The stage has been set, the lights have dimmed. The players have taken their places and learned their lines. All the blocking is complete and the production of Jesus’ crucifixion is ready to begin. From Chapter 14 verse 12 the action is nearly non-stop leading to the betrayal, arrest, trial, conviction, sentencing and execution of our Lord. But before He goes to the cross, Jesus wants one last time with his men—to comfort them and warn them of betrayal both within their group and within themselves.
12 – 16
There is some confusion over whether this was Wednesday or Thursday of Passion Week. Matthew, Mark, and Luke seem to indicate it was Thursday—official Passover. John suggests that it was Wednesday (John 18:28). Passover was followed by a weeklong “Feast of Unleavened Bread.” Suffice it to say that either the Last Supper was on Wednesday, a day early, so Jesus could be killed on Thursday, actual Passover, or it was on Thursday evening. Passover technically would go from sundown Thursday (6:00pm) to sundown Friday so even if Jesus was crucified on Friday, it would still be technically Passover. Also—though the Passover lamb was slain on Thursday evening, it wasn’t until after midnight (so Friday morning) in the Exodus account, that the payment was applied (ie: the angel “passed over” the houses of the Israelis because they had applied the blood of the lamb), saving the firstborn Israelis (Exodus 12:29).
Luke 22:8 tells us that Jesus sent Peter and John on this errand. Mark adds the detail about how they were to find the spot He had arranged for the Passover meal. Why all of the cloak and dagger? Jesus knew there was a price on His head and was very careful to arrange just when and where He would be arrested. So he keeps the location a secret from everyone including his men. Peter and John would not know the location until they were on their way so there could be no leaks.
Why would they have known who to follow? Because it was women, not men, who normally carried the water jugs, so this guy would have stood out. It must have been a pre-arranged signal—the owner of the house sending a male servant on purpose. Since the boys also had to go to the market to buy the unleavened bread, bitter herbs, wine, and other items for the ceremonial meal—even someone following them would not know where they were headed as they wound their way through the streets and busy marketplaces.
17 – 21
This account of the Last Supper is abbreviated compared with other gospels. Mark is laser-focused on Jesus’ mission and so concentrates on the fact that Jesus identifies his betrayer. What we miss is the foot washing (John 13:5-12), the final comforting words (John 14:1-16:30), and the high priestly prayer (John 17:1-26).
The Seder feast was arranged around the drinking of four cups of wine—all from Exodus 6:6-7. The four cups were: 1) "I will bring you out"; (2) "I will rid you of bondage"; (3) "I will redeem you"; and (4) "I will take you for my people, and I will be your God."
After the first cup is when they would have dipped the bread in the herbs. In John’s account we also see how Jesus identified Judas to John by giving him a piece of bread dipped in the bitter herbs (John 13:26). We also find out from John that after this event, Judas leaves, allowing Jesus to institute the Lord’s Supper to those who remained.
22 – 25
Jesus took the unleavened bread, broke it and gave it to the disciples. It gave the traditional passing of bread a new meaning. Jesus was using the bread as a symbol for what He was about to do—be broken for their wholeness. Then Jesus took the third cup (“I will redeem you”) and made it so much more meaningful. I’m sure the real meaning was lost on the disciples but Jesus will shortly shed His blood to establish a new covenant between God and man—an everlasting covenant. Normally He would have taken the fourth cup: "I will take you for my people, and I will be your God." But Jesus will wait until He returns for the conclusion of this meal—a celebration we will get to participate in. Why is it “in a new way”? Because we will not celebrate the Passover from Egypt anymore so much as the Passover from death for the human race!
27 – 28
So they have left Jerusalem and are making their way to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives and Jesus makes a startling statement—quoting Zechariah 13:7 and then comforting them that He is going to meet them back home. I’m pretty sure the “resurrected” part didn’t compute—they focused on the “run away” part—especially Peter.
29 – 31
Peter was always so self-assured, but he is going to experience a big failure. Had Jesus not told him in advance things might have turned out differently. Though Peter wept bitterly (as we’ll see later in this chapter) he still stood before the Lord on Resurrection Sunday. He may have felt like a failure but he still belonged to Jesus. And you know, even when we fail the Lord (and we will) He will never fail us!
