32Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch."
35He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."
37Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
39Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.
41Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."
"Stay here and watch." "Could you not watch one hour?" "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation." Watch what or for what? Watch Jesus pray? It doesn't sound as though Jesus would have been in their line of sight as He went away from them to pray. I used to think Jesus had asked them to watch in order to stand guard over Him while He prayed, as His betrayer was already on His way. But I can't believe that Jesus would actually hope that His friends would in any way be able to affect the delay of God's will. So I'm not sure what Jesus wanted them to watch for, what He wanted them to see. We know they did see one important thing when He says, "See, My betrayer is at hand." Maybe that is what they were supposed to be watching for. Or maybe it was something else that they missed while they slept.
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation." "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Do we sometimes miss out on what grand thing God has planned for us because we give in to temptation, because our flesh is weak? Prayer will help us with this weakness. But we are not just told to pray, but to watch and pray. Don't get so busy praying that you don't see the answer.
Jesus was in terrible turmoil here. He was so sorrowful, the kind of sorrow you feel you could die from. He wanted his friends praying nearby as He struggled with the temptation. Yes, He even prayed to God to satisfy His own temptation -- three times! But still, his spirit was still strong enough to finish His prayer with asking for God's will rather than His own.
What did Jesus want them to pray for? Why didn't He want them to sleep? His friends were aware of the depth of this sorrow that Jesus felt. Jesus said the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. They were falling into the temptation to sleep. But I think Jesus was also referring to his own weak flesh. Jesus was going through the bleakest moment of his life as he struggled with the desire to bypass His foretold death.
We all need friends. When we are going through the roughest moments of our lives, we pray to God to help us through it. But we are very much bolstered by our friends praying for us too. I think Jesus wanted their help in the weakness of His flesh. We easily follow through in times when we should pray for ourselves. But we should keep in mind that our friends need us to pray for them too, just as Jesus needed His friends here. Don't let your own weaknesses of the flesh keep you from praying for your friends.
Finally, "It is enough!" His friends were unable to resist the temptation to sleep. Jesus three times begged God to let the cup pass. It is because of the weakness of the flesh that Jesus prayed this prayer. Indulging in temptations will usually get you nowhere. Eventually you must realize that "it is enough!" and must follow where the spirit leads you. For when the spirit is willing, even when the flesh is weak, the spirit must eventually win out. God will give you the strength you need.