Not My Will, But Yours
Sweat like agony, a kiss of betrayal
Jesus told them all would fall away — and Peter insisted he never would, even if it meant death! Jesus said, 'Truly I tell you, today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times.' Peter insisted even more strongly. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus, deeply distressed, told Peter, James and John: 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. Stay here and keep watch.' Going a little further, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, this hour might pass from Him: 'Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.' Three times He returned to find the disciples sleeping.
Then Judas arrived with an armed crowd, and identified Jesus with a kiss. Jesus was seized. One disciple tried to defend Him with a sword, but Jesus didn't resist arrest — He went willingly, exactly as Scripture had foretold, while all His disciples deserted Him and fled.
✨ Memory verse
“Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”Mark 14:36 (NIV)
Tap the words in the right order:
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❓ Quiz time!
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👨👩👧 Parent & teacher guide
Big idea: Jesus models complete, costly surrender to the Father's will, even while being fully honest about His own distress and reluctance — genuine faith doesn't require pretending difficulty away. His arrest, achieved through betrayal by a close friend, fulfills Scripture exactly while every human relationship around Him fails in that moment.
Conversation starters: (1) Why might it matter that Jesus honestly expressed His distress, rather than pretending to be unaffected? (2) What does "not what I will, but what you will" teach about surrendering to God even when it's hard? (3) Why might Peter's confident promise fail so completely, despite his sincerity?
Pray for the same kind of honest surrender Jesus modeled, trusting God's will even when it's difficult.