The Agony in the Garden
Notes
Transcript
Last week we saw Jesus in the Upper Room with His disciples. He celebrated Passover with them, which is not an unusual thing. He did something unexpected as well. He washed their feet.
He washed them all
He washed them one by one
He washed them well
There were two significant points we made:
1) The washing of the disciples’ feet was symbolic of the redemptive work of Christ.
2) The washing of the disciples feet was an example of Christ like service that the church is to imitate throughout the ages.
After this event Jesus leads eleven of the disciples out into the night. They travel to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus will spend His last moments of freedom in this place. He will prepare Himself for the most terrifying and horrific event of all time. These details have been given to us so that you and I might to some degree understand His agony in the garden.
1. Jesus wanted to be alone in the garden (32).
A. There was a sentimental reason to be there.
Gethsemane means “oil press”.
An oil press was used to separate the oil from olives. Someone made their living there. This was a privately owned garden protected by a wall that contained an oil press. It was secluded.
Luke said it was His custom to go there. John said Jesus went there often with His disciples. It was a place the group could get away from the crowds to talk and pray.
Jesus wants some time alone.
He has spent years:
Healing
Teaching
Traveling
Debating
On the eve of His death, He wants to go to a place He knows well. He also wants to spend time praying with those who are closest to Him.
This is like the moment the doctor calls the family in. Death is coming. Those who mean the most to the person dying should have some private time together.
Judas is the only disciple who isn’t there. Most of the disciples stay in one area. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John a little further into the garden. Jesus leaves them in a prayer group, and He goes to a spot by Himself.
The important thing is they are all together.
They are in a common place.
This little family who has been through so much in the last three years is spending their last moments together.
We’re going to see in a moment that Jesus wants to spend time with the Father. He wants to talk one on one to the Father. Thes are precious moments to Jesus. He is alone with the Father and the disciples whom He loved.
B. There was a theological reason to be there.
The Bible calls Jesus the second Adam.
He is the second representative of the human race.
The first Adam was placed in a perfect garden with his bride. He was told to obey the Lord and he would not die. He failed. Death came into the world. In Adam we all die.
Here we see the second Adam.
He is in an imperfect garden.
His imperfect bride is with Him.
He is told to obey the will of the father and He will die.
My point is the second Adam has a much more difficult task than the first Adam.
The first Adam had:
a better garden
a better bride
an easier command to obey
He failed.
Let’s just think about the command.
Adam, follow the will of God and live.
Christ, follow the will of God and die.
What’s more difficult?
As you read this let your mind go back to when humanity was ruined.
Go back to a garden.
Go back to one man who represented the human race.
Go back to a man who was supposed to fight the devil for his bride.
Go back to a man who was, to above all things, commit himself to the will of God.
Keep reading and see:
The judgment of God in the books of Law
The rebellion of man in the books of the Prophets
The failures of man in the books of history
The sorrow of man in the Wisdom Literature
All of this started in a Garden.
Now we see a new man in a new garden. Can He restore what Adam forfeited? There are theological reasons to be there.
Don’t think Satan didn’t remember what he did to the first Adam in the garden. He remembered! I’m sure he thought the second Adam would fall just as the first Adam did.
C. There is a practical reason to be there.
Jesus knows Judas knows the spot. Jesus could have gone somewhere Judas didn’t know. Jesus went there because Judas knew He was going there. Jesus knew He would be a sitting duck when the soldiers arrived to arrest Him.
Jesus is giving Himself up. He’s not hiding. In this place His arrest would be without incident. There would be no rioting of the people. There would be very little collateral damage.
2. Jesus warned against spiritual apathy (32-41).
A. The disciples failed Christ.
They are given very simple instructions. They are told to “Watch and pray”.
“Watch” implies danger so it implies prayer.
This is a dangerous time for Christ, so they are to pray.
I think it’s important Jesus brings Peter, James, and John in further with Him. These are the toughest guys. This is a battle. This is spiritual warfare.
Peter is always ready to fight. He’s going to take on the entire army when Jesus is arrested.
James and John are called the Sons of Thunder.
They are ready to call fire down on an entire village.
They are ready to take the top places in the kingdom for themselves.
Jesus even tells them “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.”
He’s saying, “Pray for Me!”
But they don’t pray.
They fall asleep.
Jesus tells the three times to watch and pray but each time they fall asleep.
Look what Jesus says to Peter in verse 37:
Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?”
Jesus has been over there praying for an hour. He gets up to check on the men and they are all asleep.
Think about this. Jesus just recently told Peter:
“Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not.” (Luke 22:31)
In Luke’s gospel Jesus says that to Peter right before Gethsemane. When Jesus needs prayer, when Satan desires to have Jesus, Peter doesn’t for Him.
In Jesus time of greatest need His prayer partners failed Him.
Listen folks: We have done nothing to deserve or help Christ in His atoning work for us.
Christ overcame but it wasn’t because anyone was praying for Him!
B. The disciples failed themselves.
Look at verse 38:
“That you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.”
The “spirit” does not refer to the Holy Spirit. It refers to the spirit of man. More accurately, the desires of man.
Jesus knew their intention was not to fail. They wanted to do the right thing. They underestimated the weakness of the flesh.
