Sorrow, Surrender, Strength, and Salvation. Matthew 26:31-75

I’ve mentioned that throughout Matthews Gospel Jesus is undoing the failures of Israel with His faithfulness.

Jesus fled to Egypt under duress like Israel did under Joseph.

Jesus came up out of Egypt like Moses led the people out of Egypt

Jesus passed through the water of baptism like Israel passed through the Red Sea on the way to the promised land

Jesus went out into the desert like Israel did after the Red Sea.

Jesus was faithful in the face of temptation where Israel failed.

Jesus taught them from a mountain like Moses read the 10 commandments

Jesus spoke the truth of God better than the prophets who came before Him.

Jesus performed signs and wonders greater than the prophets of old.

It’s truly magnificent to see the way Matthew weaves the story of God’s people with the life and ministry of their Savior.

But, it’s not just that Matthew takes us back to the life and history of Israel. Matthew also takes us back to the Garden of Eden when Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.

You see The entire Bible is the story of God’s redeeming love. You can call it redemptive history, the story of God’s love, etc. But, the truth is that through Scripture we see the end in the beginning and the beginning in the end. I am really excited about 2022. We will spend our entire year working through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Our goal is tie it all together through the big picture of God’s redemptive love. Today’s passage gives us a glimpse of the way that we see the continuity of God’s redemptive plan through the entire Bible, and because we see it in the Bible we see it in all of human History.

The Bible begins in Genesis with God walking among us in the garden, and the Bible ends in Revelation with God dwelling with us again on the earth. Here in Matthew 26 we see Jesus in a garden praying. But, Jesus is sorrowful, troubled, and according to verse 38 “deeply grieved to the point of death.”

In this prayer of Jesus we see the evidence of His human nature and the truth of His divine nature. Jesus is completely man and completely God. He is 100% of both, not 50% of one and 50% of the other. He is fully and completely the 2nd member of the Trinity, and at the same time He is fully and completely the son born to the virgin Mary.

This is known as the Hypostatic Union, the combination of divine and human natures in the single person of Christ.

As we read through the book of Matthew the humanity of Christ is present, but we are awed at the divinity of Christ. From His miraculous virgin birth to His baptism to the healings, prophecies, and authority over demons the power of Jesus is constantly in front of us. But, here in Matthew 26 we get a large glimpse of His humanity. Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world is struggling and grieving over the task that lay before Him.

Jesus asks the Father in Matthew 26:39 (CSB), “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

The plan of salvation is set. God’s plan to redeem the world involves the suffering and death of His son Jesus Christ. Jesus knows what lies before Him and we see the temptation of the moment present in His prayer.

Unlike Adam, who gave in to temptation and rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, Jesus chooses to obey and follow the plan in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The NT teaches us that Jesus is the 2nd or last Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:45–48 (CSB) says,

“45 So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being;, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.” - 1 Corinthians 15:45–48 (CSB)

Paul writes more deeply on this truth in Romans 5:12–17 (CSB),

“12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned. 13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a type of the Coming One. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. 17 If by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” -Romans 5:12–17 (CSB)

The point Paul is making is that through Adam’s the world was plunged into brokenness. And through Jesus Christ the curse of sin is undone and all who trust in Jesus will receive the gift of salvation rather than the punishment their sin deserves.

I want to make sure that we understand a few things about Jesus’ prayer:

1. Jesus does not sin with His question to the Father, He simply brings the weight of the moment to the Father.

Jesus is not questioning His Father’s wisdom when He asks the cup (that is, God’s wrath; see Jer. 25:15; Zech. 12:2) to pass from Him (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44). Instead, while bowing to the Almighty’s will, He admits honestly His dread of what is to come upon Him — divine affliction for the sins of His people. As Calvin says, Jesus trembles in Gethsemane “because he [has] before his eyes the dreadful tribunal of God, and the Judge himself armed with inconceivable vengeance; and because our sins, the load of which [is] laid upon him, [presses] him down with their enormous weight.”

Back in Matthew 11 Jesus told us to come to Him if we are weary and heavy laden. In this moment with the Father Jesus shows us what it looks like when He takes His burden to the only one who can help Him with it.

Jesus was genuinely burdened by the cup that He was about to drink.

In Matthew 26:26–29 (CSB) we read about Jesus’ last supper with the disciples.

26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

In this meal Jesus held up the cup of redemption and said that He was going to pour out His blood for their sins. This meant that instead of the blood of a lamb in the temple sacrifice, Jesus was going to offer His own blood as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. And, He tells them that He isn’t going to drink the last cup of the passover meal. They drank 4 cups in the course of the meal and each one represented something different.

The third cup in the passover was the cup of redemption, and it celebrated when God redeemed Israel from Egypt under Moses. Jesus tells them from now on they will drink to remember when He redeemed them from their sins. The fourth cup was associated with God’s promise: He told them in Exodus I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God (Ex. 6:7). It is called the ‘Cup of Praise’, and the accompanying liturgy looks forward to God’s victory over his enemies and the final vindication and future blessing of his people.

But, Jesus knew that there was another cup that He had to drink before He would drink this fourth cup. In fact, Jesus tells us that He won’t drink the fruit of the vine again until He has come the second time and gathers us to Himself at the end of the age. This moment is referred to as the marriage supper of the lamb and for many of us Baptist we will drink our first guilt free cup of wine with Jesus.

