so that in seeking comfort in his three disciples, he goes to them with these words: « Stay here and keep watch with me ». However, not finding comfort in their company, he, in his unlimited anguish, seeks to be alone to pray. Making an enormous effort, with a livid face, shaky knees, and arms in search of support, he goes forward and finally throws himself down with his face on the ground in order to pray. This is not the usual way for the Jews to pray. Usually, they remain standing, but this is the collapse of he who couldn’t control himself any more standing up and wanted to pray prostrate on the ground. The words that leave his mouth are not of a calm and subdued prayer like other occasions, but it is a desperate shout of pain that escapes from the heart : « My Father, if it’s possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will».

The cup was a metaphorical expression used in the rabbinical writings, in order to designate an allotted destiny to someone. The destiny here that was foreseen by Jesus is the supreme test towards which the Messiah had to pass in order to complete humanity’s redemption. This little piece of grain ( Jesus), fallen to the earth, had to come undone and die in order to make the blossoming of a new life possible.

There is a great difference between the mood of a few days earlier and this night at Gethsamene. At that time, Jesus, at the temple, had readily and strongly repelled every uncertainty while facing the supreme test that had awaited him (John 12:23-28). In that situation, Jesus immediately reacted to his fleeting anxiety saying that he couldn’t avoid his principle mission for which he came to this earth.

On the other side, this night, only a few minutes away from the test, he is not only hesitant but explicitly asks the Father that he would be spared from this test; nevertheless, the prayer is conditional to the approval to the Father and the will of man is subordinate to the will of God.

But in this moment, Jesus seems to actually be a human. He is a scared man, such as is clearly described in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 14:33) when he goes to the Father in prayer with the pang of he who finds himself in extreme need. At the same time, however, he doesn’t avoid his fate or rebel in front of the inevitability of the test, but submits obediently to God’s will. « During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek » ( Hebrews 5:7-10).

When moments of crisis and depression occur in our lives, when we must face some kind of rather difficult and painful trial, when we can’t manage to catch a glimpse of escape from our discouragement, our first reaction is usually a feeling of rebellion against our bad luck. Very rarely do our thoughts go to the Father in prayer to unload our burdens upon him. The few times that we do, our attitude is never of humble submission and of faith in the will of God. He sees his will for our lives far away from our human miseries and that he can resolve our problems - many times in a different way than what we think.

In fact, we often forget to give ourselves over to the will of God, which always and only works out in every case for our good. On the contrary, Jesus teaches us to pray also and above all in the difficult moments of our life, to have faith in God, and to always be humble to his will because only he can give us the strength and the courage to victoriously face every situation, including the nastiest and the most difficult.

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The other thing that happens in this episode is the behavior of the three favored disciples. Jesus had asked them to stay awake to comfort him and to show a certain solidarity in this particularly difficult moment for him. However, when he returns, he finds all three of them asleep, including Peter who had expressed his extreme affection and faithfulness to his Teacher just a short while before. « Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will » ( Matthew 26:33) «Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you » (Matthew 26:35) The words that Jesus uses with Peter are both a reprimand and an exhortation: « Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation ».

Three times Jesus returns to this three disciples and every time he finds them asleep. In this way, the Son of Man sets off to face the supreme trial for which he came to this earth. Between the general indifference and the deep sleepiness of his disciples, they couldn’t manage to comprehend and therefore participate in Jesus’ agony, suffering, and internal struggle that he had to face in that tragic hour. It certainly wasn’t for his sins, but for those of the entire world.

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Even today, unfortunately, the situation that appears in front of our eyes is rather similar. Jesus seems to be forgotten by everyone; his sufferings and his redeeming sacrifice are ignored by a great part of humanity that places its trust for its own salvation only in material things, their businesses, and work.

It was great and easy to stay with Jesus when he was talking and doing miraculous things, healing the sick, and feeding the people. But now, in this difficult moment, where are the crowds that acclaimed him while he was triumphantly entering Jerusalem? Where are those who crowded next to him during the Sermon on the Mount or at the multiplication of the Bread and Fish? What were his most intimate disciples doing, that only hours before they had passionately declared their absolute fidelity?

Many centuries have passed since that tragic hour, but the scene still repeats itself. Even today, Jesus is completely alone in his suffering, ignored by an indifferent world that seems to not appreciate the value of the spirit, abandoned even by believers that have lost the only true Way indicated by Jesus in order to follow their own way. This way is very often sprinkled with subtle doctrinal discussions that only create divisions and sects. Their consciences are falling asleep and they distract attention from the really important things, that like the apostle Paul says, are peace, justice, and mercy.

Jesus’ exhortation to «stay awake and pray » does not only apply to Peter, James, and John, but are also directed at us all that live many centuries after this event because, like then and even today, «the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak »

We are full of great excitement and great zeal when everything is going well. We feel grateful only when we see the congregation grow, not only spiritually, but also numerically. But, be careful! The real faith is only seen in difficult moments of trials, when everything around us seems to be going badly. It’s right in this moment that we must really have faith in Christ’s final victory.

The disciples believed and had faith in Jesus when he was working in a powerful and sensational way doing miracles and various wonders, but they didn’t acknowledge him anymore when they saw him full of agony, exhausted and scared. They preferred to take refuge in their sleep just to avoid such a humble vision of their Teacher. In their human weakness, they couldn’t manage to comprehend that Jesus had to pass this humiliation in order to be glorified by God.

Like this, we are attracted to the exterior because of our human nature and would like to see a great and glorious church on this earth, and we don’t understand that his glory could only be for the future. For now, he must endure so many internal struggles and must pass difficult moments in which many non-believers will draw themselves away from the faith. However, whoever who will remain awake and know to grasp the deep meaning of God’s word will be glorified with him at the end into the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. (Revelation 21:10)

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