Going on a Little Further
Matthew 26:39
Introduction
Illustration: Gordon MacDonald said, “You can tell whether you are becoming a servant by how you act when people treat you like one.”
How do you react when you are treated like a servant? I must confess that my reaction isn’t always a prime example of Christian servanthood. As a matter of fact we often consider the very minor inconveniences in our lives as marks of our servanthood. These usually fall into the shadows when compared with the service of others. How many would be willing to give their vacation time much less their lives in the slums of Calcutta, India freeing the people from poverty and disease? How many would be willing to be confined on an island of leper colonies rescuing the lepers from their prison of seclusion and sadness? As extreme as these commitments may be when compared with our own service, they are really nothing compared to the extreme commitment Jesus made.
Jesus made a difference in our lives by breaking the chains of our prison with his love, mercy and grace. The result is a position in the heavenlies and the privileges of God’s daily grace and purpose for our lives. Jesus is worthy of our faith and worship today because he has sees our path, senses our pain, and solves our problems. This morning let’s note together the reason why Jesus has made a difference in our lives. Perhaps, we can follow his example and make a difference in the lives of others.
Jesus life was motivated by three factors that resulted in his obedience to God and caused God to “highly exalt Him and give Him the name which is above every name” – a name that would cause “every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” In each of these three areas Jesus “went on a little further.”
Read: Matthew 26:36-46
While in our text the phrase “went on a little further” is obviously referring to physical distance, it is also true that Jesus went further in other ways as well.
I. Jesus Went a Little Further in Compassion
Jesus expressed his compassion to those who loved Him as well as to those who did not. What is compassion? Is it pity? No! Jesus could have pitied us from his home in Heaven. Having pity is just saying, “I feel sorry for you.” Is compassion sympathy? No! To sympathize with someone is merely to say, “I feel for you.” Compassion goes beyond these – compassion sees people in need and does something about it. We may be aware of a person eating bread and water to survive and feel sorry for them. We might even be able to remember when we had little food in the house and be able to feel for them, but we have not shown compassion until we are moved to get some good food and take it to them.
Illustration: Last spring, Mr. Alter’s fifth-grade class at Lake Elementary School in Oceanside, California, included fourteen boys who had no hair. Only one, however, had no choice in the matter. Ian O’Gorman, undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma, faced the prospect of having his hair fall out in clumps. So he had his head shaved. But then 13 of his classmates shaved their heads, so Ian wouldn’t feel out of place. Ten-year-old Kyle Hanslik started it all. He talked to some other boys, and before long they all trekked to the barber shop.
"The last thing he would want is to not fit in," said Kyle. "We just wanted to make him feel better." Ian’s father, Shawn, choked back tears as he talked about what the boys had done. He said simply, "It’s hard to put words to."
(Sherman L. Burford, Fairmont, West Virginia. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 3.)
God put some words to it, though. He said "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2).
For Christians compassion is one of the evidences of Jesus’ lordship. It is the outworking of the “love of God that is shed abroad in our heart.” It is a reflection of the example of Jesus. That example was demonstrated on numerous occasions, but two examples will provide sufficient evidence of Jesus’ compassion.
First, let us consider John 13:1-5 (read text) as Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Here we see the Master doing the work of a slave in order to meet the needs of those he loved. In those days it was customary for a slave to wash the feet of visitors. To not provide this kindness would be considered uncivilized and inhospitable. Apparently, there were no servants available to do this job for Jesus and the disciples, so Jesus Himself gets up from the table, pours Himself a basin of water and begins to wash the feet of the disciples. Imagine the amazement that must have filled their minds and faces as their Lord stooped to wash their dusty feet one by one. Even more incredible was something Jesus was doing that was only known by one of the disciples. He was washing the feet of the very man who would later betray Him to his enemies. Jesus washed the feet of Judas!
Jesus was teaching us something through this event. Obviously, He wanted us to know what it means to be a servant. But Jesus was also teaching something else. The washing of the disciples’ feet pictured the removal of the contamination that had been acquired as they traveled. The whole event is a picture of our compassionate Lord’s constant cleansing. He says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Just think! Jesus who suffered and died to give us new life is willing to forgive again every time we fail Him and allow sin to contaminate our life. That is going a little further in compassion!
A second illustration of Jesus’ compassion is found in Luke 19:37-41 (read text) as Jesus makes his “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. Have you ever wondered why this even is called a triumphal entry? Jesus describes the failure of Israel to recognize Him and the resulting consequences in vv. 42-44 (read). But the triumph of it all is that God’s plan to provide a Savior for all mankind through Israel is about to be completed. In spite of the circumstances created by man, God in Christ will reign. That is triumph! In the midst of this scene of agony and ecstasy, Jesus weeps and calls out, “O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem… I would have gathered you under my wings” (Matthew 23:37). Here is Jesus facing death by crucifixion, recalling the rebelliousness of Israel and at the same time weeping over the condition of lost man. The greatness of Jesus’ compassion becomes even more evident when we realize that He died for each one of us and would have done so for just one of us.
