Good morning, everyone. Thanks, Ed. I really appreciate that.
! This morning our passage is Matthew 26, 36 through 56.
! I ask you to turn there in your mouth.
I ask you also to stand for the reading of God's Word if you're able to.
Let me pray for the reading of teaching.
Lord, thank you for your Word.
Thank you for the guidance that you give us.
Thank you that you stand with us in our prayers.
Thank you for the comfort that you give.
Lord, I pray as we look at your Word, as we look at Jesus at a low point,
and then the high point through prayer,
pray that you would just guide and instruct us,
pray that your Spirit would speak to us,
and we would all look a little more like you after this.
Amen.
Alright, Matthew 26, 36 through 56.
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
sit here while I go over there and pray.
And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
he began to be sorrowful and troubled.
Then he said to them,
My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.
Remain here and watch with me.
And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed,
saying, My Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me.
Nevertheless, not as I will,
but as you will.
And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping.
And he said to Peter,
So, could you not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.
The Spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed,
My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it,
your will be done.
And again he came and found them sleeping,
for their eyes were had them.
So, leaving them again,
he went away and prayed for the third time,
saying the same words again.
Then he came to his disciples and said to them,
Sleep, take your rest, lay it alone.
See, the hour is at hand,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Rise, let us be done.
See, my betrayer is at hand.
While he was still speaking,
Judas came, one of the twelve,
and with him a great crowd with swords and gloves,
from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
Now the betrayer had given them a sign,
saying,
The one I will kiss is the man.
Seize him.
And he came up to Jesus at once,
and said,
Greetings, Rabbi.
And he kissed him.
Jesus said to him,
Friend, do what you came to do.
Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus,
and seized him.
And behold, one of those who were with Jesus
stretched out his hand,
drew his sword,
and struck the servant of the high priest,
and cut off his ear.
Then Jesus said to him,
Put your sword back into its place,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father
if you will at once send me
more than twelve legions of angels?
But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled
that it must be so?
At that hour,
Jesus said to the crowds,
Have you come out again?
Have you come out as against a robber
with swords and gloves to capture me?
Day after day,
I sat in the temple teaching,
and you did not seize me.
But all this has taken place
that the scriptures of the prophets
might be fulfilled.
Then all the disciples left and fled.
This is God's holy and thoroughbred word.
Please be seated.
Layoffs in white-collar companies
have been rampant in the 2020s.
I know a number of brothers and sisters
in our church who have been in companies
where they happened,
and working ten years in tech,
I've probably been through four or five myself,
depending on how you can.
Personally,
I don't think I've ever heard
a strong justification for layoffs
as an employee that sits right with me.
No matter what the financials are
or the company needs are said to be,
the fact at the end of the day
is that people lose their livelihoods
with little say in the end.
One of the worst industries
for layoffs in recent years
have been video games.
Reports say that one in three
American game developers
have been laid off in the past five years.
In the midst of all this,
an old news story
featuring Satoru Iwata,
former Nintendo president,
has been making the rounds.
Back in the early 2010s,
Nintendo was struggling with sales
with their new console lineup.
Instead of layoffs,
President Iwata and his team
took a 50% pay cut in 2011,
and then again in 2014,
and opted to trust
in the current team to pull through.
The shareholders naturally had questions,
and when they asked about why,
this was his answer.
If we reduce the number of employees
for better short-term financial results,
employing morale will decrease,
and I sincerely doubt
employees whose fear
they may be laid off
will be able to develop
software titles
that can impress people
around the world.
And partly due to
a lot of business decisions,
Nintendo is one of the most
successful game companies today,
as my kids can also address
when something goes wrong.
When things go wrong,
studies show we humans
are likely to blame
anything but ourselves.
This is what makes
Iwata's response so strong.
In a scenario where
most executives choose
to push consequences outward,
one prominent business leader
instead chose to take
financial risks on himself.
And we'll see similar principles
at play in our story today.
The disciples are faced
with a hard situation,
and act like most of us will.
Try to fight off or avoid
a losing scenario.
We're also going to see
Jesus fixing the hard situation,
the hardest, in fact,
in human history.
And rather than exercise
his rights or power
to escape or defer the problem,
we'll see Jesus
pit a different path.
We'll see him as
the suffering king
who reigns through submission.
And the passage today
breaks into two parts.
First, we'll see Jesus
in Gethsemane reigning
in submission to the Father.
in trouble.
