Strength in Surrender

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Big Idea: Our greatest strength is found in honest surrender to God who transforms our fears into faith in Him and resilience as we seek His guidance in adversity.

Over the course of this week, Jesus has traveled daily between some place on the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem (Luke 21:37). The Mount of Olives is just east of the city and overlooks Jerusalem. It seems like He would retreat to the mount in order to have more quiet time with His disciples and rest. On this night, He goes to pray. In this time of prayer He demonstrates…

Seeking Solitude for Strength (39-41)

I think it’s not so much that He is trying to be completely alone, but that He is seeking some time where He can focus in prayer. Over the course of our study in Luke, we’ve witnessed Jesus going away, even going to mountains to pray several times.

Luke 5:16 - reveals that Jesus had a habit or pattern of going to desolate places to pray

Luke 6:12 - Jesus retreated to a mountain to pray before selecting those who would be his disciples/apostles

Luke 9:18 - Jesus was praying alone (with His disciples close by) when He asked them who people say that He is - it was then that Peter acknowledged that He was the Christ.

Luke 9:28-29 - He went up to the mountain with Peter and John to pray - it was there that He was transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared, along with the voice of God.

Luke 11:1 - Jesus had been praying “in a certain place” and His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

The passage we’re considering today is the final instance in Luke’s gospel where we see Jesus praying.

Jesus made it a habit of going away - changing His environment to pray. Luke notes that Jesus also knelt down as He prayed.

There is something profound that happens when we change our environment and our posture in prayer.

By changing our environment, we remove distractions and give ourselves an opportunity to focus our attention specifically. We may not be able to do this each day, but I do think that periodically, we would be helped in our times of prayer if we would change our environment.

go to a different room in the house

go outside

go up to Sugarloaf or out to the River or simply to a park.

Put the phone down, turn it off and get away.

But as Jesus modeled here, I believe our prayer lives are helped when we change our posture as well. I know, some of us can’t kneel down - or at least for long periods of time - but we can change where we are.

There was a season recently when changed up how I was doing my morning devotions - I moved to a different room, sat at a desk. This gave me a good place and posture to make notes more easily in my bible and even to write out some of my prayers.

kneeling suggests an attitude of submission

laying face down on the floor suggests utter dependance on God

standing communicates an attitude of respect but also a familiarity as one friend to another.

In these moments of utter need, Jesus sought solitude with the Father in order to gain strength from the Father. He changed His environment and His posture as He communed with God.

But secondly, we get to witness Jesus…

Submitting to Sovereignty (42, 44)

His plea was that the Father would “remove this cup” from Him. He was pleading to be freed from the suffering and pain that He would endure.

But what is this cup? Several commentators suggest two options - wrath and suffering.

Cup of Wrath

In the OT, this kind of cup referred to God’s wrath - His punishment for sinfulness.

Isaiah 51:17 ESV

Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering.

Jeremiah 25:15 ESV

Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

There are several other references to the cup of God’s wrath in this way. God was punishing His people for their sinfulness.

We don’t often like to think about this aspect of God - His justice. We like to reflect on His steadfast love and kindness - and He is. We see it in so many ways. And yet just as a father or mother deeply loves a child and shows that love in discipline when needed (some call that tough love), so too, we should expect that when the Holy, Perfect, Loving and Just God of the universe is rejected by His people by their sin, His just judgement is discipline, wrath. For the Israelites, this was revealed in exile and conquest by other nations. For all humans, this is ultimately revealed in death - Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death.”

This is the cup of wrath.

There is another sense in which this cup is a…

Cup of Suffering

In other words, this is the physical, emotional, relational pain that God’s people would endure.

Habakkuk 2:16 ESV

You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!

In many ways, these two cups go hand in hand. The wrath of God for people’s sinfulness resulted in shame and grief that the people would experience.

In a sense, Jesus is drinking a cup of suffering as he will endure a criminal’s punishment - not for His sake, but for ours. He is drinking the cup of God’s wrath as His eternal, divine life is snuffed out in death. The One who should not have died, would die on our behalf.

Anyabwile suggests another description of this cup and that is a…

Cup of Rejection

In this, as Jesus takes on Himself the wrath of God on behalf of all of humanity and experiences the agonizing suffering that accompanies crucifixion, He also experiences the rejection of the Father. As the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world bears that His, He also bears our shame. On the cross He will quote Psalm 22:1

Psalm 22:1 ESV

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Here in the garden, as Jesus pleads His case before the Father - He knows that He will endure more than just physical torture and pain - He will endure the wrath for all humanity. In this though, He also submits His life to the Father’s will.

“Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (42).

He knew that this would hurt more than words can express, and yet He willingly endured that in order to eternally atone for our sin.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

While Jesus submitted to the Father’s will for us, He also gives us a good example for our attitude toward God in prayer - submission.

The believers in the book of Acts, as they faced severe persecution, they prayed for boldness - not safety (Acts 4:29-30). When we face challenges, I do think it’s okay to pray for relief, healing, restoration - but more than that, I think it’s important that we pray for strength to endure the trial that God ordains. We should pray that God is glorified through our trials. When we willingly submit to the trial that God ordains - our faith is strengthened and others are drawn in.

Paul notes at different times that in his suffering he is filling up what is lacking in others faith (Col. 1:24). It’s not that Christ’s suffering was insufficient, but that the people who witness Paul’s suffering see in his life his faith in Christ. Suffering carries with it both a risk and a reward.

Piper notes:

“All experiences of suffering in the path of Christian obedience, whether from persecution or sickness or accident, have this in common: they all threaten our faith in the goodness of God and tempt us to leave the path of obedience. Therefore, every triumph of faith and all perseverance in obedience are testimonies to the goodness of God and the preciousness of Christ - whether the enemy is sickness, Satan, sin, or sabotage.”

