Now, our Old Testament reading comes from the book of Isaiah, again, this time in Isaiah 51.
And at verse 17 down to 52 and verse 3, we're thinking about the cup.
One of the images that we find in the Garden of Gethsemane where we're going to be today is the idea of the cup.
And we'll hear it here in verse 17 and verse 22.
So let's hear God's word.
Awake, awake, rise up, Jerusalem.
You have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath.
You have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger.
Among all the children she bore, there was none to guide her.
Among all the children she brought up, there was none to take her by the hand.
These double calamities have come upon you.
Who can comfort you?
Ruin and destruction, famine and sword.
Who can console you?
Your children have fainted.
They lie at every street corner like antelope caught in a net.
They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God.
Therefore hear this, you afflicted one, made drunk but not with wine.
This is what your sovereign Lord says, your God who defends his people.
See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger.
From that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.
I will put it into the hands of your tormentors who said to you, fall prostrate that we may walk on you.
And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked on.
Awake, awake, Zion.
Clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your garments of splendour.
Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.
Shake off your dust.
Rise up.
Sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck.
Daughter Zion, now a captive.
For this is what the Lord says, you were sold for nothing.
And without money, you will be redeemed.
Now let's turn now in our Bibles to Matthew 26.
And we'll read from verse 36 to verse 46.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane.
And he said to them, sit here while I go over there and pray.
He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
Then he said to them, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
Stay here and keep watch with me.
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, my father, if it is possible,
may this cup be taken from me, yet not as I will, but as you will.
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.
Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour, he asked Peter.
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
He went away a second time and prayed, my father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away
unless I drink it, may your will be done.
When he came back, he again found them sleeping because their eyes were heavy.
So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting?
Look, the hour has come and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.
Rise, let us go.
Here comes my betrayer.
Amen.
This is God's word.
So we're going to spend the next three Sundays in the run-up to Easter thinking about the hope that Jesus brings.
So Matthew 26, 27, 28.
We're going to go today from the garden, next week to the cross, and then Matthew 28 to think about the empty tomb.
And today we're thinking about our hope in the agony of Jesus that we read about.
We know that this past year has been one that for the majority of people has been one of heightened fear of the loss of hope
and where our foundations have been shaken.
And it might be fair to say that in the lives of some economic recovery will come sooner than mental and emotional recovery.
It has been a hard year.
We have, as a society, placed our hope in progress and that technology and advancements will lead to life being better and better.
And in a sense, once again, that dream has been shattered.
The pandemic has cut right across that.
And in fact, we think about globalisation being part of our progress, but that's also a big reason why we have a global pandemic.
And so when our hope is in progress, our hope is being shaken.
Many people, we have placed our hope in comfort.
We don't really think about eternity.
All I have is now.
And what's happening then, if we have no eternal hope beyond,
if all that we have is life to enjoy now, then this year may have been profoundly disturbing,
as we have found so little that we have been able to enjoy.
And perhaps you may have been reminded, maybe for the first time, of your mortality.
As we have experienced collective suffering and loss and restriction,
I wonder if for you, as it has for many, it's presented important questions.
Questions like, what is life all about, really?
What really matters in life?
Have you found yourself reflecting and making changes?
Maybe you've asked yourself, what happens when we die?
If you have been shaken, and if you're looking for solid answers and solid hope,
that's our focus in the run-up to Easter, both our Sunday services and those videos that will be coming out,
the hope of Jesus.
And today we think about hope in the suffering of Jesus.
C.S. Lewis once said that suffering is God's megaphone.
C.S. Lewis.
Perhaps our suffering means we have a greater openness to the reality of God and his truth.
Well, may God's truth and may the hope of Jesus speak into our suffering,
speak into our fear and our uncertainty today.
So we'll be at three locations over three Sundays.
Today, the Garden of Gethsemane.
Next week, the cross and then the empty tomb.
Today, we look at Jesus' agony in Gethsemane as he enters, as it were, the heart of darkness.
The heart of darkness we can scarcely imagine.
And one English writer, William Law, says,
It's as if the sorrows of a lost soul in hell were opening up in the soul of the Redeemer.
But there is hope for us in this.
That because of the agony that Jesus endured as the Saviour,
we can find hope in our fear and darkness so that we are able to worship with joy.
So I want to look at three different aspects of this agony of Jesus in the garden.
First of all, to think about his emotional life.