Then, we'll see
the suffering king
in control,
even in the importance
of Jesus.
Now, this passage
starts out with Jesus
and the disciples
moving from the Last Supper
to Gethsemane.
We know Gethsemane
is an olive orchard
simply because
the word means
olive press.
And it's likely
this garden is
close to Jerusalem
and a place
that the disciples
regularly go.
Otherwise,
Judas wouldn't have been
able to go out,
gather a crowd,
and then find them
again so quickly
any of those of the night.
Jesus leaves
both of the disciples
in one spot
and takes three
with him to go pray.
These are the
inner three disciples,
Peter, James, and John.
Quick reminder
that this is
Jesus' inner circle.
These are the three
that saw
the transfiguration
of Jesus.
Peter seems to be
involved in a little
bit of everything.
and he's walking
on water
and then he's
sinking.
And then he's
being handed the keys
to the kingdom
and professing
Jesus as Lord
and then he's
rebuking Jesus
the next day.
And James and John,
remember,
were the two that
asked to sit
at the left
and the right
hand of Jesus.
So it's pretty clear
that they know
their social standing
within the circle
at least
to make that
in the past.
And so it's
no wonder
that Jesus
brings these three
close to him
in one of his
most difficult moments.
And commentators
point out a couple
things about
Jesus' sorrow here.
First,
this is the first
time in Matthew
that Matthew,
the author,
has explicitly
drawn attention
to what Jesus
has seen.
This is a rare
time that Jesus'
inner life
is explicitly
editorialized.
Second,
it's worth noting
that the first
words that Jesus
uses to describe
his sorrow
are a paraphrase
of Psalm 42.
Why were you
cast down,
oh my soul,
is very similar
in Greek.
To,
my soul,
is very sorrow.
But,
Jesus goes even
further in those
words of lament
and adds on
the end,
even to death.
And now,
I don't think
he's literally
saying he's
going to die
soon,
though that is
true,
it's something
that's coming.
It seems more
like he's saying
the emotional
weight of the
scenario is so
great that the
turmoil itself
makes him.
So,
Jesus asks
the Greek
to remain
watched.
And at this
point,
Matthew starts
intermedium
the reactions
of the
disciples
with the
interactions
of Jesus.
And so,
I'm going to
split those
out a little
bit,
and first
I'm going
to talk
about
Jesus'
path in
prayer,
and then
I'm going
to talk
about
the
disciples'
reactions.
So,
Jesus steps
away to do
his own
watching and
praying in
response to
his sorrow.
Commentators
hopefully point
out that
Jesus'
prayer follows
the pattern
of the
Lord's
prayer.
I actually
have a slide
for this
part to make
it a little
more clear.
prayer.
So,
we'll see
Jesus'
prayer,
my father,
which is
similar to
our father
from the
Lord's
prayer,
relating
as a
child of
God.
Then he
says,
let this
talk
past
the
man,
which is
now to
give us
this day
our daily
bread,
give me
what I
need in
this
moment.
But,
only if
it can
possible,
not as I
will,
but as you
will,
which is
really
similar to
your kingdom
come,
your will
be done.
So,
Jesus
covers his
own sorrow
with the
prayer he
taught his
disciples to
pray.
But the
important part
to this
whole prayer
is the
copy.
What is
the copy?
That's the
thing that's
overwhelming
him.
Is it
just his
forthcoming
death?
Is it
the abandonment?
Is it
the torture?
Any of
these things
alone,
I think,
would cause
any of
us great
emotional
turmoil.
But,
the
common
instance
specifically
represents
something,
God's
wrath.
When we
talk about
God's wrath,
we're talking
about God's
just response
to the
wrongdoing
that people
incurred.
There's a
number of
Old Testament
passages that
refer to the
cup specifically
in this web,
and Jeremiah
has a very
succinct
presentation of
it.
In Jeremiah
25,
5-6,
we read,
Thus the
Lord,
the God
of Israel,
said to
me,
Take from
my hand
this cup
of the
wine of
wrath,
and make
all the
nations to
whom I
send
you drink
it.
They
shall drink
and stagger
and be
crazed because
of the
sword I
am sending
among them.
So the
cup here
is clearly
symbolic,
the wine
of wrath.
Whole
nations of
wrongdoers
are made
to drink
of it.