(Piper, 267)

The cup that Jesus would endure was for God’s glory and for our good, so he willingly submitted - even in the face of excruciating agony.

And yet in his submission, Jesus receives…

Support in Suffering (43)

I mentioned in the midweek email about some of the literary tools that the writers of Scripture use to grab our attention. Here Luke seems to use two - inclusio and chiasm.

In the inclusio there are two themes that are seemingly identical - in this case they really are identical - “pray that you may not enter into temptation” (vs. 40, 46). Those statements bracket something.

In the chiasm, the author uses a sort of mirror technique to point us to something in the middle. Notice the chiasm that is in these verses.

A - “pray that you may not enter into temptation” (40)

B - “he withdrew” (41)

C - “ he knelt down to pray” (41)

D - “saying…” (prayer) (42)

E - “there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.” (45)

D’ - “”he prayed more earnestly…” (44)

C’ - “he rose up from prayer” (45)

B’ - “he came…” (45)

A’ - “pray that you may not enter into temptation” (46)

Luke beautifully balances his retelling/summation of Jesus time of prayer in order to focus on the support He receives in the face of His grief.

There are some who make the whole prayer/support as the central focus - and I think that is appropriate as well. But I think we need to see that while God’s answer to prayer was not relief, but strength, support, aid.

Heaven mobilizes when we humbly submit ourselves to the Father’s will when we pray.

Our prayers are not perfunctory. Prayer is our opportunity to connect with God, to verbalize our requests, concerns, praises and more. God is not deaf when we call out to Him. He may not respond in the way that we want Him to, but we should remember - He hears. He sees. He acts. He sends aid.

Jesus is not the only one who received this kind of aid.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had just finished contending with the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel and prophesying for the return of rain. Even with this victory, he was still afraid, given the threats on his life. Exhausted from the contest, he was weak and worn out.

1 Kings 19:4–8 ESV

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

We may not get to experience the presence of angels as our heavenly waiters in time of hunger or our encourager when we are weak, but we have support in our suffering. We are never alone.

So, here in the garden on the Mt. of Olives, Jesus took time alone to gain strength from the Father. He willingly submitted to the Father’s will - even in the face of great agony and turmoil. He received support from above in the suffering He would soon encounter. Finally, this little passage reminds us that we should be…

Staying Spiritually Steadfast (45-46)

Twice in this passage, Jesus has told His disciples that they should pray so that they will not fall into temptation. He may have been specifically referring to the temptation to sleep. The long day and difficult discussions had left them with sorrow or distress. He may have been referring to the temptation that would befall them shortly to deny Him or to abandon Him. He may have been talking about the general presence of temptations that could bombard them at any time.

This is a good reminder for us as well. We need to be vigilant in prayer, especially in the face of temptation.

How do we do this?

Follow Jesus example -

Community - while Jesus would retreat to pray, He was often not far from His disciples. In a similar way - we need to press into the community that we have. The COVID pandemic, Smart Phones, and Personalized entertainment have isolated us in ways that are dangerous. The secret ways that we live our lives has made us too comfortable with being alone. If you’re finding that too much of your time is spent alone, then change something up - have lunch with someone, if you’re in town, join us on Tuesday for ISI, get plugged into a community group, go walking with someone.

Honesty - with ourselves, with God, with each other - about our weaknesses. Jesus was honest with Peter about the threats that he would encounter - Peter eventually honestly addressed his weakness.

Accountability - invite another brother or sister in Christ to come along side and pray with you and for you, especially in times of weakness.

Prayer - When Jesus tells the disciples to rise and pray, he is urging them to get up, to change their state and keep on praying. When Jesus prayed to the Father, He didn’t simply pray once and let it go, He kept praying. In fact the other gospels note that Jesus went between his place of prayer and the disciples three times.

Closing thoughts

On the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He spent some time in prayer in order to gain strength from the Father. He plead for relief and yet ultimately submitted to the plan that would lead to our redemption. He received support from and angel. In all of this, Jesus shows us how we can remain steadfast in the face of the temptations that we face.

Let’s pray.

Benediction

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Questions for reflection and discussion

Read: Luke 22:39-46

1. How have your friends helped you through difficult times in your life?2. When have you agreed to do something that you didn’t look forward to doing?

3. What does this passage reveal about Jesus’ habits? (22:39)

4. What instructions did Jesus give to His disciples? (22:40)

5. Why did Jesus withdraw from His followers? (22:41) How does changing our posture and environment affect how we pray?

6. What was Jesus referring to when He said, “Take this cup from me”? (22:42)

7. How was Jesus strengthened at this difficult time? (22:43)

8. For what reason did Jesus advise His disciples to pray? (22:46)

9. How do you think God wants you to respond to painful, even overwhelming, events in your life?

10. For what situation in your life right now do you need to say to God, “Not my will, but yours be done”?

Sources:

Anyabwile, Thabiti. Exalting Jesus in Luke. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018.

Bock, Darrell L. Luke 9:51-24:53. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.

Gentry, Peter J., and Stephen J. Wellum. God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015.

Liefeld, Walter L. “Luke.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 8. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.

Marshall, I. Howard. The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1978.

Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

McKinley, Mike. Luke 12-24 for You. Edited by Carl Laferton. God’s Word for You. The Good Book Company, 2016.

Piper, John. Desiring God. Wheaton: Crossway. 2025

Stein, Robert H. Luke. Vol. 24. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.

The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2005. Print.

Wilcock, Michael. The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979.

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