Well, good morning, church.
We're picking back up in our sermon series with the Gospel of Luke today.
So would you turn with me to Luke chapter 22, verses 39 through 53.
If you're looking for a good Bible app on your phone, ESV has a good one.
There are lots of others, I'm sure, but I'll be reading from the ESV this morning.
As we come to our passage in Luke 22, verses 39 through 53, let me pray for us.
Our Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Father, these are the words that your Son taught us to pray,
and what good and bolstering and strengthening words they are.
So, Lord, we pray for this moment as we come to your word,
as we gather around your scriptures together,
that your kingdom would come,
and our eyes would be opened,
and our hearts would come alive again to behold you in your word.
Give us fresh insight and fresh vision into who you are, Lord Jesus,
that our hearts may be encouraged and strengthened in faith and hope and love in these days.
We ask this, Father, in the name of Jesus, our great high priest,
and in the power of your Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Well, let me read Luke 22, 39 through 53 for us.
And he, that is Jesus, came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives.
And the disciples followed him.
And when he came to the place, he said to them,
Pray that you may not enter into temptation.
And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed, saying,
Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.
Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.
And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.
And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly,
and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.
And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.
And he said to them,
Why are you sleeping?
Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.
While he was still speaking, there came a crowd.
And the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them.
He drew near to Jesus to kiss him.
But Jesus said to him,
Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?
And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said,
Lord, shall we strike with the sword?
And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus said, no more of this.
And he touched his ear and healed him.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come out against him,
have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs?
When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me.
But this is your hour and the power of darkness.
Well, the disciples were about to face the biggest test of their lives.
Their friend, their teacher, the one they hoped would be king,
Jesus was about to be arrested and put to death.
And this moment on the Mount of Olives in a place that Matthew and Mark call Gethsemane
and that John calls a garden, this would be perhaps the greatest test of the disciples' lives.
Would they stand by their friend, their teacher, or would they fall away?
And at a deeper level, when the story they thought they were living in was dramatically rewritten according to God's plan,
what would they do?
You see, the disciples had what we might call a life story in mind.
It went something like this.
The Messiah was here and he would triumph and we would share in his glory.
But that was not exactly the story God had in mind.
God's story, which Jesus had just been telling them moments before at their Passover meal in the upper room at the beginning of Luke 22,
God's story involved something much deeper and more costly.
You see, the way to glory would not be through triumph, but through suffering.
So how would they fare in the face of this test when the deep story of their lives was being rewritten?
I think many of us these days can feel like those disciples facing a great test, a great trial.
As the effects of the pandemic continue to grow in the weeks ahead, that trial is likely going to increase.
None of us thought that the story God had for us would include the worldwide spread of a virus,
the loss of work and economic security, and perhaps, before it's all said and done,
maybe each of us losing someone we know, maybe even someone we love.
Luke takes us with the disciples to the Mount of Olives in this moment of trial.
And what do we see there that might help us in our moment of trial?
Well, there we see Jesus.
Jesus facing a trial greater than any of us can imagine.
Consider first Jesus and his agony in prayer.
Jesus' agony in prayer.
Luke tells us in verse 44,
being in agony, Jesus prayed more earnestly,
and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.
Now, only Luke gives us this last detail about Jesus' sweat falling like blood,
and perhaps what Luke is describing here is an actual instance of a very rare medical condition
where under extreme distress the blood vessels of the skin break open.
Or perhaps Luke is speaking figuratively that the sweat is like great drops of blood
because of its intensity.
But either way, as the first part of the verse says,
the point Luke wants us to see is that Jesus is in true agony.
In his fully human nature, Christ undergoes in this moment great striving,
great suffering, great agony.
But why?
You know, Luke, more than any other gospel writer,
has shown us that Jesus was constantly at prayer.
At key moments of Jesus' life especially,
Jesus is seen in the gospel of Luke praying.
Like before his baptism, or before choosing the twelve,
or prior to asking the disciples for a confession of faith.
Even prior to the transfiguration.
But none of those prior moments of prayer were quite like this one
on the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Here, Luke tells us there's agony.
Why?
Well, verse 42 shows us,
In this moment of prayer,
Jesus was beholding, he was seeing,
he was viewing, like never before,
the cup he was about to drink.
Look at that verse again.
Father, if you are willing,
remove this cup from me.
