
This writing focuses on the scene of Jesus praying in Gethsemane, recorded in Mark 14:32–42, and explores in depth the meaning of “walking with Christ,” a theme Pastor David Jang has consistently emphasized. By reflecting on the core values of faith as revealed in the agony Jesus experienced, the behavior of the disciples, and the solitary prayer in that scene, we will look at the message conveyed to us today, along with the main teachings Pastor David Jang seeks to impart. The discussion flows seamlessly as a single narrative without subdividing into multiple subtopics, guiding us to ponder how the scene of Jesus praying with loud cries and tears in the Garden of Gethsemane connects to each of our lives and what it means to walk as a disciple with Christ.
First, from Mark 14 we learn that Jesus was facing His imminent death on the cross. After sharing the Passover meal with His disciples, He went to the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where He prayed so earnestly that His sweat became like drops of blood. Commonly, the “Mount of Olives” is an area filled with olive trees, and “Gethsemane” is a place name meaning “oil press,” where olives were crushed to extract oil. Pastor David Jang points out that olive oil symbolizes two important things—peace and eternity—while also recalling the tradition of anointing kings with oil in the Old Testament. In Hebrew “Messiah” and in Greek “Christos” both mean “the Anointed One.” Therefore, although Jesus was in Gethsemane as Christ, the anointed King, what we see here is not the disciples anointing Him for His enthronement, but rather Jesus sweating great drops of blood as He prepared for His suffering on the cross. This is a striking and paradoxical contrast in Scripture—He is the One who should have been enthroned as King, yet He is found in deep distress, offering up a pitiable prayer.
Although Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane is recorded as an extremely important passage in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it is notably absent from the Gospel of John. Pastor David Jang explains that this might be because John, starting from chapter 13, already sheds light on Jesus having fully accepted the path of the cross, thereby not focusing on the Gethsemane prayer scene in detail. In John 13, while Jesus was sharing the Last Supper with His disciples, He declared that He had now been glorified, and He left them with eschatological exhortations and a farewell discourse. In other words, even before the suffering of the cross began, Jesus already proclaimed that path as “glory,” signifying His resolute determination. According to Pastor David Jang, “The Lord chose the way of the Christ even before Golgotha. John likely omitted Gethsemane’s prayer to emphasize Jesus’ regal majesty, completely embracing the Father’s will with no trace of wavering.”
Yet the Gethsemane prayer described in the Synoptic Gospels shows us Jesus’ “human struggle” and “intense lament.” In Mark 14:33–34, Jesus says, “He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.’” Hebrews 5:7 testifies, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death.” This shows that Jesus truly became human like us, and at the same time it reveals His noble faith, crying out to God the Father as “Abba, Father” and obeying Him to the very end. Pastor David Jang underscores that “Jesus prayed so earnestly that His sweat became like drops of blood. Within Him we see the raw reality that the path of the cross is so dreadful, and that human trembling and pain were inevitable in walking that path.” Nonetheless, Jesus voluntarily declares, “Yet not what I will, but what You will be done,” demonstrating complete submission to the will of God.
At this point, as Pastor David Jang often stresses, we must not miss the fact that Jesus could have “avoided” bearing the cross. In Jesus’ prayer found in Matthew 26 and Mark 14, He says, “Take this cup from Me.” Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He expresses, in His humanity, the terror and agony of facing death. Yet in the same breath, His prayer continues, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Commenting on this scene, Pastor David Jang says, “Even though we may resolve to follow God’s will in our walk of faith, our will and emotions are weak and we often long to flee in another direction. Jesus also experienced that moment, yet He ultimately held onto the Father’s will and walked it to completion, providing an example for us all.” This is the challenge that all who walk with Christ must face, and at the same time it serves as a truth offering us comfort and hope.
