Palm Sunday (2)

Luke 19:28–44 NLT

After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.”

Moments of Mixed Feelings

-Jesus was in the midst of this procession moving towards the city......however scripture shows us that even in that moment he was reminded of the future that awaited that city.

-In coming to earth God did something he had never done before.....he became that which he created.

-In relationship with God the Father there were things that Jesus saw and experienced that he could not stop

-The people who were experiencing/ being transformed by the reality of God the Son on earth were those on the crowd singing praises

-As well as those who had been following him around as their teacher

Matthew 26:30 NLT

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

The Message of Matthew Gethsemane—And Arrest (26:30–56)

When they had sung a hymn, which would have been the Great Hallel, they left the upper room and went across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives (30). An incredible sense of peace descends upon Jesus. Just think of singing as you walk to Gethsemane! And what did they sing in the Hallel? ‘I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.’ Isn’t that amazing? And how does the psalm end? ‘Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures for ever.’

Luke 22:39–46 NLT

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

Application

Death Without Breath

The Message of Matthew Gethsemane—And Arrest (26:30–56)

First, it teaches us the necessity of prayer even when the hard times seem intolerable. When the most crucial and demanding action in the world’s history was about to happen, it had to be rooted in prayer. Jesus knew it was essential.

Dont Go Alone

The Message of Matthew Gethsemane—And Arrest (26:30–56)

it teaches us the value of shared prayer. Jesus longed for the encouragement of sharing this prayer time with his disciples, but they were too tired, and they failed him. He had promised that ‘where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them’ (18:20). But when he himself needed them, no two or three were to be found.

Let Me Say It again

The Message of Matthew Gethsemane—And Arrest (26:30–56)

it teaches us that there is value in repeated prayer. Jesus himself prays here three times for the same thing. He prayed with all his heart that the cup of suffering which he could see awaiting him might be taken away (39, 42, 44). Such prayer is not like the ‘many words’ of the pagans, who ‘keep on babbling’; such repetition is condemned in the Sermon on the Mount (6:7). No, it is showing God we mean business. It is all too easy, shallow and cheap to pray and walk away and think no more about it. To keep on praying indicates both determination and confidence, and demonstrates a note of seriousness that is a vital part of intercessory prayer

God Did You Hear Me?

The Message of Matthew Gethsemane—And Arrest (26:30–56)

The Father in his inscrutable wisdom had to say ‘No’ to the content of his Son’s prayer. Otherwise there would have been no salvation for anyone, and the kingdom would have shattered in pieces. Jesus had prayed, ‘If it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done’ (42), and the Father took him at his word. The prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane shows that we can be close to God, live a holy life, and pray with faith, earnestness and expectancy, and yet not get what we ask for. It is a profound mystery before which we must bow.

Jesus prayed with a clear objective, which all his humanity longed for; but above even that, he wanted God the Father’s will to be done. For prayer is not seeking to manipulate God. It is opening up to God. It is welcoming the ‘good, pleasing and perfect will’ of God. That is the difference between prayer and magic. Magic seeks to control cosmic powers. Prayer seeks to surrender to the will of God.