A Serving Leadership Insight from the Life of Jesus Christ (Mark 14:29-31)

“He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’” (See Mark 14:32-36 for full text)

In Mark 14:32–36, Jesus overcame a severe temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane. The text notes that Jesus’ soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Facing the shame, degradation, and pain of the crucifixion that lay ahead, Jesus cried out in extreme anguish. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Not only was he taking on the sins of the entire world—past, present, and future—but also Jesus was facing rejection from his Father who would turn away from him at the point of death. Thousands of years earlier in another garden, a man and woman had faced another temptation. Rather than seeking to honor their Audience of One, they had chosen to say, “Not your will but ours be done!” Their self-oriented response created the very problem Christ came to solve. Jesus’ others-orientation made all the difference.

KEY QUESTIONS: What is at the root of my greatest temptations? How do I fight temptations and overcome them? In what areas of my life is it most difficult to be others-oriented? How could I honor my Audience of One today?