In verses 36 to 38, B.B. Warfield wrote a classic study called The Emotional Life of Our Lord,
where he went to great lengths to demonstrate the extent to which Jesus, the Son of God,
took on full humanity and as such was subject to all sinless emotions.
We say sinless because Jesus didn't ever experience the emotion of guilt because of a guilty conscience or because of sin.
And Warfield recognises that there are two errors to avoid when we think about the emotional life of Jesus.
On the one hand, we can underplay those emotions,
and then we can be left with a cold and remote and distant, unsympathetic Jesus.
But on the other hand, we can overstate them to the extent that all we see is the humanity of Jesus,
and we neglect the fact that he is also, at one and the same time, God.
So we need to have balance.
Well, here in the Garden of Gethsemane,
we find Jesus in the depths of grief.
Let's look at the language.
Verse 38,
He said to them,
My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
Verse 37,
He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him,
and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
There is sorrow, this idea of deep grief.
He is troubled.
There is deep distress in his heart and mind.
He feels overwhelmed.
Again, a deep disturbance.
Similar to the refrain of Psalm 42 that we'll sing at the end.
He feels at the point of death.
Here is a sorrow so deep,
it almost kills him.
See this in distinction from the presentation we often find in the four Gospels of Jesus as profoundly brave.
Brave as he confronts the forces of evil.
Brave as he stands up to opponents and injustice.
Brave as he stands up to the point of grandfather.
It seems different, doesn't it?
The sorrow that he feels now is so different from that bravery.
and consider too maybe you've read stories of of those who have been martyred who've been killed
for their faith and if you look through church history you find accounts of that and you find
some singing praise praying sharing the gospel as they die and it makes us ask the question why
is Jesus now overcome with deep sorrow as he approaches his death why is he now
so fearful and sorrowful well it's not the simple matter of Jesus being afraid of death
what we have is Jesus grief at the kind of death he will endure he will die for sinners as a sacrifice
he will become one with sinners and take the death that we are due he will take on his sinless shoulders
the responsibility for our human evil so as Michael Green puts it it was the sin bearing
that was so terrifying here is Jesus looking ahead and he is anticipating the judgment of God his father
falling on him he recognizes that he will feel abandoned by his father because God is holy
and Jesus will be considered as if he was unholy as he takes on sin and so the jaws of hell are opening in front of Jesus
hell is separation from God and his goodness and that agony almost crushes Jesus
what does that reveal and how does that offer us hope well one thing it certainly reveals
is a stark reminder as Hebrews 3 says there is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God
Jesus knows the penalty for sin and it causes him deep grief sin matters judgment is real
as Jesus feels sorrow to the point of death at taking sin and its punishment let's recognize the urgency for us
of being right with God of seeking forgiveness and peace with God through the sacrifice of Jesus
we also have here a beautiful picture of Jesus humble service the love of Jesus in becoming one of us
he did not need to experience this agony and this fear that was not part of his experience in the glory of heaven
it's only as he came to be one of us only in his mission as the savior does he know this agony
here we see the nature of God's love revealed in Jesus
as Jesus will walk into the deepest darkness so that we might live in the light
we also learn here too about the sympathy of Jesus we know don't we how support groups work
they work because there is a group of fellow sufferers who are able to say
I understand I've been there I know what it feels like
and you recognize that whatever we are going through Jesus says that to us
Jesus entered all the way into our human experience and our suffering he did that for us
to be our sympathetic and loving savior
Jesus has suffered indeed beyond our imagination
he knew how much he would lose as his father turned away from him
Jesus is our sympathetic high priest he both understands our fear and our misery
and he took it on himself and as such he can offer us hope and comfort
one of the images of in a sense of of redemption and salvation we find in the old testament is that of
the kinsman redeemer
