The Dark Night of the Soul

Matthew 26:36-46. "The Dark Night of the Soul" Ajax Alliance Church. Sunday March 26th, 2023. Matthew 26:36-46. [36] Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." [37] And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. [38] Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." [39] And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." [40] And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? [41] Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." [42] Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." [43] And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. [44] So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. [45] Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. [46] Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." (ESV) If you were to listen to much of contemporary spirituality, you would quickly come to the realization that we should expect nothing but times of peace, comfort, joy, and celebration. The problem is that the reality of life soon comes calling were realize that dealing with difficulties don't allow such an unending state of bliss. Reflecting on this reality, in the year 1577, a Spanish poet known as John of the Cross, wrote a poem entitled "La noche oscura del alma", the Dark Night of the Soul. So impactful was the poem that the phrase has been regarded by some to represent periods in life when the sense of God's presence seems absent. (McKim, D. K. (2014). The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (Second Edition, Revised and Expanded, p. 80). Westminster John Knox Press.) In Matthew 26, on the eve the most significant event in history coming to fruition, we see the great anguish of the saviour. For the first time ever in history, the eternal son of God will be cut off from His Father. He will face great physical and emotional distress in being abandoned by those who were closest to Him. On this eve of His crucifixion, He experiences "The Dark Night of the Soul". Here we see Jesus struggle with the enemy in the garden the night before the cross to teach the disciples and every future believer a lesson about facing severe trial. The Lord not only was preparing Himself for the cross but also, by His example, preparing His followers for the crosses He calls them to bear in His name (Matt. 16:24). It's easy for us to become so expectant on getting instant understanding and comprehension of events that we fail to understand the nature of struggle. We look here at Matthew 26 and see the struggle of Christ and we must realize that struggle is a reality of life. There will be times when we experience The Dark Night of the Soul, where we must look to God, and wait in silence before Him. He will not always feel immediately present or immediate answer our request. For those who trust in Christ, we can see here how Jesus' dark abandonment by the Father, results in us never truly being abandoned ever again. The record in Matthew 26:36-46, most likely records the events near midnight on the Thursday of Passover week in A.D 33 (or perhaps 30). Jesus' three years of ministry were completed. He had preached His last public sermon and performed His last miracle. He also had celebrated the last Passover with His disciples. But infinitely more important than that, He had come to be the last and ultimate Passover Lamb, the perfect and only sacrifice for the sins of His people. Matthew 26:36-46 reveals three aspects of Jesus' striving in the garden. In this "Dark Night of the Soul" we see the relationship between prayer and action through three things: Through 1) His Sorrow Matthew 26:36-38), 2) His Supplication (Matthew 26:39-45a), and 3) His Strength (Matthew 26:45b-46). The relationship between prayer & action is first seen through Christ's Dark Night of the Soul in: 1) His Sorrow (Matthew 26:36-38) Matthew 26:36-38. [36] Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." [37] And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. [38] Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." (ESV) After the eleven disciples echoed Peter's boast and insisted on their loyalty to Jesus even to the point of dying with Him if necessary (v 35), they then moved with Him to a place on the Mount of Olives called Gethsemane. Although He had not announced in advance where He was going, "Jesus had often met there with His disciples," and it was that fact that enabled Judas to find Him so easily later that night (John 18:2). The name Gethsemane means "olive press," and the garden probably belonged to a believer who allowed Jesus to use it as a place of retreat and prayer. As William Barclay points out, the owner of Gethsemane, like the owner of the donkey on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the owner of the upper room, was a nameless friend who ministered to the Lord during His final hours. "In a desert of hatred, there were still oases of love" (William Barclay: The Gospel of Matthew, vol 2 [Westminster, 1958], p 384). * It is much the same way that God intends His church to be. In a world of pain and disappointment, there needs to be an oases of love and acceptance. Please turn to Luke 22 There our Lord Jesus began his passion; there it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and crush