The
immediately
following
verses
to this
passage
are a
long list
of nations.
Judah,
Egypt,
Uz,
Edom,
Moab,
the list
goes wrong.
The
drunkenness
symbolizes the
instability and
weakness brought
on by the
government,
the sword
in this
case.
So
specifically,
other nations
conferring through
war.
God's judgment
will come to
those who
oppose him.
This, then,
is the burden
that Jesus
is taking
on.
Wrath reserved
for nations
full of people
is coming on
to one person,
Jesus.
Sometimes it's
Christians,
we think,
and I know I
think,
Jesus died
individually for
my sins.
And we
realize the
individual burden
he bears for us,
and that's what we
said.
But,
Jesus takes
on the wrath
of God
for all
who we
need.
For every
tribe,
every tongue,
every nation,
a great
multitude,
too vast
account,
is represented
in the world.
This
exponential
multiplication
of responsibility
reminds me of
how our
students'
responsibility
naturally
expand in
our own
lives.
When you're
a kid,
you're responsible
for yourself,
sort of,
but your
parents are
all taking
on account
and taking
responsibility
for you.
But,
then you
grow up,
and you
age into
adulthood,
and you
end up
taking on
more and
more
responsibilities.
Homework,
driving,
work,
housing,
food,
laundry,
until eventually
most of us
are fully
sustaining
ourselves in
some way or
another.
Personal
life,
you're going
to expand
from this
area.
You get
married,
you have
a kid,
you have
more kids.
Now you're
responsible for
more than
just yourself.
or maybe
you start
a PhD,
and then
partway through
you own
a research
product,
and then
you get
the PhD,
and now
you're
in charge
of a
lab.
You start
as an
employee
at a
company,
you take
on a
bigger
project,
now suddenly
you're
ending
the team.
With all
of these
blessings
come more
stressors.
Your day
no longer
just involves
yourself,
but affects
many different
lives of
people who
depend on
you.
I think
this is
similar to
what Jesus
is experiencing.
He's
bearing a
large little
responsibility,
the weight
of
nations.
But he's
going much
further than
what I just
said.
Everything I
just described
is a good
blessing in
our lives.
Jesus is
only bearing
judgment,
only the
negative
aspect for
all of
these
people,
and so
the weight
is immense.
Now,
our culture
tends to be
uncomfortable
with the
wrath of
God.
God,
the proposition
is often
like this.
How is
God,
who is
a God
of
all,
sorry,
how could
a God
who is
love
punch
people?
And one
of the
points that
people will
often bring
up against
God's wrath
is what's
happening
here.
The Father
is putting
a nation's
worth of
wrath onto
his Son.
Is this
some sort
of cosmic
child abuse
at play?
And I
hear the
concern.
In fact,
I've even
seen Christian
families take
the principle
of godly
submission
that's present
in the
Bible and
what Jesus
is doing
here,
and twist
it in a
manipulative
way to
get kids
to listen
to any
parenting,
even abusive
parenting.
But there
is a
significant
difference
between
horrible
parenting
and what's
happening
to Jesus
here.
Jesus,
in full
knowledge,
is the
one taking
the cup
and drinking.
He is an
active
participant.
Note that
even the
difference
between
the
language
and
Jeremiah,
which I
just read,
and what
Jesus says
in his
prayer.
In
Jeremiah,
it says,
make the
nations
drink the
cup.
In
verse
42,
Jesus'
second
prayer,
Jesus is
participating.
He says,
your will
be done.
Hebrews
9,
14,
makes this
point very
clearly.
Jesus
offered
himself
without
lunch to
God as
a sacrifice
for us.
This is
not a
God of
love,
harming
his
son.
This is
Jesus,
the
God of
love,
taking
punishment
for us.
And I
want to
be clear,
the cup
of wrath
that Jesus
is talking
about is
not just
some
Old Testament
thing for
ancient
eerie
strength
countries who
practice
child
sacrifice.
In
Revelation
14,
10,
it says
that when
Jesus
returns to
earth in
glory,
those who
do not
worship
Jesus as
God will
drink the
wine of
God's
wrath,
pour full
strength into
the cup of
his
anger.
If you're
here today
and you're
not a
Christian,
maybe you're
interested in
Christianity or
a friend invited
you,
and Jesus is
intriguing but
not someone you
personally know
yet,
I ask you
to consider
what this
passage says.