32 – 34
The Garden of Gethsemane (means: “olive press”) was in the Kidron Valley at the base of the Mount of Olives and was probably a grove of olive trees and a press for processing the olives. Eight of His men He told to wait at the entrance while His inner circle came in with Him. Here, unlike anywhere else in the life of Jesus, He let the emotion of what He was about to do become visible to His men. You might say Jesus was “flooded” with emotion. We are mistaken if we think Jesus was just this stoic man who never felt anything. Here, as the cross looms large, in the last moments of freedom, Jesus is “deeply distressed” and “horrified.” The King James says “to become sore afraid and very heavy.” “Horrified” comes from a word that means to be utterly astonished. To be deeply distressed comes from a word that means “to be sated with loathing.”
Going to the cross was no small thing, even for the Messiah. He would be cut off from the Father for the first and only time. He would bear all the sins ever committed and pay the penalty for them. Jesus knew it was going to happen—wanted it to happen, and knew what it would accomplish, but in His humanity it weighed heavily.
It was so bad that Jesus said He was “to the point of death.” It’s like He was saying “this is killing me!” Though He would face the cross alone, in His final moments He wanted the company of those humans He had gathered closest to Him. He asked them one thing—“stay awake.” But even in that, the frailty of the human body overcame the willingness of the spirit.
35 – 36
It feels like this part of Jesus’ life was the most difficult—second only to the cross itself. He falls on the ground—a sign of throwing Himself on God. From a surface reading you almost get the impression that Jesus was trying to get out of going to the cross. That’s not what’s happening here. In fact, Satan gave Him that out in Matthew 4:9. To get back His world and its people, all He had to do was worship Satan. No, look at what we see here:
Jesus didn’t want to go to the cross “if it were possible” to redeem humanity any other way
With God, “all things are possible” so if there was another way, the Father could find it
So He submitted to the Father in this
This tells us that there was no other way.
37 – 40
The fact that He did this three times signals that it was a sure thing (like “Holy Holy Holy” signifies that God is completely utterly holy). It also shows us the utter weakness of man to do anything God asks. Jesus is not condemning the disciples. It had no doubt been a long day and long night and they’d had consumed some alcohol. Besides, everyone knows that the world’s best sleep agent is prayer (though it shouldn’t be).
Jesus wants these men to do three things: remain alert, pray, and resist temptation. We would do well to heed this command as well, for like these three, many temptations to walk away from trusting Jesus will come into our lives. During tough times when trusting Jesus may mean personal turmoil or difficulty, the temptation is to do what is in our own best self-interest (like self-preservation). But many times the best way is not the easiest way and God’s way can mean we get hurt in the process. As I’ve often said, we are not promised that we will enter heaven unscathed.
We also need to realize that we cannot do these things on our own. The human body and the human mind are weak, even though our hearts want to follow God wholly. Like Jesus, we need to completely fall on our faces and submit to the Father and ask Him for help, even when we don’t understand what He’s doing.
Even Peter had no answer to Jesus as to why he fell asleep. Finally it was time to become fully awake and face the betrayer, Judas.
42
We don’t know if Jesus knew from the Holy Spirit that the group was near or if He heard them coming, or perhaps saw their torchlights in the darkness. “Sinners” was the word the Jews used for those who did not follow God’s Law, including the Gentiles. Likely He was referring to the religious leaders who went against God’s Law to arrest and condemn Jesus.
Conclusions
How do you prepare for difficult times? Some ideas that come out of this portion of the chapter:
Make times of intimacy with the Lord a regular part of your life (the Last Supper)
Don’t let impending doom move you away from communion and worship with God (they sang hymns and went about their regular business, instead of hiding away shivering in the dark)
When times get dark, get lower and look higher (Jesus fell on His face and threw Himself on God’s will)
Remain alert, remain in prayer, remain watchful for the enemy’s traps
Know that betrayals and troubles will come but that with God all things are possible. Sometimes, though, the only way out is going through the trial, not around it.
So how did Jesus survive the cross? It was because He looked beyond it:
Hebrews 12:2 Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne.
Jesus looked to what the cross would bring—the joy of an eternal relationship with you. So too, when you face difficulty that seems too big to bear—look beyond to the joy of God bringing you through.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