him, that fresh oil might flow to all believers from him, that we might partake of the root and fatness of that good Olive. There he trod the wine-press of his Father's wrath, and trod it alone. It is likely that the garden was fenced or walled and had an entrance, perhaps even a gate. Jesus asked His disciples to sit at the entrance and keep Him from being disturbed while He went into the garden to pray. Jesus had told the disciples two days earlier that "after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be delivered up for crucifixion" (26:2). And just a few moments earlier He had told them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night" (v 31). They knew they were at a crisis point, and, like their Lord, they should have seen it as a time for deep concern and fervent prayer. (Henry, M. (1996). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Mt 26:36-46). Peabody: Hendrickson.). Luke reports that Jesus told the disciples now that they should "pray that [they might] not enter into temptation" (Luke 22:40; cf Matt. 6:13), a warning He later repeated (Matt. 26:41). Notice the details in Luke's parallel account in the need for prayer: Luke 22:39-46. 39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation." (ESV) * The tragedy for Jesus' disciples is that there is no indication that they uttered a single breath of prayer, no hint that they called on the Father to strengthen them. In smug self-confidence, they still thought of themselves as loyal, dependable, and invincible. Like many believers throughout the history of the church, they foolishly mistook their good intentions for strength. The sinless Son of God felt a desperate need for communion with His heavenly Father, but His sinful, weak disciples, as so often they do today, felt no desperation about their weakness and vulnerability. * It is appropriate in crisis times where self-examination is not only necessary but essential. The easiest way to fail is to be lax in prayer and negligent in self-examination. Leaving the other eight disciples at the entrance, Matthew 26:37 says that Jesus went with James and John as it says that he went taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. While in the transfiguration scene they are witnesses to Jesus' transcendent glory, now they see His sorrow and dread as He faces the prospects of his approaching death. While the three are present for possible human support, Jesus must separate himself from them to engage his Father in prayer. (Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew (Mt 26:37-38). College Press.) * In the midst of a crisis, there is nothing wrong with "circling the wagons" uniquely support one another. It is during this time that we most need one another. In this time, Corporate prayer can often prove more powerful and supportive than personal prayer. (Blomberg, C. (1992). Matthew (Vol. 22, p. 394). Broadman & Holman Publishers.) Jesus most likely wanted to teach these three, about facing strong temptation with confidence in God rather than in themselves. In light of their self-declared dependability (v 35), the disciples needed to learn the humility and poverty of spirit that is necessary before God can effectively use His people. Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (ESV) He wanted Peter, James, and John to be convinced and convicted of their foolish smugness and feelings of invincibility. And He wanted them, in turn, to teach their fellow disciples that lesson. Jesus most likely did not take them along in order to have their companionship, sympathy, or help. He loved them deeply and doubtlessly enjoyed their company, but He knew them far too well to expect them to be of any assistance to Him in this crucial hour. He took them along for their benefit, not His. * We can often be hurt by others when they do not meet our expectations. It can often be the issue of a crisis. People will indeed fail because they are like us, sinful, and often easily distracted. Jesus' purpose also was to teach that, as important and helpful as the fellowship and support of other believers can be, there are times when one's only help is direct communion with God in prayer. As He went into the garden with the three disciples, Jesus began to be sorrowful/grieved and troubled/distressed. It was not that He had never experienced grief or distress over sin and death and over the isolation from His heavenly Father they would bring. He had always known that He had come to earth to suffer and die. But the climax of His anguish now began to intensify as never before, as His becoming sin in our place and His consequent estrangement from God drew near. His very soul was repulsed by the encroachment of His sinbearing, not because of the physical pain He would endure but because of His taking upon Himself there the full magnitude and defilement of all man's iniquity. His agony over that prospect was beyond description or understanding. Now a very deep and desolate kind of loneliness began to sweep over Him that caused Him to be severely troubled/distressed. First was the treachery of Judas, the desertion of the eleven other disciples, the outright denial by Peter, and also be rejected by Israel. He would also be vilified and defrauded in the petty courts and ultimately forsaken