God takes
seriously the
bad accents
and words and
even thoughts of
every person.
And I ask you
to hear the
good news too.
God takes
sin so
seriously that
Jesus,
his son,
took all
judgment,
all guilt,
and all shame
for your
wrongdoings
upon himself.
For anyone
who repents,
turns away
from the
wrong things
they've done,
proclaims that
Jesus is the
king of all
things,
who suffered
for his
people,
there is
forgiveness
for everything
you've ever
done,
and a new
life in
his family
in the
church,
the people
here.
If that
speaks to
you right
now and
you have
further
thoughts or
questions,
feel free to
talk to me
after the
service,
or with
our prayer
today,
who will
be up
after the
service,
or honestly
any of our
members here.
We'd love to
introduce you
to this
Jesus who
actively
died for
you.
Now,
we know
what the
cup represents,
so we can
take a look
at the
entirety of
Jesus'
prayers.
And in
these prayers,
we see
Jesus growing
in submission
to and
confidence in
the Father's
plan of
salvation.
commentators
note the
difference
between the
two prayers
that Jesus
offers in
itself.
In the
first prayer,
we see
Jesus ask a
more positive
plan, if it
is possible
for the
cup to
pass, an
open question,
a sign of
exploration.
In the
second prayer,
we see
Jesus instead
consider that
if it is
not possible,
the realization
becomes that
he must take
this cup in
order to save
his people.
And in
total, we
see three
prayers, a
sign of
certainty and
confidence that
this thing
will be done.
We will see
this confirming
pattern of
three actions
just a bit
later.
Peter is
going to
deny Jesus
three times,
making clear
his betrayal.
But in
this act of
three, we
see Jesus
fully submitting
to the
Father and
fully owning
the work
to come.
Now, we've
seen Jesus
in his
prayer, submitting
himself to the
Father and
building confidence
and certainty
to do his
life.
What about
the disciples?
Well, we've
been bouncing
around, so
let's go back
and reread
verses 40
to 41.
Verse 40
says,
He came to
the disciples
and found
them sleeping.
And he
said to
Peter,
So, you
could not
offer me
one hour?
Watch and
pray, but
you may not
enter into
temptation.
The spirit
in he is
will, but
the flesh
is weak.
Okay, there
are some
passages in
the Bible I
relate with,
and this is
one thing.
I'm a light
sleeper, but
I fall asleep
everywhere.
I don't
sleep on
planes, cars,
my work
desk.
My work
desk, when
I'm
calls the
customers,
we have
videos of
kids screaming
around me or
stacking toys
on me while
I'm napping
on the couch.
I can
easily imagine
sitting down
to pray,
but it's late
at night,
we're exhausted,
and, wait,
is Jesus back
already?
Oh, it's
been an hour?
But Jesus
comes back
and emphasizes
the importance
of prayer,
once again
stealing a line
from his own
playbook in
the Lord's
prayer,
keep us
from temptation.
What's the
temptation to
sin here?
When I first
read this
passage, I
assumed that
the sin was
thoughtlessly,
because Jesus
is looking for
prayer support
from his best
friends.
Hey, guys,
I'm literally
about to die a
double death
for the sins
of the world.
Could you spare
me one prayer?
However, when
Matthew says
the flesh is
weak here,
commentators
note that
flesh does
not mean
something
morally wrong.
This isn't
Paul, right?
Paul in his
letters often
uses flesh to
indicate sin.
Instead, in
Matthew, it
seems much more
likely to indicate
just the natural
difficulties of
being human.
This has
already been a
long back to
the disciples.
The Passover
meal that ate
likely started
after sundown,
so now it's
really late.
Jesus is going
to die,
and Jesus
is left
and is at
least up
the sun
in the
various.
Their spirit
is willing
to follow
Jesus in
this act,
but their
bodies are
just mortal
and more.
So the
temptation
and the
topic of
prayer is
likely the
same as
Jesus'
prayers,
to be
ready for
the hard
time that
is in it.
The disciples
will also be
faced with a
scenario where
falling away
from God's
will will be
very easy,
and they
need to
pray.
This also
makes sense
of why Jesus
needs to
pray.
He's
human as
well.
His flesh
is also
moving.
And after
the prayer,
we'll see
the stark
contrast in
how the
disciples
react and
how Jesus
reacts to
his arrest.
