14:38
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation”. We need to keep alert, and we need to pray, this helps us to avoid temptation. In 1 Pet 1:13 Peter urges us to be fully alert, he knew from bitter experience the cost of failing to do so. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. The disciples, Peter in particular, genuinely wanted to be committed to Jesus. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. In Romans 8 Paul tells us that if we live by the flesh we cannot please God. Our human strength is insufficient to enable us to live godly lives. We need the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
14:39,40
Jesus went away again to pray the same thing. He had not yet received an answer, or strength , from His first round of praying. Sometimes we need to pray the same thing repeatedly. After He had finished He returned, and once again the disciples were sleeping. This was because their eyes were heavy. The events of the past few days had been emotionally exhausting. Yet they were ashamed at their failure, and did not know what to say to Jesus.
14:41,42
Jesus went away to pray for a third time. Once again He returned to find the disciples sleeping yet again. “Enough!” It seems that Jesus was now settled in His mind. He knew that there was no other way, the cross was the only way, and He was going to receive no help from the disciples. “The hour has come”. He knew He was about to be arrested, and then the “trial” and sentence would all commence. The Son of Man would be delivered into the hands of sinners. “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” In the words of Isaiah 50:7 Jesus had now set His face like flint. There was no deterring Him from the path God had chosen for Him.
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