Matthew 26:36-46

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 5:7-10

Introduction

I’ve Got 2 Questions for You

Maybe You’ve Pondered These Questions Before

They Don’t have Objective Answers

Each Person’s Answer to These Questions will Be Personal & Subjective

What’s Interesting about These 2 Questions is…

When You First Hear Them…

You’ll Likely have a Gut Reaction to Answer “Yes” or “No”

But Once You Start to Really Think about it…

It’s Not So Easy to Give a Definite Answer

If You could, Would You Want to Know When You will Die?

If the Answer You Received was:

“When You’re 120 Years Old”…

Then I Guess I’d Be Glad to Know

But if the Answer was:

“Tomorrow”…

It would Be Devastating!

I’d Rather Not Know that

If You could, Would You Want to Know How You will Die?

If the Answer You Received was:

“Peacefully in Your Sleep”…

Then I’d Be Glad to Know

But if the Answer was:

“Due to a Long Battle with a Horribly Painful & Debilitating Disease”…

Then I Think I’d Rather Be Left in the Dark

The Reason I Bring Up this Little Thought Experiment is Because…

In Our Text, Jesus Knows When & How He is Going to Die

And Like Every Single One of Us would Be…

He is Deeply Grieved Over it

So Grieved that He Pleads with God…

To Save Him from His Fate

Matthew 26:36-46

This is the Last Time We See Jesus Alone with His Disciples…

Until After His Resurrection

Last Week, We Listened to Jesus’ Discussion with the Disciples…

As They Left the Upper Room in Jerusalem…

And Went to the Mount of Olives

On Their Little Journey…

Jesus Tells Them that They will All Forsake Him & Scatter

We’ll See that Take Place Next Week

But in Our Text this Morning…

We’re Going to See the Sheer Emotional Agony…

That Jesus Faced “In Gethsemane Alone”

Matthew 26:36 (NASB95)

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

They’ve Reached Their Destination on the Mount of Olives:

An Estate Called “Gethsemane” = “Oil Press”

John’s Account Calls it a Garden

It was Probably a Walled Olive Orchard

John’s Account Also Tells Us that Judas…

Although He wasn’t with Them…

Knew They were There…

Because They would Meet There Often

So, this Olive Orchard Might’ve Belonged to a Disciple of Jesus

They Came to this Garden Because…

Jesus Wanted to Spend Some Time Praying There

And He Wanted to Pray in Private…

So He Told His Disciples to Wait Where They were

Matthew 26:37–38 (NASB95)

37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”

Jesus Wanted to Be Alone, But Not Entirely Alone

He Took His 3 Closest Friends with Him:

Peter, James, & John

Once He’s Alone with Them…

We See Him Really Open Up about How He’s Feeling

He’s Under an Incredible Amount of Emotional Stress…

And He Needs His Closest Friends with Him

He Tells Them that He’s:

“Deeply Grieved, to the Point of Death”

There’s a Few Different Ways to Interpret that:

“I’m So Deeply Grieved that I could Die!”

“I’m So Deeply Grieved that it’s Killing Me!”

“I’m Scared to Death!”

Regardless of the Exact Meaning of His Phrase…

I Think We All Get it, Don’t We?

He’s Under an Incredible Amount…

Of Stress, Fear, Emotional Turmoil

Luke Describes Jesus’ Sweat Like Great Drops of Blood

He’s So Distressed that He’s Sweating Profusely

And What He Wants from His 3 Best Friends…

Is for Them to Stay Nearby & Keep Watch (“Stay Awake”) with Him

When Going Through Something Life-Shattering & Scary…

The Last Thing You Want to Be is Alone

Companionship is Incredibly Important in Times of Fear/Suffering

Jesus Needed the Support of His Friends

Matthew 26:39 (NASB95)