by His Father. As B. B. Warfield puts it, 'In these supreme moments, our Lord sounded the ultimate depths of human anguish, and vindicated on the score of the intensity of his mental sufferings the right to the title of Man of Sorrows.' (B.B. Warfield, as quoted in Campbell, I. D. (2008). Opening up Matthew (p. 161). Day One Publications.) It is therefore hardly surprising that Jesus in Matthew 26:38 told Peter, James, and John, "My soul is very sorrowful/deeply grieved, even to (the point of) death." Perilupos (very sorrowful/deeply grieved) is related to the term from which we get periphery and carries the idea of being surrounded by sorrow. The agony of this temptation was unequaled. It was Jesus' most intense struggle with Satan, more agonizing even than the encounter in the wilderness. The magnitude of His grief apparently caused Jesus' subcutaneous capillaries to dilate and burst. As the capillaries burst under the pressure of deep distress and blood escaped through the pores of His skin, it mingled with His sweat, "falling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44). Jesus was very sorrowful/deeply grieved , even to (the point of) death because of His having to become sin. Luke reports that "He withdrew from them about a stone's throw" (Luke 22:41), which amounted to thirty to fifty yards. The intensity of temptation and of Jesus' prayer response increased with each of the three sessions and is reflected in the positions the Lord took. At first He knelt (Luke 22:41), but as the intensity escalated He fell prostrate on His face (Matt. 26:39). While He went to be alone with His Father, Jesus asked His three dear friends to keep watch with Him, leaving them not only to watch but also to pray in view of temptation (see v 41), just as He would be doing. There is a sense in which he had to be alone in prayer, for only he could pray the prayer he prayed. But there is also a sense in which he could have been encouraged by the support of his closest followers nearby (Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (p. 668). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.) * There are particular challenges in life that each of us must face up to. But that does not mean we need to be alone. Often the prayers, encouragement and assistance from others can help us do what God has called each of us to do. Poem: William Cowper wrote: Looking Upwards In A Storm: "God of my life, to Thee I call, Afflicted at Thy feet I fall; When the great water-floods prevail, Leave not my trembling heart to fail! Friend of the friendless and the faint, Where should I lodge my deep complaint, Where but with Thee, whose open door Invites the helpless and the poor! Did ever mourner plead with Thee, And Thou refuse that mourner's plea? Does not the word still fix'd remain, That none shall seek Thy face in vain? That were a grief I could not bear, Didst Thou not hear and answer prayer; But a prayer-hearing, answering God Supports me under every load. Fair is the lot that's cast for me; I have an Advocate with Thee; They whom the world caresses most Have no such privilege to boast. Poor though I am, despised, forgot, et God, my God, forgets me not: And he is safe, and must succeed, For whom the Lord vouchsafes to plead. (Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper's Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York) The relationship between prayer & action is now seen through Christ's Dark Night of the Soul in: 2) His Supplication (Matthew 26:39-45a) Matthew 26:39-45a. [39] And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." [40] And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? [41] Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." [42] Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." [43] And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. [44] So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. [45] Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. (See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. (ESV) Again going a little farther/beyond the three disciples, Jesus fell on His face and prayed to His Father. While others sometimes fell on their faces before Jesus (17:6; cf. Luke 5:12; 17:16), this is the only time Jesus is said to have prostrated himself. The posture indicates the strength of the emotion which leads to prayer. Except at the time when He quoted Psalm 22:1 as He cried out from the cross, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46), Jesus always addressed God as Father. In so doing He expressed an intimacy with God that was foreign to the Judaism of His day and that was anathema to the religious leaders. They thought of God as Father in the sense of His being the progenitor of Israel, but not in the sense of His being a personal Father to any individual. (France, R. T. (1985). Vol. 1: Matthew: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (378). