Introduction
We have all experienced moments in our lives when we felt like the weight of the world was on our shoulders. A difficult decision lay before us, and the responsibility felt as though it would crush us. Either the task was extremely difficult to accomplish, or the consequences of our actions would bring down anger upon us. So Jesus has reached that moment. In the Garden of Gethsemane we see what is the scariest sight for us – our own Lord trembling. Let’s explore what this “dark night of the soul” meant for Jesus and means for us.
Text
27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:
”‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
It was bad enough for the disciples to be told that one of them would betray their Master. As if to deepen the gloom of such an announcement, Jesus adds that all of them will abandon him. In the time of trial, no one will prove himself faithful to Jesus. He adds though an assuring word about his resurrection. 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
It is clear that Jesus, as solemn as he may be, is not moping. He is not talking like this: “Some friends you are. As soon as I am attached you are going to run away. Nobody cares about me.”
Instead he is saying, “The time for my trial is coming, and, just at it is written in the scriptures, when I am struck, you will fall away. But, don’t despair. I will rise and will be with you again in Galilee. Everything is going according to plan.”
That is what Jesus is saying. What Peter and the disciples choose to hear is moping, and nobody is going to call him a coward! Here Jesus is again insisting on talking about dying. Okay, if he wants to talk that way, so be it. He learned the first time after Jesus’ harsh rebuke that Jesus is intent on dying. But this is going too far to include him as a cowardly runaway. Rise again? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you mean I will fall away!
29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” Guess he told Jesus!
30 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”
31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
In a way, you have to admire Peter’s zeal, even if it is filled with an unfounded, obstinate self-confidence. He is not going to give in, no matter that he is contradicting his Lord who has never once shown himself to be wrong about anything. Peter knows in his heart that he loves Jesus and would never abandon him. Not to be outdone, the others take courage and chime in as well about their loyalty.
Gethsemane
They continue on their way to Gethsemane. This is an olive orchard outside the city on the Mount of Olives directly across from the Temple. The name means “olive press.”
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
We have reached the scene of Jesus’ greatest agony next to the moment he calls out to his Father on the cross, “Why have you abandoned me.” Jesus has been angry before and distressed, but nothing like this.
…he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death”…
…35 he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.
36 “Abba, Father…Take this cup from me.
Why is he so troubled? Well, duh! He’s about to be crucified! That’s true, and that certainly is a gruesome death, but still, other men have stoically faced torture and death. Jesus certainly doesn’t come across as a coward or as weak in the face of suffering. He is, after all, the Son of God. Though he feels in his human nature every bit as much as we do physical pain, nevertheless, he does have that unique relationship with his Father, which gives to him strength and peace in a way that no one else has ever experienced. Others have drawn on their relationship with God to boldly endure martyrdom; shouldn’t Jesus even so much more be able to?
The point of the matter is that it is precisely because of his unique relationship with the Father that he pauses. What awaits Jesus, along with the physical agony, is the horror of being alienated from the Father and receiving his full wrath. It is not evil intent of men that shakes him; it is the just wrath of God that falls upon him, not for his sins, but for the sins of the world.
Jesus is Isaac walking up the mountain with his father to be sacrificed. But unlike Isaac, he knows full well that he is the sacrifice and that his Father’s hand will not be stayed. This is the hour that he would just as well pass from him. This is the cup given to him, the cup that makes him stagger. As James Boice notes: “He was to drink the cup of wrath to the very dregs.”
Because Jesus is the Son of God he knows fully two things that we but have a hint of: the perfect love of the Father and his perfect justice. He has experienced from all eternity a perfect loving relationship with his Father. Never has he been separated; never has he felt his Father’s displeasure. Furthermore, he sees as well as the Father the full depravity of mankind; he knows the justice that must be meted out; he knows the terribleness of the judgment that will be carried out on him.
To know what Jesus knows would drive us out of our minds. No wonder he pauses; no wonder that he raises the possibility of another option. The great wonder that as he fully considers the terror before him, that he insists, Yet not what I will, but what you will. That is the final word he addresses to his Father. He will pray the same words two more times, and two more times make the same affirmation. Understand this: the question for Jesus is never “will I obey?” “Will I go through with this?” It is only, “Is there another way?” The answer is “No.”
Well, at least Jesus has his loyal followers to share his burden with him, that devoted band of friends who swore they would never abandon him.
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Peter, so adamant that Jesus can depend on him, sleeps during Jesus’ most agonizing moment. How could he not see Jesus’ distress? How could he not be anxious for his Master? Praying or not praying, surely he ought to have been watching out for the man whom he loves and worships. But notice what Jesus says to him; he exhorts Peter to pray for himself. In the midst of his own agony, he seeks to strengthen others, even those whom he knows will abandon him.
39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?
Three times they fail him. Surely, Jesus ought to be at his lowest. And at this time the betrayer comes. Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Yes, Jesus, ought to be devastated by this time. And yet, strange enough, he speaks with resolve and strength. Now that the hour has come, he faces it head on. He steps boldly towards his betrayer. What happened? Only he and the Father know. Whatever he needed, the Father provided. The cup remains in his hand, but he lifts it calmly to his lips.