39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

So Jesus Left the Bulk of the Disciples in the Garden…

Then Took Peter, James, & John a Little Further with Him

Then He Went (According to Luke’s Account)…

About a Stone’s Throw Away from Them

That’s When He Threw Himself on the Ground in Prayer

When You Throw Your Face to the Ground in Prayer…

You’re Humbly Begging from the Depths of Your Soul to God

What He Prayed was:

“My Father, if it is Possible, Let this Cup Pass from Me”

In OT Prophets Like Isaiah & Jeremiah…

“The Cup” Often Referred to:

God’s Anger, Wrath, & Judgement…

Coming Upon a Certain People/Nation

The Past 2 Weeks, We’ve Seen Jesus:

Reveal that He’s Going to Die a Sacrificial Death

Quote a Prophecy from Zechariah that Revealed…

That God is Going to Be the One to Kill Him

Taking Both of Those Thoughts Together, We See:

God is Going to Offer Jesus as a Sacrifice

God’s Wrath Against the Sins of the World…

Is Going to Come Down on Jesus

And that Wrath is Going to Come Upon Jesus in the Form of:

Mocking/Humiliation

Spitting/Beatings/Whippings

Crucifixion

This is the Cup that Jesus is Referring to:

“My Father, if it’s Possible…”

“Remove Your Wrathful Judgment from Me”

In the Few Moments He has Left…

Before God’s Wrathful Judgment Begins…

Jesus Wants a Way Out

He Doesn’t Want to have to Go Through this

“Yet Not as I Will, But as You Will”

“Don’t Do What I Want, Do What You Want”

“If There’s Any Possible Way that I Don’t have to Go Through with this…”

“Father, Please Make it So!”

“But I Surrender My Will to Your’s”

Jesus is More Committed to What the Father Wants…

Than What He Wants

“Father, this is What I Want”

“But I Completely Surrender to What You Want”

Matthew 26:40–42 (NASB95)

40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

After Jesus Prays for a While…

He Finds His 3 Friends Sleeping

He Tells Them to “Stay Awake & Pray”

Why?

So They wouldn’t Be Tempted

What will They Be Tempted to Do?

As Jesus Mentioned Last Week:

To Forsake/Disown Him

They Need to Stay Awake & Be Praying Like Jesus is Praying…

If They Want Any Hope of Staying Faithful…

In the Trial that They’re about to Face

Did You Notice How Jesus’ 2nd Round of Prayer…

Is Different from His First Round?

His 1st Prayer was:

“Let this Cup Pass from Me”

His 2nd Prayer was:

“If this Cup Cannot Pass Away Unless I Drink it, Your Will Be Done”

What’s the Difference?

He’s Coming to Mentally & Emotionally Accept His Fate

At 1st, He Seems Shaken, Scared, & Uncertain

But Now His Purpose & Determination is Being Renewed/Restored

Luke Tells Us that While He was Praying…

God Sent an Angel to Strengthen Him

I Believe We’re Seeing the Result of that Here

And that’s Exactly What He Wants for His Disciples

“Wake Up & Be Praying!”

“You’re Going to Need the Renewed Strength & Determination…”

“That Comes Through Prayer”

One of the Greatest Blessings of Prayer…

Is that Renewed Determination/Boldness…

That Comes Through Focusing Your Mind on God & His Will

Jesus Knows that:

Their Spirits are Willing, But Their Flesh is Weak

Their Inner Person Eagerly/Zealously Desires…

To Remain Faithful/Loyal to Jesus

To Stick By His Side Through Thick & Thin

From Their Spirits They Said:

“We’ll Die with You Before We Ever Forsake/Disown You!”

