Church Fathers Commentary Mark 14:32-42

"And they come unto a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled. And he saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death: abide ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me: howbeit not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they knew not what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough; the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going: behold, he that betrayeth me is at hand." — Mark 14:32-42 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: After the Lord had foretold the offense of His disciples, the Evangelist gives an account of His prayer, in which He is believed to have prayed for them. First, describing the place of prayer, he says, "And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane."

The Venerable Bede: The place Gethsemane, where the Lord prayed, is shown to this day at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The meaning of Gethsemane is "the valley of richness" or "of fatness." When our Lord prays on a mountain, He teaches us that when we pray, we should ask for lofty things. But by praying in the valley of richness, He implies that in our prayer, humility and the richness of interior love must be maintained. Through the valley of humility and the richness of charity, He also underwent death for us.

Pseudo-Jerome: In the valley of richness, the fat bulls also beset Him. It follows, "And He saith to His disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray." Those who are separated from Him in His Passion are also separated from Him in prayer; for He prays while they sleep, overcome by the sloth of their hearts.

Theophylact of Ohrid: It was also His custom always to pray by Himself in order to give us an example to seek silence and solitude in our prayers. It follows: "And He taketh with Him Peter, and James and John." He takes only those who had been witnesses of His glory on Mount Tabor, so that those who had seen His glory might also see His sufferings and learn that He is truly man, in that He is sorrowful.

For this reason, it follows: "And began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy." For since He had taken on Himself the whole of human nature, He also took on the natural human experiences of amazement, heaviness, and sorrow, for people are naturally unwilling to die.

Therefore, it continues: "And He saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death."

The Venerable Bede: As God dwelling in the body, He shows the frailty of the flesh, so that the blasphemy of those who deny the Mystery of His Incarnation might find no place. For having taken up a body, He necessarily also took up all that belongs to the body: hunger, thirst, pain, and grief, for the Godhead cannot suffer the changes of these emotions.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But some have understood this as if He had said, "I am sorrowful not because I am to die, but because the Jews, My countrymen, are about to crucify Me and will thereby be shut out from the kingdom of God."

Pseudo-Jerome: By this we are also taught to fear and be sorrowful before the judgment of death, for it is not by our own power, but by His alone, that we can say, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30).

It follows: "Tarry ye here, and watch."

The Venerable Bede: By the sleep He forbids, He does not mean natural sleep—for the time of approaching danger did not allow for it—but rather the sleep of unfaithfulness and the lethargy of the mind. But going forward a little, He falls on His face and shows His lowliness of mind by the posture of His body.

Therefore, it follows: "And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him."

St. Augustine of Hippo: He did not say, "if He could do it," but "if it could be done," for whatever He wills is possible. We must therefore understand "if it were possible" to mean "if He is willing." And lest anyone should suppose that He diminished His Father's power, He shows in what sense the words are to be understood, for it follows: "And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee." ¹

By this, He sufficiently shows that the words "if it were possible" must be understood not of any impossibility, but of His Father's will. Regarding what Mark relates—that He said not only "Father" but "Abba, Father"—"Abba" is the Hebrew word for "Father." Perhaps the Lord said both words because of some sacrament contained in them, wishing to show that He had taken this sorrow upon Himself in the person of His body, the Church. He is the chief cornerstone of this Church, which is drawn to Him partly from the Hebrews (represented by the word "Abba") and partly from the Gentiles (to whom "Father" belongs).

The Venerable Bede: But He prays that the cup might pass away to show that He is truly man, which is why He adds, "Take away this cup from Me." But remembering why He was sent, He fulfills the divine plan for which He was sent and cries out, "but not what I will, but what Thou wilt." It is as if He had said, "If death can be overcome without My dying in the flesh, let this cup pass away; but since this cannot happen otherwise, 'not what I will, but what Thou wilt.'"

Many are still sad at the prospect of death. Let them keep their hearts right and avoid death as much as they can, but if they cannot, then let them say what the Lord said on our behalf.

Pseudo-Jerome: By this, He also teaches us unceasingly to obey our fathers and to prefer their will to ours. It follows: "And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping." For as they were asleep in mind, so also were they in body.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But after His prayer, the Lord came and, seeing His disciples sleeping, rebuked Peter alone. Therefore, it continues: "And saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch with me one hour?" It is as if He said, "If you could not watch one hour with Me, how will you be able to despise death, you who promise to die with Me?"

It continues: "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation," that is, the temptation of denying Me.

The Venerable Bede: He does not say, "Pray that you may not be tempted"—because it is impossible for the human mind not to be tempted—but rather, "that ye enter not into temptation," that is, so that temptation may not conquer you.

Pseudo-Jerome: But a person is said to enter into temptation who neglects to pray.

It follows: "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Theophylact of Ohrid: It is as if He had said, "Your spirit is indeed ready not to deny Me, and for this reason you make promises; but your flesh is weak, because unless God gives power to your flesh through prayer, you will enter into temptation."

The Venerable Bede: He here rebukes the rash, who think they can accomplish whatever they feel confident about. But in proportion as we are confident because of the ardor of our minds, so should we fear because of the weakness of our flesh. For this passage argues against those who say that there was only one operation and one will in the Lord. For He shows two wills: one human, which shrinks from suffering because of the weakness of the flesh; and one divine, which is most ready.

It continues: "And again He went away and prayed, and spake the same words."

Theophylact of Ohrid: By His second prayer, He might show Himself to be truly man. It continues: "And when He returned, He found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer Him." He, however, did not rebuke them severely. By this, learn the weakness of humanity, and let us, who can be overcome even by sleep, not promise things that are impossible for us. Therefore, He goes away a third time to offer the same prayer as before.

For this reason, it continues: "And He cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest." He is not harsh with them, even though they had done worse after His rebuke. Instead, He speaks to them ironically, because He knew that the betrayer was now close at hand. That He spoke ironically is evident from what is added: "It is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." He says this, mocking their sleep, as if to say, "Now is a fine time for sleep, when the traitor is approaching!"

Then He says, "Arise, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth Me is at hand."

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, since it is said that after He spoke the words, "Sleep on now, and take your rest," He added, "It is enough," and then, "the hour is come; behold, the Son of Man is betrayed," we must understand the sequence this way: after saying, "Sleep on now, and take your rest," our Lord remained silent for a short time.

This pause allowed time for what He had permitted to happen. Then He added, "the hour is come." He therefore inserts the phrase "it is enough" in between, meaning, "Your rest has been long enough."

Pseudo-Jerome: The threefold sleep of the disciples points to the three dead whom our Lord raised up: the first, in a house; the second, at the entrance of the tomb; and the third, from the tomb itself. And the threefold watch of the Lord teaches us in our prayers to ask for the pardon of past, present, and future sins.

1. de Con. iii, iv