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.). For Jesus to address God as His Father was blasphemy to them. As John reported in John 5:18. [18] This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (ESV). For those who claim that Jesus never thought of Himself as God, they do not perceive even what both the Demons and false teachers knew Christ was claiming. Although Jesus consistently called God His Father, only on this occasion did He call Him My Father (cf v 42), intensifying the intimacy. Mark adds that Jesus also addressed Him as "Abba! Father!" (Mark 14:36), Abba being an Aramaic word of endearment roughly equivalent to "Daddy." Reuben Torrey wrote a helpful book about prayer in which he advised, "We should never utter one syllable of prayer either in public or in private until we are definitely conscious that we have come into the presence of God and are actually praying to him." (Reuben A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer and the Prayer of Power (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955), 76.) * In the midst of a crisis, God must be more to us than a controlling force. Unless we come to Him in passionate personal prayer, we will not find either the guidance or comfort from Him, Jesus implored the Father, "If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me." By asking, "If it is possible;" Jesus did not wonder if escaping the cross was within the realm of possibility. He knew He could have walked away from death at any time He chose. "I lay down My life that I may take it again," He explained to the unbelieving Pharisees. "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again" (John 10:17-18). The Father sent the Son to the cross, but He did not force Him to go. Jesus was here asking if avoiding the cross were possible within the Father's redemptive plan and purpose. The agony of becoming sin was becoming unendurable for the sinless Son of God, and He wondered aloud before His Father if there could be another way to deliver men from sin. There is nothing wrong with asking God for another way if possible to achieve His will. It is not rebellion nor presumption. 'This cup' can refer to nothing else, and it probably refers to his coming death with a conscious link to the Last Supper imagery. An allusion to the cup of Mt. 20:22, 23 also intended, where the cup is an image of being overtaken by disaster (Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew : A commentary on the Greek text (1099). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.). God's wrath and judgment are often pictured in the Old Testament as a cup to be drunk (see, e.g., Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17; Jer. 49:12). This cup symbolized the suffering Jesus would endure on the cross, the cup of God's fury vented against all the sins of mankind, which the Son would take upon Himself as the sacrificial Lamb of God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus bore our guilt by "becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13) (Barton, B. B. (1996). Matthew. Life application Bible commentary (522). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.). He therefore said submissively, "not as I will, but as you will." Effective prayer is according to God's will. Effective prayer is prayer that deliberately submits to God's will. What does it mean to pray according to God's will? First, it means putting God and his interests first in our lives. Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). Our concern should be for God's kingdom and God's glory rather than our own. If it is, many of the things that trouble us will fade away, and we will even willingly embrace things that are themselves undesirable, difficult, or painful. Second, praying according to God's will means praying according to what is in the Bible because that is where the will of God is made known to us. If we are serious about following what is disclosed in the Bible, we will find answers to most of what disturbs or puzzles us. (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (569). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.). In Matthew 26:40, the Lord returned to the three disciples, He found them sleeping. Sleeping becomes a metaphor in the N for moral failure (cf 1 Thess 5:6-7; Eph 5:14) (Hagner, D. A. (2002). Vol. 33B: Word Biblical Commentary : Matthew 14-28. Word Biblical Commentary (783). Dallas: Word, Incorporated). The question that must be asked is if all the potential witnesses were asleep, who was responsible for recording how Jesus prayed? It is possible that the prayer was protracted, so that the disciples may have heard the gist of it before they went to sleep. Jesus himself after the resurrection shared with them some of his memories of this momentous night. The discovery that the disciples were found sleeping, though not unexpected, must have added greatly to His grief and distress. No one can disappoint and hurt us so deeply as those we love. Despite His warnings of their abandonment and of Peter's denial, they felt no need to be alert, much less to seek God's strength and protection. It was probably after midnight, and the need for sleep at that hour was natural. Jesus and the disciples had had a long and eventful day, and they had just finished a large meal and walked perhaps a mile or so from the upper room to the Mount of Olives. In fairness, it should be noted that sleep is often a means of escape, and the disciples may have slept more out of frustration, confusion, and depression than apathy They could not bring themselves to face the truth that their dear friend and Lord, the promised Messiah of Israel, not only would suffer mockery and pain at the hands of wicked men but would even be put to death by them. As a physician, Luke perhaps was especially diagnostic in viewing their emotional state, and he reports that, as we might expect, they were "sleeping from sorrow" (Luke 22:45). (France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (1003). