Journey to the Cross

The Agony of the King in Gethsemane

**Scripture:** Matthew 26:36-46 (LSB)

**Date:** April 6, 2025

**Theme:** Christ, the obedient King, submits to the Father’s will in agony, bearing our sin to secure our redemption.

**Goal:** Exalt Jesus as the sovereign Lord who faces suffering willingly, calling us to trust his sacrifice.

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

- "Our journey to the cross deepens. Week 1, Mark 8 showed Jesus resolute to suffer and rise. Week 2, Matthew 16 named him the Christ, building his church. Week 3, John 13 revealed his love, washing feet before dying. Last week, Psalm 118 and Matthew 21 hailed him King, riding in triumph toward rejection. Today, Matthew 26:36-46 takes us to Gethsemane—the King’s agony before the cross."

- "This isn’t weakness—it’s strength under pressure. Jesus faces the darkest hour, praying, sweating, submitting. The cross looms, but he doesn’t run. Old Testament promises point here—centuries of God’s plan crashing into this garden. Let’s see the King’s resolve and what it means for us."

2. Expositional Walkthrough of Matthew 26:36-46 (25-30 minutes)

A. Verses 36-39: The King’s Sorrow**

- "Then Jesus came with them to… Gethsemane… He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee… began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said… ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death…’ He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed… ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’"

- "Gethsemane—‘oil press’—a garden where olives get crushed, like sin’s weight on Jesus. He brings Peter, James, John—his inner circle—and feels it hit. ‘Grieved to death’—Psalm 42:5’s ‘Why are you cast down, O my soul?’ and Psalm 6:3’s ‘My soul is greatly dismayed’ hit harder here. Isaiah 53:3 calls him ‘a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief’—our guilt presses him down."

- "‘This cup’—God’s wrath, not just death. Jeremiah 25:15’s ‘cup of the wine of wrath’ and Ezekiel 23:33’s ‘cup of horror’—judgment Israel couldn’t bear—Jesus takes for us. Genesis 22:8’s ‘God will provide a lamb’—Abraham’s hope—is Jesus, the Lamb in the garden, facing the knife. Lamentations 1:12 cries, ‘See if there is any sorrow like my sorrow’—his agony fulfills it."

- "‘Not as I will, but as You will’—submission, like Psalm 40:8, ‘I delight to do Your will, O my God.’ He’s sovereign—leads them there—but human, feeling the crush. His sorrow’s our salvation, promised from Eden."

B. Verses 40-44: The King’s Persistence**

- "And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping… ‘So, you could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying…’ He went away again a second time and prayed… ‘My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.’… He left them again, and prayed a third time…"

- "Disciples sleep—Psalm 69:20, ‘I looked for comforters, but found none,’ and Psalm 88:18, ‘Friend and neighbor You have removed’—Jesus is alone, like Job 19:13-14’s forsaken man under God’s hand. ‘Keep watching’—he’s the Passover Lamb of Exodus 12:13, whose blood saves, but they sleep through the vigil. He prays again—three times, like Daniel 6:10’s steadfast prayers facing lions."

- "‘If this cannot pass unless I drink it’—Leviticus 17:11’s ‘life of the flesh is in the blood’ demands atonement; Numbers 19:2’s red heifer sacrifice prefigures it—Jesus must bleed. Psalm 143:7-8, ‘Answer me quickly… let me hear Your lovingkindness’—he clings to the Father."

- "He’s the King who persists—praying through, bearing what we couldn’t. His will bends to God’s, fulfilling every OT cry for deliverance."

C. Verses 45-46: The King’s Readiness**

- "Then He came to the disciples and said… ‘Are you still sleeping… Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!’"

- "Third time—sleepers still. ‘The hour is at hand’—Mark 8:31’s prediction meets Habakkuk 2:3’s ‘appointed time.’ ‘Son of Man’—Daniel 7:13’s ruler, now betrayed, as Psalm 41:9 mourns, ‘My close friend… has lifted his heel against me’—Judas fulfills it. Micah 7:6’s ‘man’s enemies are of his own household’ stings here."

- "‘Get up, let us go’—no hiding. Isaiah 50:7, ‘I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be ashamed’—he’s ready. 2 Samuel 7:13’s ‘throne forever’—his kingdom rises through this fall. Deuteronomy 21:23’s ‘cursed is everyone hanged on a tree’—he’ll bear it."

- "He’s the King who rises—not to flee, but to face it, securing victory through death, fulfilling God’s ancient word."

3. Theological Reflection (5-7 minutes)

- "Gethsemane fulfills the covenant—Genesis 3:15’s seed takes the bruise, Isaiah 53’s servant drinks the cup, Psalm 40’s obedient son submits. He’s our redemption, from Eden to the garden."

- "Reformed truth—his agony’s ours paid. We rest in his will, not ours. The cross triumphs—sin dies, AD 70 seals it, resurrection’s coming with Hosea 6:2’s ‘third day’ hope."

- "His obedience is our life—he bore the press, so we’re free, tying every OT thread."

4. Conclusion and Response (5 minutes)

- "The Agony of the King—Jesus prayed, suffered, obeyed—for us. He’s the Christ who faced the cup—your Lord, your Savior. Trust him in awe."

- "This week, ponder Matthew 26—lean on his sacrifice, pray his will, rest in his resolve. He endured."

- "He drank the cup, died, and will rise. His victory’s sure. Praise him!"

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