Jesus,
after prayer,
is about to
take full
control of
the situation,
while the
disciples,
after an
app or two,
are about to
flounder
through a
fighting
light mode.
That's it.
Prayer is
preparation for
trials.
It reminds
me of something
a few of us
in the
church
that
does
this
journey,
which is
wake up
early,
drive down
to
Harvard
Stadium,
and run
the stairs.
For those
that don't
know,
the Harvard
Stadium is
an outdoor
one,
like a
coliseum
with one
open end.
There's
37 seconds,
over a
thousand stairs,
and they're
almost twice
the size
in the whole
step.
And the
exercise
between there
is to go
up and
down,
almost all
of them.
For those
that are
excited about
this,
it's cool.
It's gorgeous,
it's a
sunrise,
it's a
strong
workout,
come with
the
group
sometime.
For those
who think
that sounds
terrible,
you're also
correct.
So for
me,
I've
gone a
few
times.
I can
do the
full
round of
stairs
in about
50
minutes,
which is
fine,
and I've
never
improved
my
time
ever
because
I've
gone
to
this
for
out.
In
contrast,
Sean,
our pastor,
has been
going
weekly,
and he's
told me
after months,
he's
down from
the
50
minutes,
even
some
of
our
long
distance
runners
in
this
church.
Now,
I do
not expect
myself to
improve
without
going
regularly,
and neither
does anybody
else.
We all
know it
takes
preparation.
Practice
restraining
the muscles
necessary to
endure and
then go
faster.
Prayer is
the same
here.
Jesus has
run the
medical
stairs,
and the
disciples
have
stayed
home and
slept in
it.
We
should
not
expect
them
to
perform
well
at this
upcoming
challenge.
One
commentator,
Dr.
Grant
Osborne,
says on
the difference
between
flesh and
spirit
here,
for
Jesus,
the
spirit
has
made
the
flesh
strong,
and for
the
disciples,
the
flesh
has
made
their
spirit
be.
And
this is
a great
reminder
for us
of the
importance
and
power
of
prayer
in
our
own
lives.
One
of my
favorite
parts of
community
group
over the
years
is
seeing
things
we
pray
for
get
answered.
In
the
last
year or
smaller,
we've
seen
a
healthy
new
baby
corner,
multiple
new
jobs
acquired,
including
one
just a few
days ago,
a couple
near misses
from financial
stresses,
at least a
couple
friends led
to saving
faith in
Jesus,
and multiple
healings,
all made
possible through
praying,
we end,
we go.
But we've
also seen
those prayers
sustain and
grow people
through those
hard moments.
Job searches
are wrong,
recovery from
injury is
tedious,
financial
distress is
very
concerning.
God has
grown all
of us in
patience and
perseverance,
even as
his answers
and prayers
themselves.
In the
last few
years in
my own
personal
life,
I've
started
noticing
that I
have
roughly
two
bodies,
things that
I pray
for and
things that
I don't
regularly
pray for.
For
example,
for years
as an
adult,
I did
not have
a regular
prayer habit
for my
studies or
my career.
First,
I rarely
prayed about
college,
and then I
rarely prayed
about grad
school,
and then I
rarely prayed
about work.
I've been
thinking of
so many
stressful
situations
in those
years that
I did
not handle
well,
because I
let my
class
make my
spirit.
The last
couple years
though,
I started
praying for
work more
regularly,
and goodness,
this is being
recorded,
and I'm a
manager at my
company,
so I'm not
sure I want
to share
too much,
but I've
seen so many
things resolved
this past
year,
so many
issues,
just work out,
so many
tough situations
are to
teach,
and I
wonder if
God's
changed me
too,
because the
part of my
work hasn't
necessarily
become any
easier,
but some
of my
responses
seem to
change
for the
best.
Now,
I'm definitely
not bragging
here,
I just
spent the
first part
talking about
how I
barely pray
for very
important
things for
a large
time of
month,
but I'm
encouraging
you to
stop and
think,
are there
areas in
your life
you're not
praying about?
A job?
A relationship?
A project?
A family
member?
A financial
need?
A physical
family?
I'm actually
really encouraged
by what Rona
and Lauren
shared this
point as well,
and I think
that helps you
be willing to
pray for us
because of
the part
that you're
going from.
Remember,
the flesh is
weak.
I think it's
incredibly easy
to not pray
about something,
and it's
incredibly hard
to pray
about something,
but assuming
that you'll
be prepared
for trials
without prayer
is like me
assuming I'm
going to cut
my stairs
time and
half without
practice.