But Their Flesh is Weak

And if They Don’t Stay Awake/Alert…

And Renew Their Determination in Prayer…

Their Flesh is Going to Win the Battle Against Their Spirit

Jesus’ Spirit is Eager/Willing to Do God’s Will…

But, His Flesh Wants Out

That’s Why He Spent this Time in Prayer

To Be Strengthened & Renew His Determination to Obey God

From this Point Onward…

We’ll Not See So Much as a Glimpse of Reluctance from Jesus

In the Upcoming Weeks…

We’ll See Him Steadfastly & Courageously…

Drink the Cup of God’s Wrath

Matthew 26:43–46 (NASB95)

43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Peter, James, & John are Simply Unable to Keep Themselves Awake

So Jesus Goes Back & Prays for a 3rd Time

I Think Matthew Wants Us to Notice a Contrast Between:

Jesus’ 3 Prayers & Peter’s 3 Denials

When He Gets Back, He Wakes Them Up with:

“Get Up! My Betrayer is on His Way to Get Me”

“My Time has Come”

Application

In this Text, Jesus Reveals a Very Deep/Serious Problem

A Problem the Disciples Faced…

And a Problem that We Still Face Today

Jesus Worded it this Way:

“The Spirit is Willing, But the Flesh is Weak”

Paul Perfectly Describes this Problem…

In Words of Great Desperation…

In His Letter to the Romans:

Romans 7:14–24 (ESV)

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

If You’re a Disciple of Jesus…

You Understand What Paul is Describing All Too Well

When We Placed Our Faith in Jesus…

Repented of Our Sins…

And were Baptized into Him…

We Set Our Hearts/Minds/Spirit…

On Submitting to Him as Our Master & King

Our Sins were Washed Away

We were Born Again as a New Creation in God’s Family

And Our Spirits were Renewed/Restored

From that Point…

Our Innermost (Spiritual) Desire has Been…

To Obey King Jesus & to Please Our Father

But Our Flesh/Bodies are Still…

Fallen, Weak, & Susceptible to Temptation/Sin

That Means, Just as Paul Described…

There’s a Constant War that Takes Place Within Us

The Desires of Our Fallen Flesh Pull Us in One Direction…

And Our True Desires…

The Desires of Our Renewed Spirits…

Pull Us in Another

I Fully Understand the Desperation & Hopelessness of Paul’s Statement:

Romans 7:24 (CSB)

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

But, We aren’t Hopeless

Romans 7:25–8:1 (NASB95)

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. 1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Chapter 8 Goes on to Say that…

Jesus Came & Took on Weak, Sin-Tempted Flesh, Like Us…

And Defeated Sin & Death By Setting His Mind on the Spirit

Those of Us Who Set Our Minds on the Things of the Spirit…

Instead of on the Desires of Our Flesh…

Are Saved By the Grace of God Saved

There is No Condemnation for Us

That Doesn’t Mean Our Spirit will Always Defeat Our Flesh

It Means Quite the Opposite

We’ll Still Be Tempted & Sin

But When Our Hearts/Minds/Spirits…

Are Focused on Submitting to the Will of God

Sin & Death have No Hold on Us

Jesus has Freed Us from that Slavery

Christianity isn’t about Being Perfect

It’s about Trusting in & Submitting to the One Who is

That’s Where There is No Condemnation

As I Close Out the Lesson…

I Want to Paint a Scene for You:

The Human Son of God is in a Garden

He is Facing an Incredibly Difficult Temptation

The Temptation to Do What God Wants…

Or to Do What He Wants

And the Fate of the World Rests Upon His Decision

I’m Describing the Story We Just Read

But I’m Also Describing the Story of Adam

The One Major Difference in These 2 Stories is:

One Son of God Fell on His Face…

And Prayed to & Surrendered His will to the Father

And the Other Son of God Didn’t

One Son of God Chose His Own Will Over God’s…

Which Sent the World into a Downward Spiral…

Of Sin, Evil, Chaos, & Death

The Other Son of God Chose God’s Will Over His Own…

Which is Leading to the Restoration of the World

No More Sin

No More Evil

No More Chaos

No More Death

The Garden of Gethsemane is the Reversal of the Garden of Eden

And it was All Made Possible…

Because the Son of God Set His Mind/Spirit…

On the Will of the Father…

And Surrendered His Will to God’s

The Resurrection to Eternal Life…

And the Restoration of All Things…

Is Available to Those Who Do the Same