Meanwhile, as Jesus prays in Gethsemane, the disciples are sleeping. Specifically, at the supper table Peter had boasted, “I will not deny You under any circumstances. Even if I must die with You, I will not forsake You.” But Jesus predicted, “Before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times.” Moreover, when they enter Gethsemane, Peter and the other disciples fail to stay awake for even one hour; they simply fall asleep. The Lord says, “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” and urges them to pray so as not to fall into temptation. Pastor David Jang observes, “At this crucial hour for the Lord, in the midst of a decisive spiritual battle, the disciples have no idea what is truly happening. They behave like people out on a leisurely evening stroll, and they fall asleep. This is our own picture as well. Often, at pivotal moments when God is working, we lie down in ignorance, missing it completely.”
Ultimately, when Jesus is arrested, the disciples scatter in confusion. Mark 14:51–52 tells of a young man who followed Him wearing nothing but a linen cloth; when he was seized, he ran away naked, leaving the cloth behind. Traditionally, many interpret this “young man” to be Mark, the author of the Gospel. Pastor David Jang explains, “Because the Last Supper took place in his home, Mark, who was likely asleep, realized what was happening late at night and hurriedly went out to follow Jesus. But in the end, he too was overcome by fear and fled, leaving the cloth behind.” By including such an embarrassing scene about himself so transparently in his Gospel, Mark testifies to how easily human frailty can surface, and also shows that even such frailty can be restored in the love of Jesus. Pastor David Jang calls this “an honest confession of faith,” stating, “Mark frankly confesses his own shame and writes this scene to boast in the grace of the Lord who transformed him. We too must not hide our weaknesses but reveal them, opening the way for God’s power to be manifest.”
Thus, Gethsemane—a place where Jesus, as the One who deserved to be anointed King, instead sweated drops of blood in sorrow—became a tragic location. From this we realize that the cross and resurrection were inevitable before the title “Christ” could be fully embraced and affirmed, that is, before Jesus could truly be confessed and recognized as “the Anointed One.” The disciples were not at all prepared to crown Jesus King, nor were they spiritually and faithfully mature enough to walk His path. Consequently, Jesus had to walk in solitude, culminating in the bloody sweat of Gethsemane and the cross of Calvary. Pastor David Jang notes, “Even at the Last Supper, the disciples received the bread and wine, sang a hymn, and then failed to anticipate the suffering that lay ahead. Even as the blood of the lamb sacrificed at Passover flowed down the Kidron Valley, staining the waters red, they did not clearly grasp the significance of the Lord’s death. The Lord alone crossed that red current and entered Gethsemane, where He soon prayed earnestly until His sweat became like drops of blood.”
In that lonely, desperate moment, Jesus addressed God as “Abba, Father.” This expression combines the Aramaic “Abba” (Dad) with the Greek “Pater” (Father), symbolizing Jesus’ intimate relationship with God the Father and His absolute trust in Him. While ministering in Galilee, Jesus also referred to God as “your Father in heaven,” yet in this valley of suffering He cries out even more urgently and intimately, “Abba, Father.” Pastor David Jang comments, “When we walk the path of faith, one of the greatest temptations is the doubt, ‘Does God really love me?’ Even Jesus, in the depths of extreme suffering, called upon ‘Abba, Father.’ This shows us that, in our own fearful moments, we must put our total trust in the Father.” Ultimately, even when the power of death looms with full force, we must never relinquish our faith in the goodness of God and must be able to confess, “Everything is possible for You.”
Another crucial aspect here is that Jesus’ prayer reveals the essence of prayer as leading to obedience, rather than functioning as a mere “means” to an end. Jesus asked, “If possible, let this cup pass from Me,” yet ultimately concluded, “Not My will, but Yours be done.” On this point, Pastor David Jang emphasizes, “We often try in prayer to ‘change God’s will.’ However, the prayer that Jesus taught is about letting God’s will ‘change me.’ The very essence of prayer displayed in Gethsemane is this: complete submission to the Father, transcending our own wishes and emotions. That is the ultimate aim of genuine prayer.” Hence, Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane serves as a foundational model throughout the ages, empowering Christians everywhere to follow the Lord’s way regardless of circumstance.