So start
eating today
a quick
prayer,
or ask
others to
pray for
you after
you.
So,
after the
final time
to pray
for Jesus
and the
final time
sleeping
for his
disciples,
Judas comes
and we
see the
suffering
king
now in
heaven.
Verse 47
shows us
Judas arriving,
leading the
way of an
armed and
seemingly
ready-to-be
violent
mom.
Judas
likely kisses
and calls
Jesus
rabbi
in verse
48 as
says to
identify
him,
you know,
picture
maybe a
dark room
with some
bubble
cakes for
people so
that they
know exactly
who they're
coming to
see.
In this
context,
calling Jesus
rabbi
sound
irreverential,
but it's
actually an
implicit denial
of who
Jesus is.
And all
the rest of
his disciples
consistently
call Jesus
Lord,
even Peter
who is
about to
be
praying.
Jesus
actually
responds
in kind.
He calls
Judas
friend,
which seems
familiar,
but it's
actually a
pretty alienated
word.
The word
friend here
is basically
someone who
has a
relationship,
but is not
holding up
their end
of the
bargain.
friend.
We've
actually seen
this word
used in a
couple
parables
already,
and I
have a
slide for
a cross
comparison.
Friend shows
up in
Matthew 20,
the parable
where the
master gives
the same
wages to
everyone,
regardless of
if they
work the
whole day
or just
evening.
When the
workers from
the whole
day complain,
hey, we're
going to pay
the same
amount as
the people
who overwork
a part of
the day,
the master
specifically
says,
friend,
I do
who you
know
about.
And in
Matthew 22,
when everyone
is invited
to the
wedding feast
and the
king catches
someone without
a wedding
garment,
he calls
him,
friend,
how did
you get
in here
without a
garment?
Right before
you take
some of
the best.
So right
after Jesus
kisses him
and identifies
him,
note that
Jesus is
the one
who takes
control.
It's
kind of all
of it.
Jesus basically
says to
Judas,
okay,
you can
betray
her now.
Judas,
with the
money in
the bag
and the
mom behind
him,
still is
taking orders
from Jesus.
And we're
going to see
Jesus take
this same
path as
everyone in
this passage.
Jesus may
be the one
taken away,
but he is
fooling by
his power
and is in
his own
hand.
So after
this,
a disciple
lunges out
and cuts
off the
servant,
the high
priest's
here.
This is
the fight
part of
the fight
or flight
reaction
of the
disciples.
They
clearly
are not
going to
Jesus
or
themselves
be
taken
away,
so they
react quickly
when the
suddenly
sees Jesus.
But
a
servant
seems like
a random
action.
Was the
disciples attacking
the person
nearest to
them or
maybe flailing
around with
the sword?
Note that it
says the
servant of the
high priest.
Given that the
mob is organized
by the chief
priest and
Pharisees,
this guy is
likely the
representative of
the high
priest and
thus actually
the one
you target
the mob.
I'm picturing
the disciples
trying to end
this quickly,
striking the
leader to
stay on the
group.
Again,
note that
Jesus
specifically
takes control
of the
situation.
We have
an entire
mob,
arms to
the teeth,
watch the
people that
come to
arrest draw
a sword and
their leader
take a
brutal
inquiry.
You'd
expect an
instant call
of arms,
perfect
opportunity.
The boss
is hit,
cut down
the traitors,
taking them
alive.
But there's
no retaliation.
Jesus
steps in and
he's the
one who
rebuked the
disciples here.
He gives
a few reasons
for this
review.
First,
the inherent
truth that
violence
begins.
He warns
them,
this
pattern
of
following,
it may
seem
right in
this
moment,
but it
is
inherently
self-starved.
This is
totally in
line with
Jesus in
Matthew so
far,
flipping the
script entirely
on the
palliation.
He's made
statements such
as,
love your
enemies,
and don't
resist the
one who
is healed.
Jesus is
not saying,
hey guys,
fools are
cool,
but this is
a special
moment,
so let's
this one
fly.
He's
giving a
cautionary
statement
against
violence that
is in
line with
all those
teachings so
far.
For a
second reason
not to
resist,
Jesus assures
the disciples
that there's
a fact,
no need
for
force.
Do you
think I
cannot
appeal to
my
father and
people at
once send
me more
than 12
legions of
angels?
