God's Faithfulenss in Death

This is one of the most astonishing passages in the entire Bible. Luke gives us an intimate glimpse into Jesus’ life. Here His humanity is fully on display. Here is where we realise that Jesus is one who was tempted in every way, just as we are, but without sin.

Now it is one thing to say, yeah, Jesus knows what we’re going through, but quite another to see that yes, in fact He has gone through it. He’s gone through something even worse.

Pictured for us is Jesus’ utter agony. He knows what’s in store for him. He’s witnessed crucifixions before; one cannot live in a Roman controlled area and not know about them. Furthermore, as the divine Son of God, He’s aware of all the suffering of the earth.

All the sin of the earth is on his shoulders. There in the garden, Jesus bows down. He bows not only in reverence, but fully the weight of the world is upon him. All the sins that have ever been committed, that will ever be committed are upon him. It is one thing to bear the weight of your own sin. As one of the criminals on the cross exclaimed, “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Oh the injustice of it all!

From that great pain and pressure, Jesus cries out in despair. Out of fear for what will happen, for the pain he is sure to come, he cries out. His prayer is heartfelt. In his deepest humanity, he asks a human question: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.”

I’m sure some of us in our spirits have cried out, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.” Life, though so often and usually is full of joy, sometimes hits us with such incredible sorrow!

We cry out to God for relief. The Holy Spirit, groans with words that we can’t express. Jesus Christ, our Saviour, who has walked ahead of us, strengthens us.

Take courage congregation! Jesus cried out, just as we do! He cried out, even though He knew He had to go through with it! He asked for a reprieve, even though He knew the answer was no!

What does this tell us? It tells us to be honest, even brutally honest with God. It tells us that God can take it! Jesus’ passion, Jesus suffering, was very real. How He dealt with it is how we must deal with it!

God the Father, who heard His Son’s cries of anguish, knew He could not change the course of events. So, He sent an angel to strengthen His Son! It is remarkable that after the angel comes, Jesus’ suffering does not diminish. The angel strengthened him but did not pull him away from what he was experiencing. Jesus prayer became more intense, such that his sweat became like drops of blood. Strengthened, was able to carry through.

What I find remarkable is Jesus’ instruction to his disciples.

“Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” This shows that despite His sorrow, despite his human fear, despite his dread, He was still very concerned for His disciples. That concern didn’t end there. Throughout the evening, he remained aware of his friends, instructing and rebuking Peter when he cut off Malchus’ ear. Instructing John to care for his mom. Welcoming a repentant sinner just before He died.

So, as Christ modeled for us that night, so as Christ modeled for us throughout His earthly ministry, we pray. Prayer connects us to God our Father. Prayer keeps us focussed on God and His righteousness. In prayer, we repeat the words Jesus taught his disciples, who have taught us, “Father who is in heaven, hallowed by your name… lead us not into temptation” and he repeats that instruction tonight, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

Why this instruction? Why those words, on this night? Because temptation comes when things are going well, and when things are going bad. When things are going well, we are tempted into thinking that we don’t need God. When things are going bad, we’re tempted to think that God doesn’t care.

That’s why we pray. When we pray, we pour out our confession, “Lord things are going well, I give you praise and I thank you. Lord, things are not going well. I need strength. I’m confident you will provide. Lead me not into temptation. We pour our souls out to God, and Christ ministers to us. The Holy Spirit strengthens us. He doesn’t pull us out of our situations, he doesn’t cause us to escape reality. Rather, he strengthens us, he gives us the courage, the trust, the grace and the peace to face whatever lies before us.

Then, having been cared for by God, we also turn our attention to others. We pray for them, we care for them, we instruct them, just as Jesus did, in the garden and even from the cross!

Luke records this prayer to remind us that Jesus knows what life on earth is like. He could have walked away. He could have called a legion of angels. He could have given up. But He prayed, He poured out His needs before His Father.

The Father gave Jesus exactly what he needed, not release, not escape, but rather strength, strength to follow through in full obedience!

It is enough for us. God sent His only Son. His Son sent us His Holy Spirit, who lives in us and strengthens us for every situation. And God also gave us this memorial, this supper. Just as food gives strength to the body, so this spiritual food gives strength to our lives.

So, no matter what situation we face, no matter how hard life gets, no matter how good life is, in prayer, we can face any situation through the Holy Spirit who strengthens us. Amen. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, do not let us fall into temptation. Life is so short, and there are so many opportunities for us to do your will. Lord, you’ve graciously done so much for us already! You’re busy at work in us. You’ve begun a great and wonderful work. This evening we pause, we reflect on what it cost you to save us. Encourage us, strengthen us, uphold us and fill us with joy, even as we count the cost of your suffering and death. We remember your death. We remember your sorrow; we remember your passion. May our lives tell the story, in words and in deeds, of your amazing love for us! Amen.