This metaphorical cup brought so much terror
to the human heart of Jesus
that in his human will,
he wrestled with the Father,
asking if there might be some other way
to do what he had come to do.
Now, at this moment,
we step into
one of the deep mysteries
of the incarnation.
Jesus Christ, we see as the Gospels unfold,
is both God and man.
He's one person with two natures,
a divine nature and a human nature.
And this means that Jesus has both
a divine will and a human will.
One writer put it this way.
He said,
With respect to Jesus' divine nature,
being fully God,
he had no other will than that of the Father.
Yet with respect to his human nature,
being fully human,
Jesus himself
made a clear and careful distinction
between his will
and the Father's will.
If he did the Father's will,
the writer goes on to say,
this was because he chose to do it,
not necessarily because it always came easily
or automatically.
Jesus, with his fully human will,
is here wrestling
with the choice before him
to take the cup.
What then is this cup
that filled Jesus and his human will
with such agony?
Well, it's clear from the context of Luke
that the cup that Jesus speaks of
is the cross.
On the way to Jerusalem,
he told his disciples,
more than once,
that he would be betrayed
and handed over to be crucified.
And in the upper room,
he had just taken,
maybe even a half an hour
before this scene,
he had just taken the bread and the cup,
symbols of that first Passover in Exodus.
And Jesus said to his disciples,
this bread that we use
to celebrate the Passover,
it's really about my body
being broken for you.
And this cup that we use
to celebrate the Passover
is really about my bloodshed for you,
Jesus had just told them.
But why did the cross
fill Jesus with such dread,
such agony?
Think with me of other great figures
who've faced an untimely death.
Socrates famously faced death
with great composure.
Thousands of martyrs,
Christian and non-Christian alike,
have faced the prospect
of even gruesome deaths
with cool minds
and calm hearts.
But here we see Jesus
contemplating his death
and he is in horror.
What explains that difference?
Well, it's because the death
that Jesus was about to undergo
was like no other death
before or after.
You see, when Jesus speaks
of the cup,
we have to hear that metaphor
within the thought world
of first century Judaism.
We have to hear it, that is,
as the Old Testament uses it.
And again and again,
this is what we hear.
Take Isaiah,
the prophet Isaiah,
chapter 51, verse 17.
Isaiah says,
Wake yourself, wake yourself,
stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk
from the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
the bowl,
the cup of staggering.
Or listen to Jeremiah 25, 15.
Thus says the Lord,
the God of Israel,
take from my hand
the cup of the wine of wrath
and make all the nations
to whom I send you drink it.
Again, Jeremiah 49, 12.
For thus says the Lord,
if those who did not deserve
to drink the cup must drink it,
will you go unpunished?
You shall not go unpunished,
but you must drink.
One more example from Habakkuk 2, 6.
You will have your fill of shame
instead of glory.
Drink yourself
and show your sinfulness.
The cup in the Lord's right hand
will come around to you
and utter shame
will come upon your glory.
So what is it the prophets are saying?
How are they using this metaphor
of the cup?
Well, the cup is clearly a metaphor
for God's judgment
and wrath against human sin.
What brings agony and terror
to the human heart of Jesus
is not merely the immense physical pain
that lies ahead,
but the thought of undergoing
the full and fierce wrath of God.
On the cross,
Jesus would bear the full weight
of God's right and good anger
at all the evil, injustice,
and sin of the world.
It's like a great tarp.
Imagine a great tarp
holding back the rain
for generations and generations,
and it's bowing under the weight,
and at the cross,
that tarp would tear,
and the flood would come pouring down.
And in the garden,
Jesus is given a full view
of what was to come.
He sees the cup
that he must drink,
and in agony he prays,
Father, if you are willing,
remove this cup from me.
But note the next line
of Jesus' prayer.
Nevertheless,
not my will,
but yours be done.
Do you see what's happening
in this moment
in the Garden of Gethsemane?
The human will of Jesus
reckoning fully
with what it will cost him
to obey his Father's will
and go to the cross
for our salvation.
Jesus,
in full knowledge
of what's ahead,
even to the point
of sweating blood,
chooses the Father's will.
And then his agony
in prayer
in verses 39 through 46
becomes his willingness
to face betrayal
in verses 47 through 53.
This is the second paragraph
of our text.