Now,
there's an
interesting
number stuff
here.
12
legions is
probably
about 60,000
angels,
depending on
the count of
legions at
the time.
So at
first this
reads like
he's saying,
okay,
we've got the
mob,
100 people
guys,
but I've
got tens
of thousands
of angels
who were
good.
But I
want you to
think for a
minute,
how strong
are angels
compared to
humans?
Who would
win this
fight is a
plot exercise
that is
beloved by
internet
forums and
YouTube
alike.
Who would
win Batman
versus Superman,
100 men
versus one
world?
And I
joke, but
the Bible is
seriously
interested in
asymmetrical
power stories
to specifically
prove that
God gets
the victory.
It's
tiny David
versus
large
life.
It's
Gideon
with his
300 men
versus an
army of
thousands.
But again,
note that
these are all
human versus
human conflicts.
There's a few
times when angels
fight humans.
Sorry, let me
rephrase that.
There's a few
times when a
single angel
completely
obliterates
humans.
Listen, for
example, to
2 Kings
1935.
And that
night,
the angel
of the
Lord went
out and
struck down
185,000 in
the canopy
of the
earth.
And when
people arose
early in
the morning,
behold,
these were
all dead
bodies.
So one
angel wiped
out the
day.
One angel
keeps all
of humanity
out of the
garden after
the fall.
One angel
kills all of
the firstborn
in Egypt.
In physical
warfare, there
is no
amount of
humans stand
a chance
to get even
a single
angel sent
in this
door.
In this
case, Jesus
is saying,
I have 60,000
angels in
my heart.
Jesus is
in control
here.
Third, Jesus
mentions that
everything happening
is in order to
fulfill scripture.
And he'll say
that to the
mob again in
a minute.
Keep in mind,
I'm not quite
sure what
properties Jesus
has in mind
here.
a couple of
close ones to
exactly what's
happening are
Isaiah 53, 12,
which we read a
little bit of
earlier, where
Jesus is
numbered with
the lawbreakers,
he's being
arrested, and
died for our
sinners.
Or Zechariah 13,
7-9, where the
shepherd is struck
and the sheep are
scattered.
The disciples are
about to run
away.
But this is
likely just the
sense that
everything Jesus
is doing is a
fulfillment of
all God's
promises.
And this scene
is just one
small part.
Finally, we
see Jesus in
charge of the
crowd as well.
In fact, he
sort of blocks
them.
He's been out
invisible plenty
of times,
teaching in the
temple during the
day.
Why not arrest
the non-fair to
be such a
criminal?
But even their
cowardice plays
in the fulfillment
of the scripture.
The disciples
clearly do not
understand even
after all.
If they can't
fight back, what
can they do?
In the end, they
do the opposite
of what Jesus
asks.
They leave, and
they leave.
instead of
remaining and
watching.
And that makes
the question, what
should the
disciples have
done exactly?
What would it
look like
specifically to
resist temptation
in this scenario?
And we already
know the answer.
Some of you, when
I was talking
about the cup
earlier, were
probably thinking,
wait, we've
talked about the
cup before.
In Matthew
20, remember,
James and John,
the two of the
three in a circle,
asked if they could
sit in the left
and the right
hand, and oh,
Jesus was thrown
in heaven.
And listen to
Jesus' response.
in Matthew
20, 22-23.
Jesus answered,
you do not know
what you are
asking.
Are you able to
drink the cup
that I am about
to drink?
They said to
him, we're able.
He said to
them, you will
drink my cup, but
the sit at my left
and my right hand
is not lying to
me.
the cup for Jesus
specifically, clearly
means more than
what it means to
the disciples.
Jesus will bear
punishment due to
his people, and
he will do it by
submitting the
Father's plan.
But it's also
clear that his
followers were
called to take the
cup as well.
In this case, the
disciples could have
stayed with Jesus
rather than
fighting it or
clean.
What would they
have faced?
Trial?
Mockery?
Maybe even death?
It's obviously
kind of hard to
say.
They don't seem
in any actual
dating period
in the encounter
as the crowd
never acted out
and only ever
seen this
Jesus.
But this is
still what they
should have been
praying to prepare
for.
The strength
to drink the
cup.
And the three
eventually end up
doing it anyway.
James is executed
an axe, Peter
later on, and
John is exiled
for the end of
his life.