But in their human frailty, the disciples could not join this prayer. Peter fell asleep, and so did James and John, all failing to sense the Lord’s urgency. Although Jesus asked, “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” urging them to stay alert and pray that they might not fall into temptation—declaring, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”—they remained in a state of unawareness. Pastor David Jang likens them to the “human face of the church,” saying, “In the world, some believers boast and act fearless. Yet when real crisis strikes, they often fall asleep or flee. It was true in Jesus’ day, and it is the same in our lives today. That is why we must revisit the Gethsemane prayer to recognize our true nature, and rather than displaying foolish self-confidence like Peter, we must kneel before the Father and entrust everything to Him.”
After His third prayer, Jesus says, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come,” willingly accepting His destiny of the cross. Then, as the soldiers arrive to seize Him, the disciples scatter. Pastor David Jang observes, “No matter how strong our resolve and willpower appear, without praying in the Holy Spirit and relying on God’s power, we can easily stumble. Peter boldly declared, ‘Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You,’ yet in reality, he ended up denying Him in the most shameful way. But Jesus already knew Peter would fall and still loved him to the end and brought him back.” This is a hopeful message that even though we may fall and betray the Lord, He grants us the grace of restoration.
Through His prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus embraced the “cup of death” that is humanly impossible to overcome, submitting to the Father’s will; the reality of this submission was then carried out on Calvary’s cross. Pastor David Jang states, “The cross of Jesus is of no use if we remain bystanders or mere onlookers. We must walk that way of the cross with the Lord. That is walking with Christ, and it becomes the gateway to eternal life in Him.” In other words, we too must follow in faith the path of Jesus’ obedience that began in Gethsemane. Though that path appears lonely and tragic, the glory of the resurrection is promised at its end.
Regarding John’s omission of the Gethsemane prayer, Pastor David Jang reiterates, “John may have deliberately left out Jesus’ human agony to underscore Jesus’ declaration in John 13 that the cross was already His glory.” The Gospel of John accentuates Jesus’ “regal” majesty through the farewell prayer in chapter 17, in which Jesus prays for the world and for His disciples. Conversely, the Synoptic Gospels emphasize the intensity of Jesus’ human suffering and the kind of prayer He lifted up to overcome it. These two approaches are by no means contradictory; rather, they offer complementary perspectives, presenting Jesus as both the Son of God and fully human.
Pastor David Jang notes, “We, too, often confront difficulties like Gethsemane in our own walk of faith. Observing the traces of blood like the Kidron Brook, we can feel fear and trembling, and we can be lonely when no one seems to understand our pain. But Jesus has already walked that path, leaving us the example of praying, ‘Not My will, but Yours be done,’ even in the midst of agony. When we make that prayer our own, walking with the Lord will indeed transcend loneliness and lead us to the joy of resurrection.” Thus, Gethsemane and Calvary, while being places of the most intense suffering, are simultaneously the very places where God’s power and love manifest most powerfully.
Moreover, the Gethsemane event stands as a “spiritual mirror,” not only for the disciples but also for all of us today. If we had been there, we would likely have acted no differently from the disciples; perhaps, like Mark, we would have run away wearing only a hastily wrapped linen cloth. Pastor David Jang points out how limited our human determination and promises are, remarking, “Even if we, like Peter, confidently declare we will never abandon the Lord, if we do not watch and pray, we can fall before the slightest provocation. Therefore, faith can only be strengthened through absolute dependence on God and through prayer, not through outward zeal.” This shows that internal humility and trust matter far more than external enthusiasm.
In the latter part of Mark 14, Jesus is arrested and brought before the high priests, and Peter does exactly as Jesus had foretold—he denies the Lord three times. When the rooster crows, Peter remembers Jesus’ words and weeps bitterly. Pastor David Jang addresses these tears and human wretchedness: “We can fail and fall. But that is not the end. Jesus rose again and sought out Peter, restoring his calling by telling him, ‘Feed My sheep.’ This reaffirms how great Jesus’ love is and how He holds on to sinners like us to the very end, just as He chose the cross in His Gethsemane prayer.”
