Mark
presents the prayerful struggle in Gethsemane as an explicit account of
Christ’s temptation. Jesus warns the three disciples with him to “pray that you
may not enter into temptation” (Mark 14:38). Christ’s explanation of the danger
reflects his own struggle against temptation in the weakness of his flesh, as
he says, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (ασθενης, cf. “our weaknesses” in Heb 4:15, ασθενειαις ημων).
This is explicit evidence for Christ’s struggle against temptation within the
limits of his humanity. The probability that Jesus is describing his own
struggle against the temptation to avoid the vicarious punishment for sin is
increased by the description in Mark 14:33 of his experience as “shock and
intense distress” (εκθαμβεισθαι και αδημονειν).
According to Mark 14:34, Jesus laments that “my soul is distraught to the limit
of death” (περιλυπος εστιν η ψυχη μου εως θανατου) in his misery because of his impending
suffering. The specific reason for Christ’s dread is not given, but it is
probable that Jesus was aware at this point that his suffering would include
his death and having to bear the curse for sin (cf. Matt 20:17-19; Isa 53).
Jesus speaks of death as his internal experience of such sorrows that threaten
to tear him apart. His shocked and distressed anticipation of the suffering in
connection with death and judgment for the world’s sin is also the likely cause
of those emotions that threatened to destroy him. (John E. McKinley, Tempted
for Us: Theological Models and the Practical Relevance of Christ’s
Impeccability and Temptation [Paternoster Theological Monographs; Eugene,
Oreg.: Wipf and Stock, 2009], 29-30)
