A Submitted Savior

Submission

In this series, we are looking at Mark’s Gospel to see how he presents Jesus death, burial and resurrection. Specifically, we are looking at ways in which Jesus suffered for us. In looking at this we will see how we both benefit from Jesus suffering and how we can grow in our walk with Him as a result of what He faced.

Last week we saw that Jesus was the abandoned Savior; abandoned by those closest to Him. In seeing this, we also learned how we can guard against spiritual failure in our own lives and what to do when we do experience times of spiritual weakness.

A few weeks ago I preached a sermon focused on mutual submission within the church and, ultimately, the need for everyone in the church to submit to God’s will. This week we will see two examples of biblical submission: one triumphant yet horrifying, and the other tragic and convicting.

As we delve into the text for today, I want us to understand something at the outset: Everyone submits to someone or something in their lives.

Sometimes we submit to big things, sometimes we submit to small, seemingly insignificant things, or any number of in between things. But, we all submit to someone or something in our lives. We are not as autonomous as we like to believe.

Sometimes that submission comes because of peer pressure. Sometimes it comes from our lack of understanding or our inability to control our emotions. Sometimes it comes by overwhelming force, and other times it comes through subtle yet pervasive influences. Or, it comes because of a million other reasons. But, the bottom line is this: we all submit to someone or something in our lives.

So, the real question is: How can we submit to the right someone or something? This is what we will explore this morning.

Mark 14:32-42

Verses 32-34

Gethsemane…means “oil press.” This probably means it was an olive grove or garden area on the Mount of Olives.

Jesus often went here to pray:

Luke 22:39 ESV

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.

John 18:2 ESV

Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples.

Sit here while I pray…

He took Peter and James and John…

These three enjoyed the closest of relationship with Jesus. Jesus took them along to experience the Transfiguration, the healing of Jarius’s daughter and here at Gethsemane.

They would become the leaders of the church in the future.

However, each of these pledged their willingness to die with Jesus.

Greatly distressed and troubled…soul is very sorrowful, even to death…”

greatly distressed = verb. to be or become excessively affected by emotion; used of both negative excitement (as fear) and positive excitement (as wonder).

troubled = verb. to be or become subject to extreme mental or spiritual anguish and distress.

This is difficult for us to grasp, because we don’t fully appreciate what Jesus was doing.

The issue isn’t the pain of crucifixion, being rejected, or having God turn His back on Jesus.

He was about to bear the full weight of God’s wrath against sin.

It’s tempting to think that Jesus would not be so distressed knowing that he would rise from the dead anyway.

However, the issue wasn’t the outcome, it was the journey to that point.

I’m not afraid of death, I’m afraid of dying!

Jesus knew that not only would he be rejected, brutalized, and hung on a cross, but he also knew he needed to become the embodiment of sin (i.e. sin for us) and thus be completely forsaken by God.

This is why it is impossible to compare Jesus experience in Gethsemane to any suffering that we might endure. No one other, than Jesus, has ever or will ever bear the full weight of God’s wrath against sin.

This is the closest thing to Hell on earth that one can fathom. In fact, one could say that beginning at Gethsemane, Hell visited Jesus and he experienced the full terror of it.

He is a fool who says that they would like to go to Hell, because it’s where their friends will be, or it sounds fun. If the most manly, toughest man who ever lived sweat blood at the experience, where does that leave the rest of us?

Isaiah 53:4–5 ESV

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Consider the agony of facing God for all your sins, and how terrifying that prospect might be. Jesus would bear the sins of us all!

Remain here and watch…

The Greek word here means “to be alert,” or “to stay awake.”

Keep on your guard. But not against the one who would betray him. His concern is about them being alert that they don’t allow their personal need for sleep to cloud the much more important task at hand: prayer.

Meaning that they must be spiritually alert; to avoid the temptation to be spiritually indifferent to the time that was at hand.

Too many are spiritually indifferent to the times today…thus prayer often becomes an afterthought, or an “if I have time” thing…

Throughout Jesus entire ministry we see prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer, and so should his followers.

The foundational elements of a church are not purpose statements, visions, programs, or appealing to people. The foundational elements of a church are Jesus Christ, God’s Word, and prayer. Without these three, the church fails. With these three, a church has already succeeded.

What is a believer to do during distress: pray.

Not a platitude filled prayer, fake prayer, but honest, soul bearing prayer. ‘

Something most people don’t realize about Jewish prayers is that they are not constrained by platitudes or politeness. They are emotional pouring out of one’s heart before God.

Some of my most impacting prayers have been when I was so upset I could no longer filter my words before God and I just cried out in anger, frustration, sadness or distress. I believe these prayers are powerful.

Verses 35-36

Falling to the ground…

It is strange for a Jewish man to fall down during prayer. The typical Jewish prayer stands was hands lifted. During times of distress, however, one would lay prostrate on the ground.

Jesus falls to his face, showing the extreme nature of the suffering he was already going through.

Abba is Aramaic form of “father” but really is more personal. It shows a close relationship with Him.

Like when my children say “Daddy!” when I come home. (Though Abba doesn’t mean “Daddy” in a childish sense. It doesn’t translate exactly, but reflects that close bond of a child to his father.)

Interestingly, Jews would have thought that addressing God like this would be irreverent.

Jesus is showing here the intimacy of his relationship with God.

If possible, the hour might pass from him…Remove this cup from me…

Because Jesus knows more than anyone else what was in store for him, and it was terrifying!

It was a prayer asking if there was any other way for His people to be redeemed.

He is not under any false pretense that this will happen (see the end of verse 36), but he understands what is coming and would that there was another way.

