From Gethsemane to Golgotha
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Today we are stepping away from the Sermon on the Mount for a moment. God has laid something on my heart and we are going to look at what took place before the Crucifixion, specifically what took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. I want us to understand the importance of what took place, I think sometimes we move to quickly past parts of Scripture. It is here for a reason so lets dive in.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
Gethsemane means oil press or olive press, the place Jesus took His 11 disciples after they had taken the Passover meal. John describes it as a garden—so it was probably a Olive tree grove located on the West slop of the Mount of Olives. He had 8 of His disciples stay and He took 3 with Him further into the garden, Peter, James and John. As they moved away from the others Jesus begins to become emotional — we see His humanity— sorrowful and troubled or distressed. We must remember Jesus is fully man and fully God. the moment Jesus had been born for was quickly approaching.
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Jesus expresses His sorrow to His three friends and asks them to watch with Him. He was “sorrowful even to death” His heart was breaking because of what He was about to endure for mankind. Luke records that “He prayed more earnestly and His tears became as drops of blood”. Jesus being fully man was experiencing intense sadness. He knew what was coming and it troubled Him. He goes a little farther to be by Himself and then falls prostrate and prays to His Father. Notice His posture is one of humility and reverence to God the Father. He pleads with His Father openly and honestly if there is another way let it be. Then you see Jesus obedience to the Father, not My will but yours. The perfect Son desired for God’s will to be accomplished over His own desires. Even in His sorrow and time of trouble Jesus sets an example for us. God’s will should be a priority in our lives. Obedience-ultimate obedience. If Jesus was not fully human in mind, body, emotions etc. then He could not stand in our place as our substitute for sin and as our representative before the Father. He was fully human.
40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
He returns to find the three asleep and we see a little bit of disgust towards them. they could not stay watchful for an hour. Jesus then tells Peter watch and pray. Their flesh was weak, so Jesus encourages them to do better. He was not just referring to them staying awake physically, they were on the verge of entering into temptation to deny and abandon Him, and they needed God’s help to stand fast. Without prayerful dependence on God and continual spiritual watchfulness, the flesh would win at the first moment of weakness.
42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.
Jesus again prays for the Fathers will to be done.
44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Jesus prayed for several hours asking God the Father for another way, but ultimately humbling Himself in obedience to God’s plan. He prays three different time with a bit of a progression, 1st He asks if it is possible to let it pass—then He moves to if this cannot pass I will obey because it’s your will Father.
The Cup
The Cup
39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
In several OT passages “the cup” represents God’s wrath like in Isaiah 51 and Jeremiah 25. The cup is used to pour out God’s wrath and judgment on sin. The cup that Jesus is referring to in the garden is that of God’s wrath on humanities sin. All of God’s wrath poured out onto His own Son for you and I. Jesus was not just distressed about the physical suffering He was about to endure. He was about to experience something He had never experienced —God’s wrath and separation from the Father— it was not just about the physical pain and death. in one moment the perfect harmony of God the Father and God the Son was interrupted as Jesus was separated from God by our sins.
The Connection
The Connection
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
It is in this moment that the distress and sorrow that Jesus felt in the Garden came to pass. When he bore our sins on the cross He took God’s wrath upon Himself. Charles Spurgeon puts it this way. “the whole of the punishment of his people was distilled into one cup; no [mere] mortal lip might give it so much as a solitary sip. When he put it to his own lips, it was so bitter, he well nigh spurned it: “Let this cup pass from me.” But his love for his people was so strong and his commitment to the Father’s will was so steadfast that he took the cup in both hands, and “At one tremendous draught of love, he drank damnation dry”.
From Gethsemane to Golgotha
From Gethsemane to Golgotha
Jesus took our sin upon Himself, giving us the opportunity for our relationship with God to be restored. He was painfully obedient to the Father’s plan.