This makes clear that what Pastor David Jang emphasizes—“walking with Christ”—is by no means an easy road. It is often lonely, isolated, and filled with tears. But it is also a road the Lord has already trodden, where He embraced the disciples’ every failing. Thus, even if we stumble, we have a path open for renewal. Indeed, Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane is a “portrait of suffering” that leads us toward the hope of resurrection. While Christians may experience dark nights like Gethsemane—facing sorrow and trials with no one to share them—in prayerful obedience to the Father we too will find the dawn of resurrection. That is the pinnacle of our hope in Christ.
Ultimately, Pastor David Jang summarizes the significance of the Gethsemane prayer by pointing out five essential truths. First, Jesus experienced genuine human fear and pain, just as we do, and we cannot avoid such trials in our own lives. Second, even amid such terror, we must trust fully in God’s goodness, as Jesus did when He cried out, “Abba, Father.” Third, true submission to God’s will—especially when it clashes with our own—comes only through prayer, and this requires us to “stay awake,” as the Lord commanded. Fourth, we must honestly acknowledge our own frailty, just as the disciples’ weakness was laid bare; yet we must also believe that God’s grace is sufficient to lift us up again. Lastly, we need to remember that Jesus’ Gethsemane prayer ultimately was fulfilled through His cross and resurrection. The cross may seem like humanity’s greatest despair, but it is the path leading to the ultimate hope of resurrection, and through that path our faith matures.
Therefore, Gethsemane and Calvary are not merely historical events that occurred two thousand years ago in Palestine; rather, they continue to illuminate the spiritual reality of Christians in every age. Pastor David Jang emphasizes this point, saying, “We too easily criticize the disciples, but we should ask ourselves, ‘If I had been there, how would I have responded?’ That question reveals our own potential to abandon Jesus and run away, prompting us to approach the Lord with far greater humility and repentance.” In the end, faith stands not on our strength but on God’s love in giving His only Son to the cross, and Jesus’ choice to follow that path to the end. Once we recognize this, we realize our endurance depends on the Lord holding us firmly, and on our confession of weakness and dependence upon His grace.
Moreover, when confronted by various crises and temptations, today’s churches and believers need to be aware that we essentially face two choices. One is to rely on our own will like Peter and the other disciples, only to collapse or flee. The other is to act as Jesus did, pouring out everything before the Father and confessing, “Father, let Your will be done,” which is precisely the practical shape of “walking with Christ” that Pastor David Jang repeatedly proclaims. The Lord has already walked that path in Gethsemane, and by His resurrection has shown that path never ends in despair. Therefore, even though our human weakness and tears may follow, resurrection power ultimately unfolds, leading us to experience the glory of God’s kingdom.
Throughout this process, we rediscover the significance of “prayer.” Why did Jesus, at His darkest hour, bring His disciples to pray, hoping they would stay awake with Him? Pastor David Jang answers, “Prayer deepens our relationship with God and leads our hearts to surrender to His will. Ceasing to pray can be an act of pride that refuses to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and instead tries to solve problems by our own strength. Hence, Jesus never gave up prayer and wanted His disciples to keep watch and pray.” But the disciples did not understand. Consequently, during Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, they dispersed without offering any meaningful involvement. Still, after His resurrection, Jesus again appeared to His disciples, leading them into a life of prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, ultimately entrusting them with the mission of spreading the gospel. In the Book of Acts, they become the main instruments of the early church’s growth, bolstered by prayer and the Spirit’s power.
The same applies to us. No matter how passionate and resolute we seem, if we lose our life of prayer, we may fall like Peter at the slightest temptation. Yet if we follow the Lord’s example in Gethsemane, crying out to God with tears, we can overcome any test that seeks to bring us down. Pastor David Jang points out that “one reason the church loses its place in this world, and why individual believers lose their profound inner strength, is that they have lost the true spirit of Gethsemane prayer. Gethsemane prayer is marked by urgency, deep need, and absolute submission to God’s will. Without it, we, too, will fall asleep and flee.”