Illustration: In 1975 a child named Raymond Dunn, Jr., was born in New York State with a skull fracture and oxygen deprivation caused severe retardation. As Raymond grew, the family discovered further impairments. His twisted body suffered up to twenty seizures per day. He was blind, mute, and immobile. He had severe allergies that limited him to only one food: a meat-based formula made by Gerber Foods.
In 1985, Gerber stopped making the formula that Raymond lived on. His mother appealed to Gerber for help. Without this particular food, Raymond would starve to death. The employees of the company listened.
In an unprecedented action, volunteers donated hundreds of hours to bring out old equipment, set up production lines, obtain special approval from the USDA, and produce the formula--all for one special boy. In January 1995, Raymond Dunn, Jr., known as the Gerber Boy, died from his physical problems. But during his brief lifetime he called forth a wonderful thing called compassion.
Jesus demonstrated compassion not for the whole world, not for the nation Israel, not for the crowd gathered at the cross, but for you and for me. He would have done it if there had been only one. Remember, in Genesis 3:15 God announced his plan when there were only two sinners. Jesus certainly went a little further in compassion. Jesus was able to demonstrate that compassion because…
II. Jesus Went a Little Further in Commitment
Our text provides insight into Jesus’ commitment. Jesus prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;…” What is the cup Jesus wanted to avoid if at all possible? Was it the mockery? Was it the physical suffering? No – Jesus had already been experiencing these. Throughout his ministry the Pharisees had mocked Him. Throughout his ministry He had suffered poverty and physical deprivation (no place to lay his head). The cup Jesus dreaded was the sin of mankind that would separate Him from the Father. Jesus was committed to his relationship with the Father and didn’t want anything to mar that relationship even for a moment.
However, that commitment to the Father was balanced and even demonstrated by Jesus’ commitment to his Father’s will. He went on to pray, “not as I will, but as You will.” Life is filled with conflicts. Real commitment is when we are faithful to the right thing even at great cost.
Illustration: Soldiers carrying automatic weapons invaded a small church in China. The leader said every one who wants to live must leave now. Anyone who refuses will be shot and killed without mercy. Many from the small congregation immediately left their seats and headed for the door. Only the pastor and the few faithful remained. To their bewilderment, the soldier in charge laid his weapon on the floor and extended his hand to the terrified pastor saying, “We want to worship only with the faithful”.
I wonder if you and I would have been left there among the faithful. Would our commitment be strong enough to risk death? Jesus didn’t risk death – he chose death in his commitment to the Father as well as to you and me.
III. Jesus Went a Little Further in Courage
Illustration: Someone has said, “Being positive is part of being a hero – maybe the hardest part, because if you are a hero you’re smart enough to know all the reasons why you should be discouraged.”
Jesus certainly had reason to be discouraged. “He came unto his own and his own did not receive Him” according to John 1:11. Nothing is more discouraging than to be rejected by someone you love dearly.
Illustration: Prior to becoming a houseparent in South Texas we thought we had seen everything, but we had not. Paul came for a weekend visit. He was unruly, disrespectful, self-destructive and angry at God. Why? His father had been killed in an auto accident and his mother really didn’t want him. She often said to him, “Why don’t you go sit in the road and get killed like your father?”
While Jesus was rejected also, He was courageous because he was on a mission from his Father and the presence of “God” in Him enabled Him to face rejection. Jesus offers that same courage to each of us through a relationship with the Father. That relationship is made possible for the Pauls of the world and for you and me because of Jesus’ willingness to face the cross.
Courage is not just persistence against obstacles. Courage is also doing the right thing even when others are doing the wrong thing. As Jesus hung on the cross being wronged in every way, he demonstrated his courage to the very ones who were gathered there. He said, “Father, forgive them…” There were some who would have cheered Jesus for stepping down from the cross. But Jesus knew that he must make the necessary sacrifice so that the faith of the Old Testament saints would not be in vain and so that you and I could focus on Him as the object of our faith for forgiveness of sin. If Jesus had not gone a little further in courage, we would have no hope for the future and no courage for the present.
Conclusion
Illustration: A little old lady was on a flight to Europe. She was very nervous. The man sitting next to her asked, "Is this your first flight?"
She said, "No, I’m always nervous when I fly. But it won’t be bad this trip."
"Why?" he asked.
She said, "We’re flying toward the morning. We’re flying toward the dawn."
That’s the thing to hold on to. As the disciples of Jesus Christ, we’re flying into the sun and we’re flying with the Son. As long as we emulate his compassion, his commitment and his courage we will be able to “go on a little further” in our walk of faith and service.