The flesh is always weaker than the desire of the human spirit. They needed spiritual power. They needed prayer. They didn’t pray, they failed themselves.
After they were rebuked the first time, you’d think they would have gotten the point. They didn’t because the flesh is weak.
After Jesus is arrested they are all going to be humiliated. None of them are noble or brave.
They run for cover.
They lie and say they don’t know Jesus.
They doubt the resurrection.
They’re weak. They’re cowards. They failed themselves.
Jesus warned them because He knew what was coming. There was army on the way with swords, and torches, and lanterns. There were hundreds of soldiers coming to arrest them. If it were not for Jesus the whole bunch would have been locked up and probably charged with insurrection.
Jesus has told us “In this world you will have tribulation.” It’s our responsibility to be spiritually prepared to fight these battles.
C. The disciples had no excuses for their failure.
The text even says they were sleepy (40). Luke says they were fatigued with sorrow.
It was late. They had been in the Garden about three hours already, so it was probably around midnight.
They had eaten a big meal.
It was late, they were tired, they were full. They had legitimate reasons for falling asleep.
But they had no excuse because Jesus told them not to. He told them to stay awake.
Sometimes we must push through.
There are times:
It’s gonna hurt.
We’re gonna be tired
Our body is gonna say quit
But it’s no excuse.
At the end of the day we may have 100 excuses for why we failed God but none them matter. God has warned us to prepare ourselves for spiritual battle. War isn’t easy.
They should have been praying “O God, strengthen us!”
3. Jesus wrestled with the will of God.
A. Jesus emotional state is described in detail.
Luke says that He prayed so hard he bled.
Mark says He was:
“greatly distressed”
“troubled”
“sorrowful even unto death”
That doesn’t mean He was sorry He was going to die. It means His sorrow was so great it was about to kill Him. It would have killed any of us.
You’ve never seen a person this broken-hearted.
Why such grief?
Omniscience. Sometimes knowing the future doesn’t ease our pain. Some of us think we’d like to know what will happen in the next six months, but if we did, we might experience more grief than we could handle.
Jesus knows what is going to happen to Him. He is going to suffer for the sins of the world. That’s why His grief is so great!
Let us not pretend we can relate to Jesus. We cannot.
He is about to experience the judgment of God.
You say “What about people in hell? They know what Jesus went through.”
No, they don’t. They only know the pain of their own hell.
Jesus is about to experience the pain of a million hells.
No one knows what Jesus is going through. He can relate to us but we cannot relate to Him.
Think of a person who loses a child. Someone whose children are alive and happy says “I know what you’re going through.” No, they don’t. They have no idea the emotional hurt.
None of us can relate to Jesus.
We will never be that:
Troubled
Distressed
Sorrowful
When you see Jesus in this state the point is not for us to pity Him. The point is for us to stand in awe of Him.
Christ not only endures unparalleled physical torture. He also endures unparalleled emotional torture.
B. Jesus prayer is revealing.
“That the hour might pass” (35)
“The cup would be removed” (36)
The hour and the cup refer to the same thing. The moment when Jesus would be punished by the Father for the sins of the world.
He doesn’t say remove the:
Beatings
The crown of thorns
Mockery
Piercing of hands and feet
The slaps and punches
The cup is what is frightening.
God’s wrath is described as a cup of suffering many times in the OT. Psalm 75:8 says
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.
Taking the cup means Jesus will be treated like a sinner at the hands of the Father.
2 Cor. 5:21 says:
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
If there is another way possible to redeem us Jesus prays it will be known. Jesus is saying “If it is morally possible for you to receive sinners into heaven without my atoning work, let it be so.”
If you are unsaved I want you to especially look at Jesus here. If you are not afraid to die in your sins it is because you believe a lie.
There is none more courageous than Jesus and look at Him when He considers falling beneath the wrath of God.
If you are lost you ought to be:
“greatly distressed”
“troubled”
“sorrowful even unto death”
If you’re looking for proof, there is a hell look at Jesus in Gethsemane.
“Your will be done” (36)
Thank God Jesus said that!
When Adam was in his garden he said, “My will be done!” and took us all to hell.
In this garden Jesus says “Thy will be done” and takes all who belong to Him to heaven.
C. Jesus boldly walks to His death (41-42).
When Jesus found them sleeping the last time He didn’t tell them to pray again. He said you have slept enough. Get up. The hour has come.
Jesus is serious.
Jesus hasn’t slept a wink, but He is up and ready to go.
Jesus leads them out to the entry of the garden.
He is like a general leading His troops to war.
He’s not running from the enemy. He is going straight to the enemy. He is going to surrender Himself.
The change in Jesus is amazing.
Luke says He was strengthened during this prayer time (Luke 22:43).
Jesus says:
“I’m placing Myself in the hands of sinners.”
“My betrayer is at hand.”
Jesus is the only man who ever chose to die.
You might say “What about those who take their own life?”
They didn’t choose to die. They just chose to die earlier than they would have.
Jesus would not have died. He died willingly. He marches to His death courage. He does it for us.
There was great agony in that garden. But there was also great victory in that garden.
Jesus overcame the weakness of the flesh.
He resisted the temptation to abandon us.
Thank God , because of His obedience we are saved.