In fact, the
early church
fathers specifically
described Peter's
martyrdom as
drinking the cup
of Jesus.
This is our
counterintuitive
call, in the
face of difficulty
to stay with
our suffering
king.
But what does
that look like
for us?
Maybe someone
here, or a
few people here,
there may be
legitimate risk
of hostility from
a foreign nation
or even from
your own family.
I suspect, though,
for most of us,
unless something
changes drastically,
the United States
is a legally
safe place, if
not an empowering
place, to practice
Christianity.
You may not
always feel it
here in Boston,
but I have other
friends who look
in other cities
in the U.S.
where there's a
truth on every
block, as they
describe it.
Does that mean
we're exempt from
bearing the cup?
Well, when Jesus
is discussing
blessings in
exchange for
difficulties earlier
on in Matthew
and the
Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus
says,
blessed are you
when others
revile you and
persevere you,
and utter all
kinds of evil
against you falsely
on my account.
And I think we
do face this
kind of resistance,
the reviling and
uttering evil
parts, in our
post-Christian
culture.
I like to
talk to one
pastor to
find post-Christian
culture.
Post-Christian
culture wants
the kingdom
without the king.
People long
to the morals,
the ethics,
and the justice
that Jesus
brings, but want
to shrug Jesus
entirely.
So, when we
add spiritual
conversation to
something that
could remain
secular, we
often get pushback.
Ross doubt that
a journalist in the
New York Times
highlighted an
example of
post-Christian
secularization in
2019, when the
table of Notre
Dame burned
down.
At that time,
he wrote,
there's a palpable
desire to claim the
still-smoking Notre
Dame for some
abstract idea of
liberal monarchy,
to imagine how a
cathedral might be
reconstructingly
somehow more
secular and
cosmopolitan, more
of a cathedral for
our multicultural
times.
This seems
strange, since as
Ben Sixthman,
another journalist,
noted, it never
crossed anyone's
mind to suggest
that Mecca, the
Golden Temple,
can lose their
distinctively Islamic
and secret
characteristics, to
accommodate people
of different
things.
But an ancient,
famous Catholic
cathedral is
instinctively
understood as
somehow the
common property
of an officially
post-Catholic
world, especially
when the opportunity
suddenly arises to
wednesday.
And I think we
all feel this
extends somewhat to
our personal
lives.
There's plenty of
social situations
where discussing
Jesus would fit
naturally.
What am I
interested in?
What's my
hobby?
What did I do
last weekend?
The only thing
that makes giving
the spiritual
answer in this
scenario difficult
is the unspoken
cultural expectation
that the abstract
values of Christianity
are finally discussed,
justice, spiritual
exploration in
community, but not
the specific
content, Jesus'
prayer, attending
worship.
And honestly, I'm
proud of the
brothers in this
church that have
faced ridicule for
being open and
specific about
their faith in
Jesus.
I know a couple
brothers who have
been explicit about
their beliefs to
their bosses and
co-workers, and have
received either subtle
pushback or even
mockery in the
tasks of God.
I know another
brother who used to
attend our church that
lost friends because
of sticking to
principles of his
faith.
Those friends wanted
him to specifically
break with some of
his own personal
beliefs to support
activities that they
were doing, and when
our brother wouldn't
compromise, he lost
the friendships.
We even got a prayer
request from a sister
in the church in
Slack literally right
around the time I was
iterating on this
part of the sermon.
I'll keep her
anonymous to
recording, but last
week she requested
prayer and boldness
for sharing her faith
with an atheist
friend.
This atheist friend
has apparently
specifically cut out
Christians from her
life and Christians
get too explosive
about their faith.
I think it's a big
step for our sister
to pray for boldness
and evangelism like
that and an admirable
example of standing
with Jesus.
Now, isn't this a big
thing for Jesus to ask
all of us to give
up work stability,
relationships, social
standing?
Remember, it's not
that Jesus hasn't
already done for us
in South.
He didn't have to
take the punishment
and treatment, but he
chose to take the
cup so that he could
stand with us.
May we all have the
same grace as Jesus
in the basics of
the Bible.
Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you
for the reminder for
the word of how you've
given everything for us.
And I pray that you
would encourage
specifically those who
have given away
social stability or
standing or finances,
whatever it might be
for you.
And I pray that you
would strengthen the
rest of us in the
rest to stand with you
even when times are
different.
Jesus said, amen.