Jesus Prayed

Mark 14:32-35 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.
 
JESUS’ extreme grief is his impending separation from the Father and the Spirit. The Holy Trinity was to be briefly divided to mend sin’s division. Perhaps it is easy to say, “His separation was only for three days.” But that view erases the truth of Jesus’ grievous emotional experience in Gethsemane.
   Consider the Holy Trinity is the eternal, self-existent God. The mystery of God, three-in-one is a reality we scarcely comprehend. As Jesus is separated from the Trinity, even if it is a blip in eternity, the Trinity will experience a deep grief surpassing all knowledge. You can’t imagine, can you, how grief-stricken you would be if you had to kill your child to save a criminal’s life, even if it were just for an instant knowing he would come back to life. You couldn’t do it. You would consider no cause worthwhile to make you to do such a horrible thing.
   Yes, this is not Jesus going away for a weekend to return to work on Sunday morning. The Father is about to kill the Son. The Holy Trinity’s deep grief shows forth in Jesus’ mournful heart.
   How does Jesus, fully man, fully God, cope with this grief? He prays. John 17 tells us he had prayed earlier that evening, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:5) He knows he will soon be in heaven. Was more prayer necessary?
   Yes, prayer was very necessary. God was about to make his Son, who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) We cannot imagine the spiritual pain in Jesus’ heart as he anticipated he would be crushed for our sins (Isaiah 53:5b) The Son needed the Father’s comfort and the Spirit’s life-giving power to encounter the next few hours. His incarnation would end in betrayal, denial and death.
      In our dark moments, Jesus is your example to pray that the trials will not crush you. As you are saved in Jesus, remember God is your Father in heaven who promises that by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5c) As Christians, we follow Christ. Follow him into the prayer room. Then trust his response.