Jesus - Alone

Into

Rock and a hard place?

Stuck in a situation where any solution is as inaccessible as every other one.

Such was the case for Aaron Ralston. He was an outdoor enthusiast and loved mountaineering. One trip near Canyonlands National Park in UT he was repelling down into a narrow canyon. In his maneuvering, a large rock shifted and pinned the lower part of his arm against the canyon wall. We was stuck in a very remote area.

He tried for days to free himself. One day turned into two, then three. Even though he was rationing his food and water, he soon ran out of provisions and hope. At the end of the fifth day, he was convinced he would die there.

I can’t think of a more harsh, or stark example of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

There is for humanity, also a rock and a hard place. It’s not boulders but sin that pins us down. We are stuck with nothing but death to free us. Today we’ll read about that situation - what these great boulders are, and see the cost to set us free.

Pray

Mark 14:26–50 ESV

26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same. 32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” 43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” 45 And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 48 And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” 50 And they all left him and fled.

Jesus had just finished sharing a last meal with His disciples. A meal that promised deliverance. His disciples were all in, they leaned in, took His teaching to heart. But afterward, they went to the place they often went to pray - the Mount of Olives. This was just outside the city of Jerusalem. Their destination was a particular place on the mountain called the Garden Of Gethsemane.

Notice in this first section, on the path to the garden, the devotion of the disciples to Jesus and the Lord. They sang hymns and they declared their allegiance. But Jesus knew better.

Mark 14:27–31 “27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.”

They were all in - at least in their boasting. But their hearts and commitments would very soon be tested.

When they arrived at the garden, Jesus requested they stop and pray. Some on further away, and a few near by. Jesus’ prayer was painful, pleading, and sincere. His heart and mind were in agony - for He knew what was about to do.

Mark 14:34–36 “34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.””

Jesus knew that Judas’ betrayal was in full swing. That He must soon be arrested and killed. It’s striking, and honestly reassuring for me, to see that even Jesus had to wrestle with and agonize over the hard things He must do. Don’t think we will be able to follow Jesus without times of pain and prayer.

Following God is denying ourselves. We all try, and fail. But Jesus didn’t.

His disciples didn’t respond to the urgency of the situation well. Just before they said they would die for Jesus, but now they can’t even stay awake to pray with Him.

Let me zoom out for just a moment from the conversations and events of that night in that place to provide some illumination. This place they were praying is called the Mount of Olives. That’s because there was, and still is, orchards of olives trees on this mountain. They were at the Garden of Gethsemane - means ‘olive press’. This was a place where olive oil was made, some of which would have been used to light the temple to give light. There have been recent archeological finds of baths nearby. This would be for those who worked the press that they would be ceremonially clean, and keep the oil for the temple clean.

But there is another garden that is being paralleled. A garden with trees, that was clean, and that man was ushered out of. The Garden of Eden was where God placed man to enjoy His presence and the bounty of creation. That garden was the birthplace of man, and the birthplace of sin. God created us out of the dust of the ground, and now we see Jesus, in a garden, returning to the ground in deep pleading to The Father.

The first garden is saw the beginning of sin. The second garden holds the solution.

Returning to the passage, we see three times the disciples fall asleep. Three times Jesus wakes them and urges them to pray with Him. They are the last who have not left Him. His disciples in total numbered around 120 at the time. But likely only the 12 went with Him to the garden. And only three were near him. Now even these three wouldn fade away. When all have left, is everything lost? This is how He find’s Himself - Jesus: alone.

We’ll see what the disciples to when the betrayal comes. But they are the first example of our problem.

Stuck between a rock… - Abandoning Jesus.

Te disciples abandoned Jesus. They were still sitting there, but their hearts were not with Jesus.

Mark 14:37–38 “37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.””

There are all sorts of temptations that draw us away from the Lord. Jesus asked that they watch and pray. Sleep kept them from both. Are there things that keep us from watching from our appointed station, and praying for God’s will around us? Sleep keeps us from that. Maybe that sleep is just business, or spending all our time on other matters. Only to get to the end of the day and realize we have not kept watch; we have not interceded for those around us.

The world abandoned Jesus, His people abandoned Him, The religious leaders abandoned Him, most of His followers abandoned Him. And here, finally, In the garden, even His most committed disciples are falling away.

After three times of waking them, the betrayal was at hand.

Mark 14:43–44 “43 And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.””

If one danger of sin that traps us is abandonment, the other is...

… and a hard place. - Rebellion from God.

If abandoning Him is from apathy or indifference, rebellion is from hate and opposition. And that is what we see from Judas, and from the Jewish religious leaders. We can look at this betrayal and be appalled - and so we should. We can look at it and wonder how they could have missed who He was. We can look at it and be amazed at how self-centered they were to reject the Messiah to maintain their political control.

But, my friends, can I tell you that if we look clearly at ourselves, we will see ourselves in their actions. Do we deny the authority and person of Jesus in our choices? In our opinions? In how we treat or think about others?

When Jesus described the state of those who would be redeemed and those who would die in their rebellion, He said pointed to how they would treat others. Feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, visit the sick and imprisoned, clothe the naked. These are the evidences. But there are those who don’t. To them He said...

Matthew 25:44–46 “44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””

Rebellion doesn’t always look like clubs and swords. And it can look quite acceptable to the world.

These are our rock and hard place - abandonment and rebelion. Between them we are wedged - they have a death grip on us. We both choose them, and are slayed by them.

Aaron Ralston had his rock and a hard place. He wrote a book about it. And that should tell you one thing - he survived!

If you aren’t familiar with the story, let me share how that happened. He had tried everything He could to free himself, but found no success. On the fifth day he had ran out of food and water. He was cold, and could begin to see the effects of blood lose to his lower arm and hand. Resigned to die, he carved his name and the day he assumed he would die, then went to sleep.

That night, he dreamed of playing with his kids (though he had none at the time) and of missing part of his arm. He did not die that night. But waking in the morning, he spent an hour cutting off his own right arm, just above the rock. He was able to fashion a tourniquet and somehow walk 6 miles until he found another person. It cost him his own flesh to save his life.

We have been stuck between a rock and a hard place since the Garden of Eden. It is not part of us stuck, but the whole. We have nothing left to be free from our sin. So Jesus offered His flesh for our lives - that we might be free from our sin.

It was Jesus alone who lived sinlessly. Him alone who had a useful sacrifice. At the Garden of Gethsemane, the abandonment and rebelion was complete. ALL had turned. Turned against Him or turned to run. Mark 14:50 “50 And they all left him and fled.”

Jesus provides the hope in hopeless situation. He is the path between the rock and a hard place. He gives life to death. He is the living water, the way, the truth and the life.

And there is the OUR hope. When we see our schedules are full, our minds running, and our hearts hard. When in our own thoughts and actions we find conformity with the world and rebelion from God. When we have fallen away, fallen asleep, or fallen into temptation. Our hope is found in no other name - It’s Jesus alone!

He comes to call us back home. He can cover oh so much guilt!

James 5:19–20 “19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

And

1 Peter 4:7–8 “7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Christ is in us when we love one another. It’s HIS mercy, His love, His forgiveness we mirror. When we love each other. When we love our neighbor. When we love our enemy.

What marvelous love is this! That transforms a sinner, stuck between the rock and a hard place of sin INTO the very path of forgiveness to others.

It is my prayer that we all see what is was, and is, that Jesus saved us from. That we might proclaim that first hand redemption to those we love. Jesus alone!

Pray