Lent Midweek Worship - March 19 , 2025
Notes
Transcript
He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
Prayer - it is important to pray for what we want/need, but also acknowledge that God may have other plans and that it is okay.
While God is everywhere, special places may hold significance for prayer.
Even Jesus was not looking forward what is coming to be fulfilled. One gotta try!
Word for grief look it up - sleeping because of grief?
Lypee:
sorrow
grief
pain
disappointment
remorse
harsh
Pain of body or mind
In Septuagint: anxious toil, hardship, agony, grief, hurt….but also evil, wickedness, depravity…
The disciples are not spared from trials because of Jesuss suffering - we have to pray similarly to Jesus - save us from suffering, but not our will, but your will. However, thanks to Jesus, no trials are unsurmountable.
Good morning,
It’s time to jump ahead a bit - way past the rest of the ministry of Jesus, his triumphant entrance to Jerusalem, last supper with the disciples to the last quiet prayer time on the Mount of Olives before the betrayal, arrest, condemnation and the rest of Easter narrative leading up to his crucifixition, death, and resurrection. If this were a VHS tape, we would still have to wait for quite a bit before we get to this place, even with the fast forward function! And to go with the theme of a movie for a bit longer - this would equate to the last moments of preparation and tension building before the main protagonist plunges or is plunged into the pivotal moment of the movie. The murderer is exposed, a long lost friend appears, or perhaps a crucial truth is uncovered changing everything. But not yet, let’s hit the pause button for a second.
Once again, Jesus models a prayer to God - with boldness he prays for deliverance from the coming suffering, but with one breath also acknowledges that God’s will and design matter more. In other words - we plan and God changes. Not even Jesus is saved from the wishful what if - I think it would be startling if Jesus were all too eager to suffer. Yikes.
But Jesus is not the only protagonist in this gospel passage - it is also the disciples, they too play a role here, however badly. They have no lines, but they sure know how to fall asleep and the obvious contextually implied reasons are understandable - a secluded quiet place, plentiful dinner to digest, and probably at least a slight buzz from all that wine. The explicitly noted one that they fell asleep out of grief is a little bit less accessible, so let’s take a closer look.
The Greek word translated as grief has quite the range: sorrow, grief, pain, disappointment, remorse, harsh…and as one lexicon puts it: pain of body or mind. I think it is safe to say that the disciples probably had a mixture of these, pain in body AND mind from their travels and various experiences. I know I would!
But I think it is important what Jesus tells them as well - “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” I believe the message is not just for them, but for us as well.
We are to stay awake and pray, knowing well that the time of trial may come. As followers of Jesus, we are still in danger of trials - the sacrifice of Jesus as the ultimate scapegoat does not takes that away, but it does ensure that no trials are fatal.
As Christians we are called to care for our neighbor and the more one cares, the more trials may come. As Martin Luther wrote later in his life on the book of James: “Faith is everything and saves us that a man needs no more for his salvation. But he is on this account not idle, but labors much for the benefit of his neighbor and not for himself; for he does not need it, he has enough in Christ.” I think this is a good reminder for Lent - we have enough in Christ, but many others do not - I know all too well that my trans,nonbinary, immigrant, or neurodivergent friends are feeling quite a bit of fear and uncertainty in these times. And as someone that is sustained and encouraged by the Spirit, I feel it my responsibility to support and uplift them in whatever way I can. Lent is about reflection and repentance, but also a call to truly inhabit our world and be a part of it as redeemed and empowered sinners and saints. Let it be so. Amen.