We see Jesus in agony
in prayer,
and then we see him
willingly,
in willingness,
going out to face
his betrayal
in the next paragraph.
This is the second thing
Luke wants us to see
in this episode.
Having seen the cup
in prayer,
Jesus now takes the cup.
He meets his betrayer,
Judas,
and in compassion
he says to Judas,
would you betray me
with a kiss, Judas?
And when his disciples
rouse from their sleep
and start slashing
with their swords,
he says,
no more of this
and heals
the servant
of the high priest.
And when the crowd
closes in to arrest him,
he confronts them
with the reality
of their dark deed.
This is your hour,
he says,
but it's the power
of darkness.
And so the passion
of Jesus begins.
It begins in the pain
of betrayal
and in the shame
of arrest.
Now friends,
what are we to make
of this?
What are we to make
of Christ's agony
in prayer
and his willingness
to face betrayal
and the way
these two things
are intimately locked
in the passion story?
What are we to make
of the fact
that Jesus sees the cup
in all of its horror
and then willingly
steps forth
to take it?
Well,
what we are meant
to see here
at the very least
is the wonderful
strength
of the love
of Christ
for sinners.
Paul writes
in Romans 5,
now most people,
Paul says,
would not be willing
to die
even for an upright person,
though someone
might perhaps
be willing to die
for a person
who's especially
good,
but God showed
his great love
for us in this,
that while we were
still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Do you see
the love of Christ
for you
in the Garden
of Gethsemane?
As Christ kneels
in agony,
sweat falling
to the ground,
do you see Christ
choosing that cup
for you?
The Father
sent his Son,
do you see the Son
choosing the Father's
will for you?
Do you see the Son
exercising in time
this eternal plan
of redemption
when God set his heart
on you
in love,
choosing you,
and then agreeing
to pay the full cost
for your sin,
to bear the exclusion
and the death
and the wrath
that you're in my sins
rightfully deserved?
Do you see that Jesus
faced the biggest trial
of his life
in this moment,
there,
bowing before the Father,
his betrayer
already at hand
making his way
right at this moment.
Don't you see Jesus,
Jesus,
the rightful King
of Heaven,
could have called down
armies of angels
to defend him,
to judge his enemies,
and he could have
walked away
from the cup
and all its horror
in complete freedom
and justice.
But instead,
our King
chooses
the will of his Father.
He chooses
instead to receive
heavenly,
angelic help
not to destroy
his enemies
but to aid his prayer
as he chooses
willingly to die
for them.
You note how Luke
says the angels
are present in this scene.
They're there
supporting Jesus
in his prayer
as he takes the cup.
The greatest trial
of Jesus' life
and for you
and for me,
he takes the cup.
He takes the cup
out of your hands.
He takes the cup
of judgment
that your sins deserve
and in exchange
he hands us
the cup
of salvation
purchased in full
at the cross.
And if you've seen,
if you and I
have seen
and received
the love
of Christ
for us
as sinners,
then here's
what's true.
If we've seen
and received
what Christ
has done
for us,
here's what's true.
that no cup
you are asked
to drink
in this life
can destroy you.
Because Jesus
drank the cup
of God's wrath
for me,
any cup
that my heavenly
father places
before me
must ultimately
be for my
good.
You know,
the cup of our life,
think about your life
as a cup
that you have to drink.
What is it?
It's mixed
with many joys
and it is mixed
with many sorrows.
But because of
what Jesus has done,
that cup
in Christ
is the cup
of our salvation.
Because there
is now
no condemnation
for those
who are in
Christ Jesus.
The cup
of condemnation
has been drunk
to the dregs
down to the very bottom
and all that's left
for you and me
is the cup
of God's salvation.
You know,
our cup
might be mixed
with a lot of sorrow.
Jesus
faced
betrayal.
And so
at times
may we.
Jesus
had friends
who misunderstood
him
and in his
moment of most need
they put him
in greater danger.
Two guys
with swords
was not going
to stop
this whole band
coming into the garden.
The only thing
it was going to do
was make Jesus
look even more guilty.
Here were his friends
misunderstanding him,
putting him
in even greater danger.
Friends,
there may be times
when we have friends
who deeply
misunderstand us.
Jesus
faced betrayal,
so may we.
Jesus
had friends
misunderstand him,
so may we.