most famously in the story of Ruth with Boaz the kinsman redeemer a family member who could pay off your debt
who could secure your release from slavery
Jesus is fully God and Jesus becomes one with the human family
Jesus is the only way of rescue from our guilt our sin our fear of death
he has come to be that redeemer that rescuer to pay the price
do you see the loving cost of our salvation that it cost the life of Jesus
how do we respond may we run to him may we bring our tears to him and may we find eternal hope
from him as we see the agony of his emotional life
let's move from there to think about the agony of Jesus
as he seeks companions
in suffering
here's another aspect of Jesus true humanity
that in deepest needs he sought out friends who would stand with him
so in verse 36 we discover
that he comes
with the remaining disciples by this point Judas has betrayed him
and eight are told sit here while I go over there and pray
but then in verse 37 he brings his inner three
Peter and James and John
to come along with him
that they would be close enough to him
for prayer and for support
and he invites them into his experience
he said to them
my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death
stay here and keep watch with me
he shares his agony with them
and invites them to support him
the gospel writers emphasize
that Jesus stands
suffers
and dies
alone
and we begin to see it here in the garden
as his friends fail him
what do we see
the friends
these three friends
they knew Jesus to stress
they heard him ask for help
they could hear his agonized praying
and yet in verse 40
Jesus returned his disciples
and found them sleeping
verse 41 he asked Peter
he said to Peter
watch and pray
so you will not fall into temptation
the spirit is willing
but the flesh is weak
here does Jesus
beginning his descent
into his personal hell
and he goes there
knowing loneliness
will experience loss
the only one who doesn't deserve it
will suffer immensely for us
he will walk that road
and he will walk it alone
Wendy Alsup
wrote a book last year
last year called
Companions in Suffering
and she shares powerfully of her story
she writes of divorce
of having to reallocate
to a different part of the country
and of battling with cancer
and she observes
perhaps we know this to be true
in our own experience
that suffering
has an isolating fact
we discover that many friends
can't or won't enter in
many friends struggle to stay the course
as suffering goes for a long time
whether that's grief
or whether that's long term illness
and so Wendy Alsup
she talked about the strength
for her
in having a trusted group
of fellow sufferers
not that they shared
the exact same experience
but they knew what pain was
and they knew what loss was
so they were able to emphasise
so that they could share
the journey together
it gets to what Paul writes
in 2 Corinthians chapter 1
God comes to bring
his people comfort
so that as we know
that grace and that comfort
in our life
we might bring that grace
and comfort to others
we have collectively
at different periods
and to different extents
lived with enforced isolation
and that is suffering
in and of itself
isn't it
many are having to suffer
alone
to go through huge things
in their life
and to go through it alone
and so as the Christian church
there's always that challenge to us
can we be that friend
who will stay the course
can we be that friend
who will offer the word of comfort
who will offer the shoulder
to cry on
and then as we think about
the garden of Gethsemane
where does that give us hope
as we suffer
think about this
why did Jesus go through
his fear
his sorrow
ultimately his death
and why did he do that
alone
he did that
the Bible tells us
so that he might
befriend us
he took sin
and judgment
and hell
for us
so that he might
show us
love
and welcome us in
with the result
that as J.C. Ryle
puts it
no one
need ever say
I have no friend
to turn to
so long as Christ
is in heaven
do we understand
and appreciate
that even
in our isolation
if our faith
is in Jesus
we have
his presence
and his power
and his peace
with and for us
do you know
the comfort
and the hope
of Jesus
take your tears
and your fears
and your sadness
to him
you don't need
to suffer alone
and remember
this too
that while
Jesus'
friends
failed him
Jesus
did not
fail them
in the garden
as ultimate
darkness
was coming
upon Jesus
Jesus
did not
abandon
us
rather
Jesus went
into the
darkness
and he
died
for us
and since
that is
true
we can
know
that he
will not
abandon
or forsake
his friends
his followers
in our
suffering
in our
darkness
cling to him
even as you
take comfort
in the fact
that he
in his
powerful loving
hands
takes hold
on you
one last
thing to
consider about
the agony
of Jesus
and that
takes us
to his
