Mark 14:32-36
Gethsemane is one of those fun names to have preschoolers say in Kid’s Church. It’s cute to hear their tiny voices attempt such a big word. It’s important for them, and all Christians, to know this place because it’s where some big stuff went down.
Amid olive trees, Jesus prayed and laid out his heart, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow” (v. 34) -a powerful image. Christ is deeply distressed and troubled. His friends are with him, but they are of little comfort. He asks them to keep watch, but they fall asleep and miss it.
God doesn’t miss it. He sees Jesus, just as He sees each of us. When we too are deeply distressed and troubled, He sees us down on our knees begging for mercy, love, guidance, hope, peace.
The key to what happened at Gethsemane is that Jesus ended his prayer with “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (v. 36). Man, that’s tough to say. “Not what I want, but what you want.” I mean, I’ve said it, but did I really mean it? Jesus REALLY meant it. It wasn’t his desire to be nailed to a cross, but he knew God’s plan and that He was the one to fulfill it.
Maybe that’s why it’s hard for many of us to follow Jesus in that way. We don’t know God’s will for us. We feel scared and alone, even when we have others by our side. Jesus knew he wasn’t alone. Do we know that? Do we stop at the garden before the crisis and ask God about his plan for our lives? Spending time in relationship with Him will help us understand where He’s coming from and where this is all headed. And even if we don’t understand, may He give us the courage to let go of what we want and trust in His will.
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