Jesus
faced
an untimely
death
in the prime
of his life.
And the reality
is,
friends,
so may
we.
Who knows
what trials
the coming weeks
or the coming months
may bring.
But knowing
what Jesus
has done for us,
knowing the love
of God
for us,
we too
can pray.
Father,
if possible,
let this cup
pass.
Nevertheless,
thy will
be done.
Because the
Father's cup
for us,
because of what
Christ has done
is the cup
of his salvation.
And is this not
what the disciples,
what Jesus tells
to his disciples here?
What is his word
to them as they
enter into the
Mount of Olives,
into the garden?
Pray.
So let us
end this morning
where our passage
begins.
Jesus tells us,
pray that you
may not
enter into
temptation.
Temptation,
that word can mean
test or trial
as well.
And what does it
mean to enter
into temptation?
Well,
it means to give
in.
It means to fall
prey to it.
So how do we
not fall prey
to temptation?
How do we not
give in
when trial comes?
How do we not
give in to despair?
How do we not
give in to anger
and bitterness?
How do we not
give in to unbelief?
Jesus says,
pray.
You know,
one of the things
I've observed
in the last week
is that as many
of us have been
forced to work
from home
and distance
ourselves from
one another,
is that all
that frantic energy
that we usually
spend in the world
out there
is now just
being channeled
into our lives
at home.
Facebook posts
are going crazy
with like 400 ways
to homeschool
your kids.
There are now
700 new home
projects you can
do and get done
with all that
time you have
on your hands
now that you're
working from home.
You know,
we're just taking
all that energy
and just redirecting
it and plowing it
into our home lives.
You know,
but perhaps
one of the things
that we're meant
to learn
in this season
isn't how
to redirect
all of our
frantic energy
into other things.
Maybe we're
meant to learn
simply
how to wait.
To wait
on God
as the psalmists
tell us
over and over
again
and to pray.
Of course,
we shouldn't be
against finding
creative ways
to connect
and care
for one another.
You know,
we should be
very happy
to find new
and meaningful
things to do
with our time
now that our
lives are changing.
But,
this is a season
when we should
also be learning
to slow down,
to wait,
and to pray.
To pray
as Jesus invites
us here,
to pray,
Father.
Jesus invites
us to pray,
Father.
You know,
this is a moment
when all of us
should be looking
to God again.
To acknowledge
our complete
dependence
on God again
and to rediscover
that because of
Jesus'
finished work,
we too
can call God
Abba,
Father.
So,
could we
slow down
and pray
in this season
and remember
who God
truly is
for us
in Jesus?
Jesus.
Now,
I understand
some of us
have had
very absent
fathers.
Some of us
have had
maybe even
pretty terrible
fathers.
But,
that's not
who God
is.
To know God
as Father
is to know
God as
intimate
and trustworthy,
as strong
and gentle,
as holy
and good.
when we pray,
Father,
we celebrate
the fact
that because
Jesus has
taken away
our sin,
we are now
beloved daughters
and sons of God
no matter what
circumstances may
bring.
And then
Jesus invites
us to pray,
Father,
if you're
willing,
remove this
cup from me.
Now,
we saw
that for Jesus
the cup
was a very
specific
thing,
a very
specific
and unique
part of
his mission.
He was the
only one
who could
take up
the cup
of God's
wrath
and drain
it for us
because only
he was
fully God
and fully
human
to do
that work
for us.
But,
by analogy,
we now
take up
that prayer
for whatever
cup
lays before
us.
And we
can pray,
Father,
if you're
willing,
remove
this cup
of sorrow
from me.
You see,
it's not
wrong to
pray for
different
circumstances.
We can
cast all
our cares
on God
because he
cares for
us.
We should
be honest
with God
in our
desires,
our fears,
our concerns.
And so,
we pray
like we did
earlier in the
service.
We pray
for God
to end
the spread
of the
virus.
we pray
for God
to protect
the most
vulnerable,
especially
from not
just the
disease,
but from
the effects
of our
economy
shutting
down.
We pray
for God
to keep
our family
members safe.
And we pray
for God
to keep
our medical
workers safe
and the
people working
in the
grocery stores
so we can
continue to
get food.
We continue
to pray.
And you
see,
God is
honored when
we pray
like this.
