Jesus's Garden Betrayal

Introduction

Introduce myself

Series in Mark: Following Jesus

Particularly in Prayer and in facing hardships

Proactive Prayer

The Trial is Predicted

Mark 14:27–31 (CSB)

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, because it is written:

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”

But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing.

Jesus knew what was coming...

He has told his disciples 3 times in ch 8-10 that he would be betrayed and murdered

Mark 8:23 “He spoke openly about this”

The time was coming and this was the final night before his crucifixion

Jesus took this time, the final hours before his mocking, rejection, humiliation, torture, and crucifixion to pray...

This is the last bit of peace and quiet Jesus will have until he raises from the dead

Jesus used his final hours to stay grounded in God’s Word and to pray

“Because it is written”

The same is true for us

We might not have the same terrors that Jesus -

A Promise of Jesus we don’t often bank on:

John 16:33 (CSB)

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

We, like the disciples, so often discount God’s word because we have other things in mind

When we have suffering in this world we think that it is bad and catches God off guard

Jesus had already promised that these things would come

We shouldn’t be surprised, we should be expectant

Like Peter says:

1 Peter 4:12–13 (CSB)

Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.

Proactive Prayer

What it is

Why it is important

Typically our prayer life can be boiled down to these three aspects

Anne Lamott:

Thank you, thank you, thank you Help me, help me, help me I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry

Prayer is our true weapon and power in the Christian life:

A.W. Tozer:

"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power"

Samuel Chadwick:

"Satan dreads nothing but prayer… He fears nothing from prayer-less Bible studies, prayer-less work, and prayer-less religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles hen we pray"

The Problem: Reactive Prayer

I think that at the core of the problem, what makes this difficult, is that we (usually) pray primarily as a reaction

We usually pray when we are under emotional distress and we run to God in prayer

Temptation strikes - God please deliver me

We sin - Oh God forgive me

We are uncertain about the future - God please give me wisdom

We are filled with joy - God thank you for this blessing

We are filled with anxiety - God help me to trust you

We are hurt by others - God help me to forgive this person

And the list goes on

Now I want to be 100% clear:

Praying reactively is not bad in itself! It is healthy!

If we don't bring things to God as they come up, it’s a sign we are not walking strong with Jesus We should be taking these things straight to the Lord

The problem is when our ENTIRE prayer life is a reaction to the world around us

EXPOUND: Think of a relationship

I think this is why we feel that guilt

Jesus’s Preparation (Prayer)

Mark 14:32–42 (CSB)

Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.”

He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And 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.”

Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. And again he came and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him.

Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up; let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”

Here we learn 3 things about how Jesus prays in the Garden

Petition - Persistence - Surrender

Petition

Mark 14:35–36 (CSB)

He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And 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.”

Jesus is:

Clear

Not veiled behind a bunch of words

Straightforward

Short

Addressing who is speaking to

Father

Acknowledging his power

Respecting his will

Persistence

Mark 14:35 (CSB)

He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

Mark 14:39 (CSB)

Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing.

Mark 14:41 (CSB)

Then he came a third time

Jesus prays three times!

The same prayer!

It makes me thing of Paul in 2 Cor 12

2 Corinthians 12:8 (CSB)

Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me.

God recognizes and honors our persistence

Not because he didn’t hear us the first time

But because it shows our dependence on him

We aren’t quickly praying then taking things into our own hands

Each time we are reminding ourselves to trust God

Surrender

Mark 14:36 (CSB)

And 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.”

Luke’s account give us some additional detail

Luke 22:41–46 (CSB)

Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation.”

Jesus isn’t persistent in his pray until he gets his way

He is persistent until he his fully surrendered to what God might want to do

So often we want to pray and pray until our circumstances change

But the real heart of prayer is aligning ourselves with God’s wants and will

“Prayer will sometimes change our circumstances but it should always change our heart”

And with that we reach a paradox in prayer:

Where does prayer and expectation for God to move end and our action begin?

There is a time for prayer and a time for action

Look at Jesus here:

He specifically asks for God to intervene and move

He prays with persistence multiple times

He surrenders the outcome in trust to God

He gets up and faces what comes next

He doesn’t sit around waiting for things to happen

He says:

Mark 14:41–42 (CSB)

Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up; let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”

Again, prayer might not have changed his circumstances, but it changed his heart

He was prepared and able to face the betrayal and humiliation that soon awaited him

So now the time has come

Jesus has been proactive in his prayers

The disciples were sleeping

How do they both react to the hour of temptation?

The Time Has Come

Mark 14:43–52 (CSB)

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.

His betrayer had given them a signal. “The one I kiss,” he said, “he’s the one; arrest him and take him away under guard.” So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.

They took hold of him and arrested him. One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture me? Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”

Then they all deserted him and ran away. Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.

The time of testing has come and we see the payoff of the time of preparation

Jesus who spent the time in prayer and surrender is able to peacefully submit to what is happening

The disciples either are surprised and take things into their own hands or run away, deserting Jesus

This is the battle before the battle that Jesus won

In the battlefield of prayer Jesus came out prepared for what would soon come

Isaiah 53:7 (CSB)

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth.

Like a lamb led to the slaughter

and like a sheep silent before her shearers,

he did not open his mouth.

Even though everyone had left him, his eyes were set on his mission

Conclusion

For you and me following Jesus, we must follow his life of prayer

Not just reactive prayer - bringing things to God as they come

But proactive prayer - expecting God to answer prayers in advance and prepare you for what awaits you

Examples:

You know something hard will come (like Jesus)

Pray for God’s will to be accomplished

Pray what you would like to see and submit it to God

You know something great is coming

Thank God in advance

Ask to be able to retrace the gift back to the gift giver

There is something unforeseen/anxiety producing in your future

Ask the God who knows all to work things out while we remain in the dark

Ask to be able to trust him when unforeseen things come up

There is a sin that you consistently struggle with

Ask God to lead you not into temptation and protect you

Ask him for strength when temptation comes not just as a reaction but in advance

Pray God into your day and see where he shows up

Expect to see God in the big and little things each day

Fruit

Like Jesus here, this sort of praying produces fruit in our lives

Calm peace

Assurance and confidence even when things seem to go wrong

Faith

Love for others even when they hurt you

“father forgive them for they know not what they do”

So pray!

We often don’t know what to pray for

But we can pray for any number of things

From big to small

This is a life that is marked by proactive prayer

I want to end with Jesus’s own teaching on this

Matthew 6:7–8 (CSB)

When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.

The deep love of the father

prayer as relational

God is with us our whole day

Prayer of Examen

Practicing the presence

circumstances vs heart