Mark 14:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

NIV: Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.

NASB: And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by.

CSB: He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

NLT: He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by.

KJV: And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

NKJV: He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.

"Hour" is from the Greek root word hora. Just as in English, this can mean one-twelfth of the period of daylight—i.e., sixty minutes—but in general means a fixed length of time. In this case, it is from the moment Judas betrays Jesus to the moment Jesus dies. As Judas arrives with his crowd, Jesus says, "…the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners" (Mark 14:41).

We don't know what time Jesus takes the disciples to the garden of Gethsemane or when He is arrested. Some think the rooster crowing during Peter's denials (Mark 14:66–72) refers to the time period called the "cock-crowing" which is between midnight and 3:00 a.m., which would put Jesus with the Sanhedrin around this time. We know that the Jewish leaders take Him to Pilate in the morning (Matthew 27:1) and Jesus dies around three o'clock in the afternoon, or Luke 23:44's "ninth hour". So the trials, torture, and crucifixion last between twelve and fifteen hours. Immediately upon His death, He will return to heaven (Luke 23:43).

This short time period has led many to wonder why Jesus is so distraught. The suffering He goes through is horrible, but many people lingered on their crosses for days. And Jesus has much to look forward to, including heaven, a glorified body, and the right to offer salvation to the world.

Such a question minimizes the incredible pain Jesus endures before and on the cross. But much more, it minimizes the agony He feels bearing the weight of sin and watching His Father turn away from Him. The Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit—exists in perfect unity and love. Despite taking on humanity, Jesus still lives in this relationship. Sometime between the prayer on Gethsemane and His death, that bond is broken.

As humans, we are born without this bond. When we accept Christ's sacrifice for our sins and receive the Holy Spirit, we get a glimpse of the love God feels for us, but we are still unable to fully understand or take advantage of our relationship with Him. We must consider, however: if Jesus, who would bear this separation for half a day, is on the edge of death just anticipating it (Mark 14:34), why do we take our relationship with God so lightly? And what does this mean for the people who will be separated from God for eternity?

Jesus is not overreacting to His circumstances. He knows the glory His sacrifice on the cross will bring. But that knowledge doesn't make it easy.

Mark 14:32–42 contains Jesus' wait in the garden of Gethsemane. This describes Jesus' example and the disciples' catastrophic failure to follow the general theme of Jesus' admonition in Mark 13:32–37. Jesus watches how God moves and prays for His part in it. The disciples sleep. Three times, their Master finds them unconscious, both physically and spiritually (Mark 13:35–36). They do not take the time, as Jesus does, to prepare for the hardships in front of them. They so expect Jesus' victory over the Roman occupiers they don't prepare for His spiritual war on the cross. This story is also in Matthew 26:36–46 and Luke 22:39–46.

Jesus is anointed in a symbolic anticipation of His death. Judas decides to secretly cooperate with local religious leaders to arrest Jesus in secret. During the Passover meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal by Judas, and Peter's denial. He also institutes the Lord's Supper, also known as communion. After praying on the Mount of Olives, Jesus is captured when Judas identifies Him to a hostile mob sent by Jewish authorities. He endures a corrupt, prejudiced trial, ending in a conviction for blasphemy. Peter, fearing for his life, lies about knowing Jesus, before remembering Jesus' prediction and breaking down in sobs.

Jesus has finished His public teaching ministry and now prepares for the crucifixion. His sacrificial loyalty will provide the means by which the disciples' abandonment will be forgiven. Next, the Romans, as representatives of Gentiles throughout history, will join the Jews and kill Jesus. Jesus will be buried, but He will rise again with the promise that His sacrifice will redeem the world. Matthew 26 and Luke 22 follow Mark 14 more closely while John 13:1—18:27 records more of Jesus' teaching in the upper room.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.