Thus, we must not limit our meditation on Jesus’ suffering and prayer only to Lenten seasons or early morning prayer meetings. Instead, in our everyday lives, we must continually recall Gethsemane. We need to pray in such a way that the image of Jesus before the cross, unable to avoid His ultimate decision, comes alive in our hearts. Pastor David Jang calls this a “holy repetition.” That is, though the Gethsemane event happened only once in history, it must be reenacted in our hearts even today. When that happens—whether we have a shameful past like Mark or not—we can still experience the grace of being transformed into one who proclaims the cross and resurrection. Even if we have denied the Lord three times like Peter, we can still receive the commission “Feed My sheep” and become a pillar of the church in the future.
In this way, the Gethsemane prayer recorded in Mark’s Gospel is not only a stark example of “complete obedience to God’s will over one’s own,” but also a scene where the disciples’ weakness and Jesus’ kindness stand in sharp contrast. What Pastor David Jang calls “walking with Christ” ultimately originates in the spiritual ethos of Gethsemane. No matter how frightening death may be, those who have absolute trust and love for the Father, saying, “Not My will, but Yours be done,” will never truly collapse, even in the most desolate circumstances. Why not? Because Jesus already took that path, and we confirm through the resurrection that such a path leads to everlasting victory. For anyone who believes in Christ, it becomes our task to put this faith into action.
Summarizing this Gethsemane event, Pastor David Jang urges each of us to ask ourselves, “Which cross do I want to escape right now?” He continues: “What hardships am I sleeping through? Over what matters should I be weeping and desperately pleading before God? Am I, like Peter, declaring that I would die for the Lord while in reality falling asleep or idly passing time?” When we honestly address these questions, we meet Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane more personally. Through this encounter, we learn not to rely on human strength or determination but to entrust ourselves completely to the Father’s will and power. Pastor David Jang often says, “Faith does not stand on our decisions; it stands on God’s love in giving His only begotten Son, and on Jesus’ obedience in walking that path to the end.” By standing on His obedience, we also inevitably face many “Gethsemanes” in life, but at each one we must cry out “Abba, Father,” confessing, “I still trust You,” despite fear and trembling. This confession is the key that makes “walking with Christ” a reality in our daily lives, not just a theological concept. And it is neither spectacular nor flashy but is instead formed in tearful prayer in the darkness. In that prayer, God renews our hearts, and the saving power declared in Jesus is tangibly revealed in our lives.
Thus, in Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed and the disciples’ frailty was unmasked, and in Jesus’ firm decision to go to the cross, we recall the words, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” Pastor David Jang states, “The Lord walked that road alone. The disciples slept, others fled, and someone else betrayed Him. So the way of the cross was never easy. Nonetheless, Jesus went that way unhesitatingly, and its destination was the triumph of the resurrection.” This message remains equally valid for anyone invited to follow as a disciple, both in former times and now, urging each of us to hear Jesus calling, “Come and follow Me.”
In conclusion, the Gethsemane prayer, as Pastor David Jang interprets it, powerfully proclaims that every one of us should move into “prayer that leads to surrendering ourselves entirely to God’s will.” It displays the paradox of Jesus’ human weakness and divine obedience in vivid detail, and Pastor David Jang has repeatedly stressed how central the spirituality of Gethsemane is. Its core is this: “If we truly wish to walk with Christ, we, too, must endure Gethsemane’s cries, bear the cross, and believe that path leads to glory.” As we remain watchful and prayerful, bringing Gethsemane into our everyday lives, we experience that walking with Christ is indeed the most blessed path, unlike any other. In the process, though our frailties and shortcomings may appear, Jesus—just as He knew His disciples’ frailty—will love us to the end, and in the power of His resurrection will restore us and make us new.