2. Jesus is burdened by the cup of wrath that He is about to drink.

“In both the Old and New Testaments, the cup is often used as a metaphor for the wrath of God (Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15; Hab. 2:16; Rev. 14:9–10). The cup, then, that Jesus found so abhorrent to drink was a cup filled with the wrath of God. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was staring intently into that cup — the one He would drink the very next day as He hung on the cross in excruciating agony.”

It’s not so much the physical pain and torture that Jesus is referencing in His prayer. Jesus is referring to the spiritual agony that would accompany the wrath of God that our sins deserve.

Jesus is so burdened by the impending wrath of the Father that His sweat became like drops of blood. Luke records this chapter 22:42–44 (CSB).

Luke 22:42-44 says. 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. 44 Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

The Father answers His prayer through the attendance of an angel. And, with the news that the angel brings Jesus sets His sights on the cross and the wrath that He will endure. But, the determination to follow the will of the Father is followed by a depth of passion that produces droplets of blood rather than sweat. The intensity of Jesus’ passion and prayer is the fruit of His desire to redeem us through the cost of the cross. But the sorrow and the aguish is simply the evidence that He is the Messiah who was promised.

In prophesying about the coming Messiah Isaiah 53:3–4 (ESV) says,

“3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

Jesus was filled with sorrow and grief at the prospect of enduring the wrath of God that our sin deserves. But, this was the plan and it was what He did.

In the last supper Jesus told us to drink from His cup while, he in turn, drinks from our cup. Jesus didn’t deserve the wrath that was poured out while He was on the cross. We don’t deserve the grace and forgiveness that God gives us because of the cross. Jesus took the cup of our punishment that we deserve to then give us the life that we don’t deserve.

3. Jesus never disagreed with the plan of the cross, He prayed to surrender to the will that He desired to obey.

The cross and the cup of wrath were not forced on Jesus, He willingly went to the cross and willingly endured the judgement that our sin deserves. But, in His prayers to the Father there is a progression. Look with me at the difference between His prayer in verse 39 and what He says in verses 42 and 44.

Matthew 26:39 (CSB), 39 Going a little farther, he fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:42 (CSB), 42 Again, a second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Matthew 26:44 (CSB)

44 After leaving them, he went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.

In His first prayer He asks if the cup can pass from Him, but He says He will do according to the will of the Father.

In the second prayer Jesus doesn’t ask a question, He prays to do the will of God. He said, Not as I will, but as you will… then He surrenders or yields to the will of the Father by saying if this cannot pass… your will be done.

There are a few ways that I believe we can apply this to our own relationships with God:

Applying this to your relationship with God

1. Disagreeing with the Lord is the beginning of rebellion

This has been true since before the Garden of Eden.

Satan disagreed with God and rebelled

Adam and Eve disagreed with God and rebelled, and that is the pattern of sinful man since then.

Jesus agreed with the Father and as a result He obeyed.

2. Prayer is the pursuit of God’s will

Jesus didn’t wrestle against the will of the Father, He surrendered or yielded Himself to His will.

Prayer is the particular the effort and work that it is to submit our flesh to the Lord.

Following God’s will is a task we need the help of the Holy Spirit to accomplish. It’s a task that required prayer and focus from Jesus, and it will take it from us as well.

Surrender is not a simple task, but is the only way to peace… Surrender is the way to peace, but it is also the way of sacrifice. The surrender of Jesus is accompanied with a humble confidence as he is betrayed, arrested, tried, beaten, and then crucified. He has surrendered to the plan, meaning He has surrendered to the will of the Father.

3. The steps we walk in obedience should be preceded by time on our knees in prayer

Jesus has shown us what it looks like to surrender and it comes through prayer. In his prayer He brings His burden and what is on His mind and heart to the Father. But, He also acknowledges the will of the Father that has been made clear, and prays for the strength to accomplish it.

4. God hears your prayer and attends to your needs.

In Luke 22 the Father sends an angel to attend to Jesus. Jesus is strengthened in the midst of an increasing sorrow through the ministry of the angel.

It reminded me of a time in the book of Daniel when Daniel prayed and God sent an angel to deliver a message of hope to him.

It also reminded me of when Jesus was tempted by Satan. Matthew 4:5–7 (CSB) says, “5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”, 7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

In that moment with Satan it would have been wrong for Jesus to submit to Satan to then be attended to by the angels. Satan tempted Jesus with Scripture that said he would not even strike His foot against a stone. And here Jesus is about to endure the wrath of God through the cross, and God sends an angel to Him. But the angel doesn’t come to keep Him from harm, but to strengthen Him for the harm He will experience. The harm that He is agonizing over.

So this is true for you… God hears, and attends to us. But, like Jesus and even Daniel He will often answer you with strength rather than relief.

We can learn a great deal from Jesus about surrendering and yielding to the will of God. Jesus does not sin or question the plan and will of the Father, and praise God for that! Jesus went to the cross because of His love for us. We are redeemed by the love of God… and we love to proclaim it!

Fanny Crosby wrote a hymn entitled Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it.

She wrote:

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;

Redeemed through His infinite mercy,

His child, and forever, I am.

Refrain:

Redeemed, redeemed,

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!

His child, and forever, I am.

Let’s leave here today proclaiming the redeeming love of God that Jesus demonstrated on the cross.

Let’s leave resolved to pray like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane… with the mind to do the will of God regardless of what we will endure, but praying and bringing our sorrow and our grief to Him and receiving the strength and mercy we need to endure what is to come.