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.). * In the midst of a crisis it is natural to run and hide from problems, but the reality of life is that this only makes things worse both for the person who runs and the person who is abandoned. The disciples' predicted desertion of Jesus began here, as they left Him alone in His great time of need. His heart must have broken when He said to Peter, but also for the benefit of James and John, "So, could you not watch with Me one hour?" Considering the circumstances, the rebuke was especially mild. It was not Jesus' purpose to shame the disciples but to strengthen them and teach them their need for divine help. How long did this take? After Jesus returned the first time he asked, "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" (v. 40, emphasis added). Jesus' question suggests that he prayed for an hour and that he probably did so the second and third times as well. This adds up to several hours of intense prayer. We should not suppose that we can get by with a few short minutes (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (569-570). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.). Please turn to Colossians 4 Jesus gave the instruction in Matthew 26:41: "Watch/Keep watching and pray," He implored, that you may not enter into temptation." The Greek verbs behind watch and pray are present imperatives and carry the idea of continuous action. The need for spiritual vigilance is not occasional but constant. Jesus was warning His disciples to be discerning enough to know they were in spiritual warfare and to be prepared by God to resist the adversary He was warning them of the danger of self-confidence, which produces spiritual drowsiness. "Watch" (γρηγορεῖν) becomes a standard feature in ethical catechism in the N (in the sense of spiritual preparedness; cf 1 Cor 16:13; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8), as does the command to pray (cf Eph 6:18; 1 Thess 5:17; 1 Peter 4:7). The reference to praying so as not to enter testing recalls the petition of the model prayer in reference to the great eschatological trial (Hagner, D. A. (2002). Vol. 33B: Word Biblical Commentary : Matthew 14-28. Word Biblical Commentary (783-784). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.). The Apostle Paul directed the Colossians & us on how prayer is preparation: Colossians 4:2-6. 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison- 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (ESV) * In Jesus' directive for prayer in Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (ESV). Theologically it can be said that God does not test or tempt His children to destroy them but He does provide opportunities for spiritual growth through trials (cf. Gen. 22:1; Ex. 16:4; 20:20; Duet. 8:2, 16; Matt. 4; Luke 4; Heb. 5:8). However, He always provides a way through (cf. I Cor. 10:13) (Utley, R. J. D. (2000). Vol. Volume 9: The First Christian Primer: Matthew. Study Guide Commentary Series (219). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.). As Jesus here acknowledges, back in Matthew 26:41, doing what is right is often difficult, because although the spirit is willing, ... the flesh is still weak. This aphorism about the spirit and the flesh can be applied much more widely than just to the specific situation of the three disciples; it expresses in a nutshell one of the main problems of Christian discipleship (and indeed of human nature in general). The "flesh" is not so much evil or in itself opposed to the will of God, but represents human weakness over against the desire of the "inner self" to do the will of God. Initial enthusiasm and professions of loyalty too often succumb to human lethargy or fear of the consequences. Peter's problem, like our own, is not lack of enthusiasm for Jesus, but lack of the moral stamina to face up to what it will mean in practice (France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (1006). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co). The second prayer in Matthew 26:42 is not simply a repeat of the first. It suggests that Jesus now knows the answer to the request of v. 39, and has accepted that no alternative is possible. In that case there can be only one course for Jesus to take: "Let your will be done." Jesus not only instructs his disciples in how to pray but himself follows the same principle (France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (1006). