“The Agony”

Series: The Gospel Truth

Text: Mark 14:32-72

Introduction: (What?)

I remember standing outside of my grandmother’s house and hearing her cry repeatedly, “Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!” Although I didn’t know what was wrong, I did understand at my young age that she was in agony. Sometimes we experience physical agony to the point that we would rather die than endure any more. However, there is a greater agony, and that is what Jesus endured BEFORE the cross. His agony began in the Garden and continued to the courts of Herod & Pilate and then back to the courtyard.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Agony in the Garden (vv 32-50)

After the Passover and the institution of the LORD’s Supper, Jesus and His disciples exited Jerusalem, went down through the Kidron Valley and then up to the Mount of Olives. There was a Garden called “Gethsemane” which means “olive press”. The process of getting oil from the olive was a three step process in biblical days. The first pressing got the immediately available oil from the olive. This was the most pure and was used in the Temple for anointing and for the lamps in the Menorah. The second pressing produced oil that was still of good quality and was used in cooking. The third pressing which was actually crushing what was left of the pulp from the first two pressings, produced oil that was used in making soap. Understanding this process enables us to understand the significance of Jesus’s agonizing prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.’ He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. ‘Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will. Then He came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’” (This is the “first pressing” of Jesus in the Garden.)

In the last message I asked how you would feel if you called some of your prayer warriors and asked them to join you in praying about something in your life that was spiraling out of control. As you are praying you open your eyes to find that your friends are all sound asleep. Imagine how Jesus felt when His closest friends and allies could not stay awake and pray with Him for just an hour.

“Once again He went away and prayed, saying the same thing. And again He came and found them sleeping because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to Him. (This was the second “pressing” of Jesus in the Garden) Then He came a third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let’s go. See, My betrayer is near.’” (This was the third “pressing” of Jesus in the Garden)

Luke gives us a more in depth look at the effect of the increasing pressure that Jesus endured in Lk. 22:43 “Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

The medical term for this is Hematidrosis which is “a rare, but very real, medical condition that causes one’s sweat to contain blood. The sweat glands are surrounded by tiny blood vessels that can constrict and then dilate to the point of rupture, causing blood to effuse into the sweat glands. The cause of hematidrosis is extreme anguish.” Keep in mind that Luke was a physician and would be familiar with such an event.

After the agony of prayer and the failure of His friends to stay awake and pray with Him, Jesus then faced one more stage of agony. That was being betrayed by a “friend”.

“While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had given them a signal, ‘The one I kiss,’ he said, ‘He’s the one; arrest Him and take Him away under guard.’ So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed Him. They took hold of Him and arrested Him. One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear. Jesus said to them, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture Me? Everyday I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you didn’t arrest Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.’ Then they all (disciples) deserted Him and ran away. Now a certain young man, (probably Mark) wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following Him. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.”

Jesus’s agony increased as a friend betrayed Him, another friend tried to start a fight, and then, just as He had predicted, all of His followers cut and ran.

2. Agony in the Courtroom (vv51-65)

Although it was not an official courtroom, the first false trial of Jesus came in the courtyard of the high priest. The entire Sanhedrin had already decided on a verdict, but they were trying to find evidence to back up their decision.

“They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes assembled. Peter followed Him at a distance, right to the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants, warming himself by the fire. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they could not find any. For many were giving false testimony against Him, and the testimonies did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against Him saying, ‘We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands.’’ Yet their testimony did not agree even on this. Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus. ‘Don’t You have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?’ But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest questioned Him, ‘Are You the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’

‘I am,’ said Jesus, ‘and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with clouds from heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?’ They all condemned Him as deserving death. Then some began to spit on Him, to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, saying, ‘Prophesy!’ The temple servants also took Him and slapped Him.”

The agony of Jesus continued with false accusations and physical abuse at the hands of the Jewish leaders and even their servants. But the worst was yet to come.

3. Agony in the Courtyard (vv66-72)

Still in the courtyard of the high priest, we find Peter trying to melt into the crowd to avoid being discovered.

“While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.’”

While Peter did not include how he got into the courtyard in telling his story to Mark, John did record how it happened in John 18:15-16 “Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.” John McArthur notes that this might be the same servant girl who later saw Peter inside and approached him.

“But he (Peter) denied it: ‘I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.’ Then he went out to the entryway, and a rooster crowed.” Either Peter didn’t hear the rooster crow because of the noise around him or he failed to recall what Jesus had said to him earlier in the evening.

“When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, ‘This man is one of them.’ But he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, ‘You certainly are one of them, since you also are a Galilean.’ Then he started to curse and swear, ‘I don’t know this man you’re talking about!’ Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter, remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, ‘Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.’ and he broke down and wept.”

Luke, ever the one to add details to a story, recorded in Lk 22:61 “Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.””

This was heart break for both Jesus and Peter. For Jesus it was because perhaps His best friend on earth had just done exactly what He knew he would do, but hoped that he wouldn’t. For Peter it was the realization that he had failed his friend and Master miserably, exactly as Jesus said he would.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

Once Jesus ascended to the Father, those of us who are left are given the task of being His representatives (witnesses) here on earth. How many times have we denied Him by our silence? Has your heart been broken with the realization that you have let your Savior down?

Many times Billy Graham asked a question in his sermons that was originally coined by David Otis Fuller. “If you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

I’m asking you that question today.

Have you ever truly surrendered your life, your will, your all, to Jesus? Today, while our brothers and sisters in Christ in Afghanistan, China, North Korea and other places around the world are dying because of their faith, we must determine what we will do when our time comes.

Do you need to acknowledge broken-heartedly, that you have denied Jesus?