And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:32-38 ESV).
I’m sure you have heard the retort: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” You may have even used it before to describe your inability to finish a task or complete an activity. It is a common truth that we rarely see the flaws in our character until we are tested. In our reading today, Jesus asked his disciples to watch and pray with him, but they dozed off. By surrendering to a small temptation, they lacked the spiritual strength to fight off a much greater one. The disciples gave in to the weakness of the flesh, and as a result they were not prepared to support Jesus during his trial and crucifixion. Even Peter fulfilled the prophecy of Jesus in his denial of Him!
Our flesh is our own weak-willed human nature without the power of God. Our natural capabilities fail amid temptation, so we need a divine infusion of persistence and endurance from the Holy Spirit. With the Spirit, we can defeat any temptation (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). Throughout the Scripture we learn that the Holy Spirit equips us for many tasks. The Spirit empowers the believer in many ways.
As Mark shows, the Spirit of God leads Jesus’ followers into and through struggles and adversity. We do not have to be worried if we are in trying circumstances, because the Holy Spirit will give us words to speak that come from God himself (cf. Mark 13:11). We live in the age of the Spirit today. We can call upon the Holy Spirit to strengthen our spirits to resist any temptation. What a gift from the God who never stops giving himself for us. Ask, seek, and knock—call on the Lord!