prayer
as so
often we
discover in
the gospels
Jesus at
crucial moments
in his life
turns towards
his father
in prayer
and of course
if Jesus
the sinless
son of God
who enjoyed
perfect fellowship
with his father
of Jesus
felt the need
to pray
how much
more
is that
true for
us
three
details
to notice
you see
he prays
three times
the words
recorded twice
let's read
again
verse 39
my father
if it is
possible
may this
cup be
taken from
me
yet not
as I
will
but as
you will
three
details
to notice
first of
all
how does
he address
God
he calls
him
my
father
and this
is the
one place
that Matthew
in his
gospel
records
this warm
address
Abba
the emphasis
here is
still on
that loving
relationship
that Jesus
son enjoys
with God
the father
and that
explains the
agony
for Jesus
Jesus
who knew
the eternal
and unbroken
sense of his
father's love
on the cross
that love
of the father
would be
intercepted
as he became
the sin bearer
and all Jesus
could feel
was the weight
of judgment
what about
his request
what does
Jesus
pray for
if
it's
possible
may this
cup
be taken
from
let's think
first of all
what is the
cup
takes us
back to
Isaiah
51
verse 17
it says
rise up
you who have
drunk
from the
hand of
the Lord
the cup
of his
wrath
that's what
the cup
is
the wrath
of God
against
sinful
rebellious
enemies
now
Jesus
is the
only one
who doesn't
deserve
to take
that cup
but he is
willing to
drink it
and he
anticipates
drinking it
to the
dregs
and that
brings the
agony and
the sorrow
and the grief
and so there
is that
searching
request
is there
any other
way
for your
redeeming
purpose
to be
completed
is there
any
alternative
to my
becoming
sin
to my
becoming
a curse
to my
being the
sacrifice
three times
he prays
and the
same
answer
the same
silence
there is
no
other
way
Jesus
has come
to be
the
saviour
and the
only way
the plan
of salvation
can be
carried out
if he
takes our
place
takes our
sin
and takes
our
punishment
the last
detail to
see
is the
will of
Jesus
or indeed
the wills
of Jesus
verse 39
yet not as I
will
but as
you will
there is
a mystery
here
the gospels
are very
clear the
new testament
is very
clear Jesus
is the
holy and
sinless
son of
God
and
Jesus
is fully
human
Jesus
could be
tempted
and here
as a
human being
he wanted
to avoid
being made
sin
he wanted
to avoid
feeling
forsaken
he knew
anticipated
how deep
and distressing
that darkness
would be
it's a sorrow
that almost
kills him
but what we
see again
in our
loving saviour
is that in
his human
will
he wrestles
to obey
and to
fully submit
and this
is our
hope
that Jesus
prayed
not my
will
but may
your
will
your
eternal
will
to save
sinful
broken
people
be done
in the
intensity
of our
temptations
we feel
it in a
limited way
because we
all too
quickly
fall
but
Jesus
in the
story of
Jesus
the pressure
kept
building
the devil
was doing
his worst
to derail
Jesus
from the
plan of
salvation
but he
never
caved in
he is
like us
and that
he can
be tempted
he is
unlike us
and he
never
sinned
and he
is a
worthy
saviour
for us
have you
ever
wrestled
with
unanswered
prayer
with pain
and with
fear
that
continues
Jesus
has
Jesus
understands
come to
him
see
remember
embrace
his love
for you
he heard
God's
no
for you
so that
you could
hear
God's
yes
when you
come
to trust
in
Jesus
and
remember
too
that
the
agony
of
this
garden
undoes
the
agony
of
another
garden
remember
at the
beginning
of the
Bible
the
garden
of
Eden
Adam
and
Eve
they
say
to
God
not
your
will
but
mine
be
done
and
they
reach
for
the
forbidden
fruit
and
sin
and
misery
and
death
has
been
the
outcome
but
here
to
undo
all
that
went
wrong
in
that
garden
Jesus
comes
as the
true
and the
better
Adam
and he
prays
not my
will
but yours
be done
and he
reaches
for the
cup
to take
the penalty
for our
rebellion
he
becomes
he
becomes
to drink
agony
in our
place
so that
we
might
again
enjoy
friendship
with
God
so that
we
might
have
access
to
our
father
in
prayer
that
we
might
know
unbreakable
love
that
we
might
have
eternal
resurrection
hope
and
Jesus
having
received
that
answer
verse
45
returned
to the
disciples
and said
are you
still
sleeping
and
resting
look
the
hour
has
come
the
son
of
man
is
delivered
into
the
hands
of
sinners
rise
let
us
go
here
comes
my
betrayer
Christ
walks
obediently
towards
his
arrest
and
towards
the
cross
and
that's
where
we'll
be
next
week
so
here
is
hope
in
the
agony
of
Jesus
in
the
garden
that
he
went
through
that
agony
for
us
and
for
our
salvation
he
went
through
that
he
might
be
the
companion
you
need
in
the
suffering
you
face
and
remember
the
praying
Lord
Jesus
and
recognize
that
he
prays
for
his
people
today
and
he
will
always
pray
for
us
until
we
are
home
in
perfect
joy
and
peace
and
love
and
life
with
him
rest
later
Because
you