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.). The fact in Matthew 26:43, that Jesus again ... came and found them sleeping indicates that the disciples fell asleep even after He had awakened and admonished them. Their eyes were heavy, and because they would not seek the Father's help they found themselves powerless even to stay awake, much less to offer intercession for or consolation to their Master. This adds to their culpability. While Jesus was in the agony of prayer they went back to sleep. (Mounce, R. H. (2011). Matthew (pp. 243-244). Baker Books.) * If we are not proactive in seeking God's assistance for our sanctification and His intercession for others, human weakness and other external distractions will rob us of holiness and we will be impotent to help others in a time of crisis. After He found the disciples sleeping the second time, in Matthew 26:44, Jesus left them again, and went away and prayed a third time. Jesus had three sessions of prayer in response to three specific waves of Satanic attack, just as in the wilderness. It took three attempts for Satan to exhaust his malevolent strategy against the Son of God. Each time Jesus suffered more extreme torment of soul, but each time He responded with absolute resolution to do the Father's will. After the third siege, our Lord said the same thing once more to His heavenly Father, that is, "Thy will be done" (see v 42). We must be persistent in some prayers. We can hardly miss the fact that Jesus prayed for the same thing over and over again in this passage (cf. 2 Cor. 12:7-9). In his first prayer, Jesus asked that the cup might be avoided ("may this cup be taken from me," v. 39). In the second prayer, he seems to have recognized that the cup could not be avoided and adds this negative: "If [or since] it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it" (v. 42, emphasis added). Matthew does not give the wording of the third petition, but we can suppose it was something like this: "Since the cross is your will and since it cannot be avoided, I ask for strength to bear it for your glory." Luke says that "an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him" (Luke 22:43). In these prayers, as in all His others, Jesus gives His followers a perfect example. Not only do we learn to confront temptation with prayer but we learn that prayer is not a means of bending God's will to our own but of submitting our wills to His. True prayer is yielding to what God wants for any of us, regardless of the cost-even if the cost is death. The nature or character of our praying in the face of temptation should be to cry out to the Lord for His strength to resist the impulse to rebel against God's will, which is what all sin is. (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (569-570). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.). After the third session of prayer, Jesus came to the disciples, and said to them, in Matthew 26:45 sleep and take your rest later on/Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?" Even after the two rebukes and heartfelt admonitions from the Lord, the three men were still sleeping. Their eyes were still heavy (cf v 43) because they were controlled by the natural rather than by the spiritual. They were so totally subject to the flesh and its needs that they were indifferent to the needs of Christ. They were even indifferent to their own deepest needs, because, just as Jesus had warned a short while before, they were about to be overwhelmed by fear for their own lives and by shame of Christ. Yet instead of following their Masters example through agonizing in prayer, they blissfully rested in sleep. Jesus was teaching the disciples that spiritual victory goes to those who are alert in prayer and who depend on their heavenly Father. A disciple, one who follows Jesus, must exercise discipline of continually seeking God in prayer and disciplining themselves for battle. The other side of that lesson, and the one the disciples would learn first, was that self-confidence and unpreparedness are the way to certain spiritual defeat. Here we see that Jesus' disappointment and rebuke are obvious. (Osborne, G. R. (2010). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 982). Zondervan.) Poem: Glenda Fulton Davis said: "It's Not Always Easy": "It's not always easy to smile and be nice, When we are called to sacrifice. It's not always easy to put others first, Especially when tired and feeling our worst. It's not always easy to do the Father's will. It wasn't so easy to climb Calvary's hill. But we as His children, should learn to obey; Not seeking our own but seeking His way. It's not always easy to fight the good fight. But it is always good and it is always right!" (Glenda Fulton Davis as found in Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press) Finally, and only briefly, we see that the relationship between prayer & action is now seen through Christ's Dark Night of the Soul in: 3) His Strength (Matthew 26:45b-46) Matthew 26:45b-46. [45] (Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on). See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. [46] Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand." (ESV) The word See/behold is used to call attention to something. As Jesus walked back to the three disciples, the men coming to arrest Him were already within sight. In fact, they arrived "while He was still speaking" (v 47). As they approached, Jesus could make out the Roman soldiers from Fort Antonia and the chief priests and elders. Most clearly of all, He could see Judas, who led the motley contingent. These words are very significant... They reveal the sovereignty of Jesus. He is utterly in command. Far from being caught off guard, He