Remember, Jesus wasn’t only fully God, he was also fully man. Man experiences pain; physical, emotional, and spiritual. Jesus was about to undergo all three to a degree that no ever had or ever will.

Cup is an OT reference to suffering and wrath.

Jesus recognizes that he is about to suffer as he faces God’s full wrath upon sin.

Many people in trying to “protect” Jesus in Gethsemane trying to psychoanalyze his state of mind or what he really meant.

Don’t do this. This section isn’t really intended so much for us to understand more about Jesus divinity/humanity, to see Jesus concern for his disciples, or to show that he was overwhelmed by the degree of human sinfulness.

The question should be: what does this section of Scripture teach us? This a far more valuable question.

The answer to that is that Jesus knows full well that He is about to face the full wrath of God for sin in order that His people can be forgiven of our sins, and it is terrifying. Yet, He is also aware that this is the only way. Thus, we see the end of verse 36...

Not what I will, but what you will…

Notice that Jesus is submitted to God’s will, regardless.

The question Jesus asks is, “Is there another way?” The answer from Heaven is a silent yet profound, “No.”

Jesus prayer of distress is a model for our own prayers of distress: God, my soul cries out for this, but I’m willing to face anything so that your will is done through me.

J.C. Ryle: “To take patiently whatever God sends,--to like nothing but what God likes,--to wish nothing but what God approves,--to prefer pain, if it please God to send it, to ease, if God does not think fit to bestow it,--to lie passive under God’s hand, and know no will but His: this is the highest standard at which we can aim, and of this our Lord’s conduct in Gethsemane is a perfect pattern.”

For me, the most horrifying part of this whole scene: Jesus prayers are met with the silence of Heaven.

Our response to the silence of heaven is often anger, frustration, or following our own will instead of God.

Jesus shows that the right response to the silence of Heaven is to submit fully to God’s will, even when it will lead to suffering.

Verses 37-38

He found them sleeping…

Why does Jesus focus his rebuke on Simon and not all three of the inner circle of disciples?

Because Peter is the leader of the group and the most vocal. Remember who just said he would died before he denied Jesus. Now he can’t even obey for one hour!

Could you not watch one hour?

Call to watch before meant pray, but they missed it. So now Jesus fills in the blanks for them: be awake and pray.

The call is truly for trustful prayer and watchfulness in the face of temptation.

Watch and pray that you might enter into temptation…

Jesus points out why they spiritually fail. It’s because they are not simply physically tired, but spiritually they have “heavy eyes.”

Even though they can see and hear Jesus anguish, they are so hard of heart, that they fall asleep.

Spiritual drowsiness is a great danger in our day and time!

The “temptation” Jesus speaks of probably has as much to do with not failing under the weight of trials.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…

Jesus then points out the other reason they fail: because their spirit (not the HS, but their inner self) is willing, but their worldly selves are weak.

Even the most committed can give into physical needs or desires.

Have you been there? You try to go to the Lord in prayer or through His Word and your eyes get heavy, your mind begins to drift, weariness overpowers holiness?

And the disciples were exhausted from a busy day. We might expect them to have an excuse: but Jesus, we are tired; Jesus, it’s been a long day; Jesus, it’s late…which under the circumstances sound ridiculous, huh?

No more ridiculous when we give a bunch of excuses on why we couldn’t pray, spend time in God’s word, come to worship Him, study with other believers, etc…or justifications behind our sins!

The disciples wanted to stay strong, but their flesh was weak.

“Well-intentioned believers can easily fail to fulfill their calling by merely giving in to various physical needs or desires.”

Verses 39-42

And again…

After another time of prayer, Jesus finds the disciples sleeping again.

Once again we see the picture of abandonment as the disciples abandon Jesus commands because of their physical weakness.

This inner circle of Jesus should have been praying for strength to stay awake and supporting their Master. They did not set their mind to this, thus they failed.

A third time this happens, but this time it is too late to prepare themselves spiritually.

I find it interesting that the disciples didn’t help each other stay awake!

I think there is a lesson right there for us as believers!

The hour has come…

The lesson about prayer in times of distress is over…the time for action has come.

The tragedy continues in that the disciples had three hours to prepare themselves for the most important moments of their lives…and they squandered it.

How much time do we waste? Could those be hours that God would prepare us for the important times of our lives?

John MacArthur: “The disciples needed to learn that spiritual victory goes to those who are alert in prayer and depend on God, and that self-confidence and spiritual unpreparedness lead to spiritual disaster.”

The time that he promised them is about to come…Judas is coming to betray him.

Big Idea: Jesus submitted to the will of God while His disciples submitted to the will of the flesh.

The Lord Jesus submitted to becoming the embodiment of sin and facing the full force of God’s judgment upon sin.

Never under-emphasize what Jesus faced for His people.

Sin matters.

Can you imagine committing your favorite sin at the foot of the cross?

It is only through the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross that a person can be cleansed of his or her sins.

The disciples submitted to their own flesh, failing to pray in their greatest time of need.

Our greatest weapon in spiritual warfare is prayer.

The disciples weren’t spiritual prepared for their greatest time of need. Why? Because they failed to take advantage of the greatest weapon they had at their disposal.

Think about the history of weapons of warfare:

The nation with the most powerful weapons typically wins wars.

Chariots gave way to gunpowder gave way to rifles gave way to automatic weapons, which are now giving way to new forms of weapons (even lasers!)

The nation with the greatest technological advantage historically will usually win.

Prayer is the main weapon Christians have when it comes to spiritual warfare, and it’s also the one weapon which we utilize the least.

We never know when our greatest time of need might be upon us, so we might as well prepare ourselves ahead of time!