When we
make these
requests to
God,
Father,
if you're
willing,
remove this
cup from
us.
When we
make those
kinds of
requests to
God,
on the one
hand,
we glorify
God for
his power.
We're
acknowledging
that God
is almighty
and he can
actually do
something about
it.
And at the
same time,
when we pray
those prayers,
we glorify
God for
his goodness.
We
acknowledge
that God
is loving
and like a
good human
parent,
God gives
good gifts
to his
children.
So in
taking all
of our
needs and
our concerns
to God
and wrestling
with God
in prayer,
we're actually
exalting God's
power,
we're exalting
his goodness.
So we
pray,
Father,
if you're
willing,
remove this
cup from
us.
But lastly,
Jesus invites
us to pray,
nevertheless,
not my
will,
but yours
be done.
Now,
I imagine
that if I
gave us all
a little
theology quiz,
we would
all get
straight A's,
you know,
if we sort
of pumped
out onto
the Facebook
feed two
questions,
true or
false?
God is
wiser than
we are.
True or
false?
God is
more loving
and good
than we
are.
Suddenly,
they would
all start
ringing back,
ping, ping, ping,
ping, and we'd
all get 100%,
true and
true.
God is
wiser than
we are.
God is
more loving
and good
than we
are.
Great,
we've all
passed the
test,
but when
trials come,
we often
realize that
head knowledge
of God
is not
heart knowledge
of God.
When trials
come,
the wisdom
of God
and the love
of God
start to
come under
question,
don't they?
God
now,
of course,
we may
never know
why God
allows the
circumstances
in our lives,
the trials,
the tragedies,
but here's
what we do
know.
Look again
with me
at the
garden.
There you
see God
the Father
giving up
his only
son for
you,
and there
we see
God the
Son
willingly
drinking
the cup
for us.
You see,
whatever
God may
decree,
it cannot
be because
he doesn't
love us.
At the
cross,
in a
wisdom
that shames
the wise
of this
world,
God
proved
his love
without
reserve
so that
we can
trust
his love
without
hesitation
even when
times
are hard.
And so
we too
can pray,
nevertheless,
not my
will,
but yours
be done.
And notice
what courage
and what
compassion
that prayer
gives to
Jesus.
Praying the
prayer,
Father,
your will
be done.
Jesus then
moves from
agony to
courage and
compassion.
He meets
his betrayer
and offers him
one last chance
to change his
mind.
He heals
the servant
of his
enemy and
tells the
disciples to
put their
swords away.
He addresses
those who
would arrest
him with
the challenging
light of
truth.
How will
we face
our trials
with such
courage and
compassion?
When we
in prayer,
when we've
wrestled,
and when we've
said with
Christ,
not my
will,
but yours
be done,
then we
can step
forth with
the same
courage and
the same
compassion of
Jesus.
And so
then,
friends,
like the
disciples,
we may be
facing the
biggest trial
of our
lives,
but like
the disciples,
we too
have a
Savior in
the Lord
Jesus,
who intercedes
for us,
who prays for
us,
who's standing
even now,
risen,
glorified at
the right
hand of the
Father,
so that we
might come
to the
Father in
his name,
and so that
we might pray
with confidence
to God as
our Father.
Father,
if you're
willing,
remove this
cup,
nevertheless,
not my
will,
but yours
be done.
And having
that kind
of confidence
in Jesus,
we too
can face
the trials
of our
time with
courage and
with compassion.
Let's pray
together.
Lord Jesus,
we confess
that oftentimes
we can
feel the
same
sort of
agony in
such a
smaller degree,
Lord,
we acknowledge,
but we
too can
feel like
we're
wrestling and
striving in
prayer.
But we
thank you,
Jesus,
that you've
sent the
Holy Spirit
to be our
helper.
we pray
that you
would
strengthen
all of
us
to be
able to
pray and
slow down
in these
moments,
to remember
that you're
our Father,
to remember
that you're
good and
loving and
that your
plans are
good and
wise.
Lord,
help us
as the
church to
move
forth in
the confidence
that this
prayer provides.
Lord Jesus,
that your
finished work
provides so
that we
might be
light and
salt in
these needful
times.
We pray all
this in the
name of
Jesus.
Amen.
Well,
friends,
in response
to sharing
and looking at
God's word
together,
let's continue
to sing
together.