The Agony in the Garden

Introduction

Today, we gather to reflect on one of the most significant events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ - the Gethsemane Cup. The cup that Jesus drank on that fateful night in the Garden of Gethsemane was not a mere physical cup but a symbolic representation of the suffering and sacrifice He had to undergo for the salvation of humanity. Let us read the scripture and then delve deeper into the cup's contents, the cup's consumption, and the cup's communion.

Transition

After the Last Supper, Jesus took the eleven disciples—Judas had already departed to tend to his despicable business—and they went to the garden. On the way to the Garden of Gethsemane ("oil press"), Jesus warned the disciples that they would all forsake Him, but He then assured them that He would meet them again in Galilee after His resurrection. He even quoted Zechariah 13:7— "Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered"—to back up His warning. Verse 31

All the disciples declared that they would die before denying Jesus. A few hours later, however, they all scattered. Talk is cheap. It is easy to say we are devoted to Christ, but our claims are meaningful only when tested in the crucible of persecution. Is your faith strong enough to stand up under intense trial?

Jesus was in great anguish over his approaching physical pain, separation from the Father, and death for the sins of the world. The divine course was set, but he still struggled in his human nature.

Because of the anguish Jesus experienced, he can relate to our suffering. Jesus' strength to obey came from his relationship with God the Father, who is also the source of our strength.

What does it take to say, "I want your will to be done"?

It takes firm trust in God's plans; it takes prayer and obedience each step of the way. Our Lord's struggle in the Garden can be understood only in the light of what would happen to Him on the cross: He would be made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and bear the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13).

It was not the physical suffering that almost overwhelmed Him with "anguish and sorrow," but the thought of being forsaken by His Father (Mark 15:34). This was "the cup" that He would drink (John 18:11).

According to Hebrews 5:7–9, He asked to be saved, not "from death" but out of death; that is, raised from the dead; and the Father granted His request. Jesus was still prepared to suffer humiliation, separation from his Father, and death to do God's will.

The Contents of the Cup

Firstly, the contents of the cup. The cup symbolized the bitter cup of suffering that Jesus had to drink for the redemption of humanity.

So, what was in the cup?

The cup was the fact that Jesus was going to become sin for the world, and we really don't know what all that involves. We speak about it, and we contemplate it, but nobody can understand what that is like for the holy Son of God to come in contact with sin. He who was with sinners in life will now stand in their stead in His death.

The sin of the ages was in that cup. My sin and your sin were in that cup. Suppose we were to go through this congregation this morning and put your sin in it, and yours, and yours, until we covered the whole congregation, and then the sin of the town, the sin of the state, the sin of the nation, the sin of the world. And say, "Jesus, drink it. Drink it. Become sin, not just bear sin, but become sin."

Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian, said that Jesus Christ looked into the furnace of God's wrath and the fury of God's wrath, and He looked into that furnace, knowing that it was into it that He soon would be thrown. And so, Jesus began to see what He would have to go through.

For us to grasp that even a little bit, think of it this way: Those who are in hell and will be in hell will suffer for all of eternity——a lot of suffering and suffering that lasts for all of eternity. Now take that length of suffering and squish it together into three hours during the darkness when God turned His face away from the Son. Think of squishing that into three hours and bearing all that in that period of time. Think of that. Jesus is praying to the Father, saying, "Father, if there is some other way." You'll notice that the text says, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

He knew that He had to drink the cup to take the punishment of sin for all of us. And when he did, God, the Father, would have to treat him as if He had committed the sins of all the people. That's why the Bible says in Romans 8:32 that God spared not his own Son.

The Consumption of the Cup

Secondly, the consumption of the cup. Jesus willingly drank the cup's contents, even though it meant enduring unimaginable pain and agony. He was betrayed by one of His disciples, denied by another, and abandoned by all. He was mocked, beaten, and humiliated, and finally, He was crucified on the cross. He drank the cup of suffering to the dregs, bearing the weight of our sins and taking upon Himself the punishment that we deserved.

Jesus offered Himself and said that He would go through it, and thankfully, He did because if not, you and I would not be redeemed today. He paid the price for you. You will never know the agony that the Son of God endured on the cross. He didn't have to die. He had a choice. Jesus said that no man can take his life, but that he lay it down himself. Jesus was the only man who chose to die.

Adam, following Satan in the Garden of Eden, said, "Not thy will, but mine," and ruined the human race. Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane the last Adam, said, "Not my will, but thine," and redeemed the race. That is the consumption of the cup. Jesus Christ willingly, voluntarily, and victoriously said, "Not my will, but thine." Praise God!

I want you all to understand this: God will never overlook sin. God is holy, and He has sworn that sin will be punished by His holiness. All sin is punished. No sin goes unpunished. If God were to let one sin go unpunished, then He would no longer be holy.

The Communion of the Cup

Lastly, the communion of the cup. This is the cup we learned about last Sunday at the Last Supper. Jesus commanded His disciples to drink from the cup, saying, "This is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Through the communion of the cup, we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and we participate in the new covenant that He established with His blood.

When we observe Communion, we remember that He drank the cup of sin so that we might have the cup of redemption. And so there is the content of the cup, the consumption of the cup, and the communion of that cup.

God forbid that we should fail to be moved by Gethsemane. Jesus said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." Had not an angel come to minister to Him, He would have died there. He was in such distress that blood was dripping from His brow. His heart was broken.

In reading this scene we can believe that the victory of the cross was won in Gethsemane, not on Calvary. The victory was paid for at Calvary. Here, we see Jesus fully human and fully divine, wrestling with Himself. And His love for you and me won!

Jesus wrestled for me. I want to wrestle for Him. Don't you? Am I a soldier of the cross? I want to be. As I look at dark Gethsemane, I'll tell you two things it tells me.

1. I want to HATE sin.

2. I want to LOVE Jesus Christ.

And so should every one of us. Let us strive to live our lives in a way that honors Jesus's sacrifice. May we always remember the words of Jesus, "Take and drink; this is my blood, which is poured out for you." Amen.