Kyle Keefer, The New Testament as Literature: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2008), 107.
In contrast to Mark’s portrayal, John’s Jesus seems strikingly stoic with regard to his death. In fact, John’s Jesus seems to peer into Mark’s garden scene only to mock Jesus’ prayer. In John, just before he enters Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus says, “Now my soul is troubled; and what shall I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (12:27-28). He ponders the possibility that he might ask for God’s deliverance, as Mark’s Jesus did, but scoffs at that option. This Jesus knows with certainty that his death will occur soon, but he controls his own destiny.
The Amateur Exegete 