Failure in the Garden: Were these really the right ones for the job?

By Dean Collins

In Good to Great Jim Collins discussed getting the right people in the right seats on the bus. His approach has led thousands of businesses and organizations to focus on what he called “First Who, Then What.”  If we have the right people of character and cultural fit, then we figure out where to place them in the organization.  If we first focus too heavily on a particular skill, education, or talent, we will continue to find ourselves struggling to build a great team.

I was thinking about this as I read Mark’s description of the evening Jesus and his disciples were in the Garden of Gethsemane.  My first thought was a bit silly: Jesus did not do a very good job building his prayer team! And if you have ever tried to build a prayer ministry, you know how hard you must work to get people to pray regularly.

One of the first things I did when I became a college president was to start a weekly morning prayer time. I was confident that at a Christian college, everyone would show up to pray! But I soon found out that setting a time and a place for prayer does not mean people will show up. The first attempt started with maybe nine or ten and was down to two or three within a couple of weeks.

Failing to pray

Even though he asked all the disciples to pray, Jesus chose just three to go with him to the spot where he would pour out his heart to his Father. He already knew the larger group wouldn’t make it for this prayer ministry. I will say my prayer group did a little better than Jesus, because to the best of my knowledge, no one ever fell asleep during our prayer time!

If we move past humor we can come up with a few reasons why Peter, James, and John failed in this hour of need. They had just finished a big meal together. They probably had a few goblets of wine. It was late. Their recent pace of activity had been busy and very stressful. They walked everywhere, so add fatigue to the mix. And it was dark. This prayer event didn’t have soft pillows or prayer benches. There wasn’t soft or loud praise music in the background. It wasn’t a climate-controlled space.

Add to all of this that their Rabbi and teacher had just told them he was going away, and they had experienced the recent and growing hostility from the religious leaders. When they got to the garden, Jesus asked the disciples to sit and pray. Then to Peter, James, and John, he said, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.” If your spiritual leader, boss, or mentor said that to you or me, I would like to think we would rally to help.  But as was the case in this passage, there is always so much more going on than we can see.

Battling Satan

I assume we believe that one of the things always going on in the background is spiritual warfare. The apostle Paul told us this, challenging us to prepare for spiritual battles: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” ( Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭). No doubt there was spiritual warfare going on in and around the Garden of Gethsemane. The disciples were not equipped for this warfare. The intensity of these moments took their toll on Jesus in his human state.

Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

We don’t know all that Jesus said during his prayers that evening. All four Gospel writers gave us a view of this experience, but they didn’t record all the words Jesus prayed. His agony is present in these accounts. His sorrowful heart and mind are described. His position on the ground is repeated. His acknowledgment of his dear Father is heard along with his confidence that God can do anything, even all things, to remove this cup. Yet Jesus remained submitted to his Father’s plan and not to his own, regardless of the pain and the price of the horrific moments ahead of him.

Getting the Who right

He asked his three closest disciples to watch, even just one hour. They all failed. He told them the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, and they proved him right. If Jim Collins was correct about getting the Who first, we might question whether Jesus picked the right team. Not only did they fail here, but again and again before this they had misunderstood the things Jesus taught and did  They don’t appear to be in the right seats on the bus, either. Doesn’t it seem like you need to get the basics of prayer right if you are to be successful in ministry and life?

But we know the rest of the story. And Jesus knew his disciples far better than we do. He allowed their struggle with faith and their failures with prayer. He predicted they would disappear after his resurrection. He knew they needed to go through all of their questions and doubts. And based on what we know from the life of these disciples, soon to be the very apostles who would be filled with the Holy Spirit, preach on Pentecost, and birth the church we all have become a part of, Jesus did get the Who right. These human and often weak disciples would change the world forever through the power of God’s Spirit in them.

Who will we follow?

It is always about the Who before the What.  Our first job is to determine the Who concerning our followership.  Will we follow self or will we follow Jesus? Who will be the first and Lord of our lives? The What for us is to accept and assume our role as part of God’s chosen people and royal family. We are called a “royal priesthood” in 1 Peter 2:9 by one of the three who couldn’t keep his eyes open for one hour of prayer but later stepped up to lead the church.

It seems that Jesus is confident that we are the right “Who.”  He is also confident that even though we will struggle with temptation, doubts, fear, and suffering of various kinds, we can be faithful and effective ambassadors of his love. And now with the Holy Spirit, our helper and advocate, living in us, we can even be people of effective prayer.

Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for our sins. Thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for calling us into paths of discipleship. Thank you for giving us a helper in the Holy Spirit. Thank you for trusting us to be your ambassadors.  We pray your prayer today; Not our will, but yours be done. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your time with God’s Word
Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭32‬-‭42‬‬‬; 1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by pisauikan on Unsplash

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