announces what is about to happen-each time with a prefatory 'Behold!' (idou). Nor should readers be surprised. For Jesus has repeatedly prophesied these very events: see 17:22; 20:18; 26:2, 24). (Chamblin, J. K. (2010). Matthew: A Mentor Commentary (pp. 1326-1327). Mentor.) Please turn to 2 Corinthians With great sadness, Jesus said, "The hour is at hand." He was not sad because He was unwilling to face the cross but because He was about to become sin. And His sadness was made the more bitter because His beloved disciples would not stand with Him as He gave His all for them. With a strength made even more magnificent by its contrast with their weakness, the Son of Man graciously submitted to being betrayed into the hands of sinners. The consummation of His earthly ministry had arrived. (Beeke, J. R., Barrett, M. P. V., & Bilkes, G. M., eds. (2014). The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible (p. 1405). Reformation Heritage Books.) 2 Corinthians 5 summarizes the Gospel and what Jesus came to do: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (ESV) * Verse 21 summarizes the Gospel. For Jesus now in Matthew 26:46 there was nothing more that Jesus needed to do and nothing more the disciples were willing to do. He concluded by saying: Rise/Arise," and, "let us be going; see/behold, my betrayer is at hand!" Rather than being weakened and deterred by the temptations, Jesus became stronger and more resolved; and instead of waiting for His enemies to come to Him, He went out to meet them. This all shows Jesus' active submission to the Father's will, as He stated in v. 42. Jesus did not go reluctantly but with determination to do the Father's will (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson's new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1195). T. Nelson Publishers.). Matthew 26:36-46 gives the pattern and sequence in a crisis of spiritual tragedy, which may be summarized in the words: confidence, sleep, temptation, sin, and disaster. Self-confidence always opens the door to temptation. The first step of a believer's falling into sin is false confidence that one is able to be faithful to the Lord in his own power. Following self-confidence comes sleep, representing indifference to evil and lack of moral and spiritual vigilance. The sleeping believer has little concern for what he or she reads or listens to, even when it is clearly unchristian and debasing. The third step is temptation, which Satan's system is constantly ready to place in the way of God's people. As with Jesus, the temptation appeals to one's personal rights and calls for rebellion against God. The fourth step is sin, because a believer who is spiritually self-confident, who is indifferent to sin, and who does not turn to the Lord for help will inevitably fall into sin. No person, not even a Christian, has the capacity within himself to withstand Satan and avoid sin. The fifth and final stage in the sequence is disaster. Just as temptation that is not resisted in God's power always leads to sin, sin that is not confessed and cleansed leads to spiritual tragedy. That is the pattern the disciples followed that last night of Jesus' earthly life and that every believer follows when he or she does not depend wholly on the Lord. But this passage also contains the pattern for spiritual victory, manifested and exemplified by Jesus. The way of victory in a crisis, rather than tragic defeat is confidence in God rather than self, moral and spiritual vigilance rather than indifference, resisting temptation in God's power rather than in our own, and holding to obedience rather than to the rebellion of sin. In all of this we see that: God is in control of all these events, however tragic they may seem to others. Jesus is the Son of God who is suffering and dying. His death is humiliating but voluntary, an act of obedience fulfilling God's will. (Blomberg, C. (1992). Matthew (Vol. 22, p. 397). Broadman & Holman Publishers.) Let's pray: We ask, Father, that you'd help us today to give ourselves to you wholly because you gave yourself wholly to us. To not give ourselves wholly to the One who gave himself wholly for us is not just immoral; it's stupid. It's a crucifixion of the intelligence. We ask, therefore, that you would help us to respond to your Son proportionate to the way he responded to us. Let us give ourselves to him confident that through both his death and his life, both his doing and his dying, he has purchased for us an absolute great and complete salvation. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. (Keller, T. J. (2013). The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive. Redeemer Presbyterian Church.) (Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1989). Matthew (Mt 26:36-45). Chicago: Moody Press.) Closing Hymn: Abide with Me (v. 1, 3, 4) 099 Benediction: And now, may the Man of Sorrows Who came to reclaim ruined sinners, Who sealed your pardon with His blood, And made a full atonement for helpless we. Bless you from Zion all the days of your life, And direct your hearts into God's love and into the steadfastness of Christ. In His Name we Pray. Amen. (cf. 2 Thes. 3:5. Hymn Reference Hallelujah! What a Savior, Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876); TH p. 246) 1