Approaching Easter 2010 ~ The Betrayal

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.
"Abba Father" he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
Mark 14 32-42

In this reading we see some of the really human aspects of Jesus. He becomes deeply distressed and troubled. He wants his friends Peter, James and John with him and then wants to be alone. He leaves them and goes to be alone and hear we hear his human and yet godly prayer."Abba Father" meaning My daddy, "Everything is possible for you, Take this cup from me" To face death in the cruel and hideous manner is almost too much for him to bear. "Yet not what I will but what you will" He knows that it is the path God has chosen for his people.
He then returns to his friends and finds them sleeping. He wakes them and tells them to pray before leaving them again and going off to pray the same prayer. His disciples don't know what to say to Jesus. How often does this happen to us when we face a friends difficulty. We want to offer words of peace and assistance, but often they are not the words a friend wants to hear, so we say nothing.Jesus goes again to pray and on returning he finds his friends asleep and wakes them. Knowing that things are now on track for his death, That God has said NO to his request, he looks to where soldiers are approaching him with his friend Judas.