November 7, 2025

In the Garden

Mark 14:26-42

This portion begins with mention of singing a hymn.  Traditionally, this would have been the last of six psalms sung as part of the Passover observance.  Psalms 113-114 would have been sung before the Passover meal, and Psalms 115-118 would have been sung afterwards. 

The night then takes Jesus and the disciples to the Mount of Olives.  It is here that Jesus tells the disciples that they will all desert him that night.  Peter is the most vocal in denying that he would do such a thing.  And no doubt Peter believed what he was saying.  As indeed surely the others did too, for they all said the same thing as Peter.

Jesus leads them to Gethsemane, and tells them to wait at a certain spot while he goes to pray.  Jesus first takes his inner circle of Peter, James and John with him, and leaves the other eight to wait by themselves.  Remember, Judas is not with them at this point.  Then Jesus leaves even those three, and goes off by himself, telling them to keep awake.  Staying awake likely served two purposes, the first being that Jesus wouldn’t feel so alone, and the second being that they could watch out for any trouble, which Jesus likely expected that night.

Jesus prays an anguished prayer.  One could ask how we know what he said, considering that he was alone.  My guess is that after the Resurrection, when he spent many days with the disciples, that he shared with them some of the intimate details such as the content of his prayer.

When Jesus returns to the three, he finds them sleeping, encourages them to stay awake, and then repeats this whole sequence twice more, praying the same words, finding them sleeping each time.

And then, perhaps seeing the inevitable, prepares them to meet the crowd that has come to arrest him.