Lessons
What, then, may we learn from this text? The first lesson is that we are weak, but he is strong. We may be amused or shocked by the disciples’ behavior, but who of us would pit himself against any of them for dedication to Jesus? They had long before proved their loyalty and devotion to their Master. Who of us have literally left everything to follow Jesus? The problem with the disciples is not that they were particularly spineless men, but that they were men, i.e. human with all the sin and frailty that comes with it. We could say that they should have been more alert. They should have heeded Jesus’ advice to pray. They ought to have been more humble and believed Jesus when he warned them of their running away. That is all true, but the fact remains they acted according to their nature as we all do.
We are all weak. As Jesus correctly noted, The spirit is willing, but the body is weak. We may be stronger than others in some areas of our lives, and certainly weaker than others in other areas. But none of us are strong, at least not in comparison to the example of Jesus. We are, after all, sinful creatures, and our sins make us weak when it comes to virtue. It is good for us to work on our weaknesses; it is good to work at being more alert in prayer and in Christian thinking; it is good to work at developing moral character. But the bottom line is that you and I are weak.
Furthermore, I would contend that where we are at our weakest is not in the midst of active battle, but in the tediousness of everyday living and everyday religious exercise. The disciples were ready to do battle – so they thought – but they were not prepared for the arduous work of sitting or lying still in prayer. Prayer, the one activity for which Jesus guaranteed results, is the most difficult task for Christians to do. Every church proves it. In every American church, prayer meetings are the least attended activities. Those churches that claim differently will invariably have prayer meetings that include some other stimulating activity such as teaching or singing. That is not a condemnation; it is simply a fact. Praying is work that the majority of us find too hard to do.
But fussing at you about prayer is not my purpose. What I want you to know is your hope. We have a high priest who knows our weaknesses. He knows our flesh is weak, especially as one himself who has taken on flesh. He knows the battle being waged against us; he knows the strength of the enemy, the powerful lure of the world, and the weakness of the flesh; and he is sympathetic. Jesus did not stop loving Peter and the rest of the disciples. He did not throw a tantrum; he did not declare that if his friends weren’t going to be there for him, that he wasn’t going to be there for them. If anything, his resolve was all the greater to carry out his mission.
I want you to remember that. Some of you – I hope all of you – have resolved to do a better job of following Jesus; but I want you to remember the next time you fail him – which won’t be long – that he is still your sympathetic high priest. He is not looking at you with mournful eyes, but with loving, merciful eyes. Remember the promise of scripture: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Furthermore, our sympathetic high priest is strong. Jesus did not sin. He did not falter in the Garden of Gethsemane. And because he didn’t, the sacrifice he offered was effective and sufficient to cover our sins. Jesus doesn’t say to us, “Been there, done that.” He says, “Been there, and overcame that. You can now count of me to pull you through.” We can also count on Jesus to speak on our behalf and guarantee that we will receive mercy. His Father will listen to him because he was fully obedient. When he says that he will put in a good word for us, we can count on him doing so and getting his way. We are weak, but he is strong for us.
Gethsemane also makes clear to us that Jesus’ death was not playacting. He was truly troubled in the garden. He and the Father were not winking at one another. There is a new TV quiz show with a twist. The contestant enters a chamber of torture, so to speak. He or she may be exposed to flames and high heat or to rain and freezing temperatures while answering questions. The more questions they answer correctly, the worse the conditions get. But we all know that it is a game. The chamber will shut down before conditions get too unbearable or the contestants call it quits or the doctors monitoring them call it off. The crucifixion was not a game show. Jesus would, and did, face fully the physical and spiritual punishment due to the guilty world.
The events of Gethsemane to the cross do not form a story made up by theologians to illustrate Jesus’ love for us. His suffering is not a myth intended to enact the suffering that mankind goes through for redemption or fulfillment. The Son of God took on flesh and died, really died, for us.
Gethsemane also makes clear that Jesus’ death was necessary. Do you think that God the Father would not have gladly removed the cup from his Son’s hand if our redemption could be achieved any other way? If the solution to sin were a mere matter of God saying “let bygones be bygones,” would he have suffered to hear his Son appeal to him and not stop the matter then? If we could be saved by hard work; if our weakness could be handled through self-discipline and applying the techniques of the latest guru, would he have insisted that his Son continue on to the cross? You parents know the answer to that question.
No, Gethsemane communicates to us that there is a spiritual reality beyond what we can see and experience for now – God’s holiness, his perfect justice, the pure love between Father and Son, the horribleness of sin, our full depravity, the reality and necessity of just wrath, the terribleness of abandonment by God – all these things are mixed into Jesus’ troubles in the garden.
And what comes forth is our redemption and the joy of our Savior. You don’t see joy? Perhaps Jesus did not feel joyful at the time, but we do know that the goal of joy is what brought him through the moment of crisis. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus’ joy was our salvation and glorifying his Father. His joy was to be lifted up and restored to glory with the Father. Remember that. Remember that however dark the times may be in your life what ultimately awaits you is what awaited Jesus – joy. Suffering and sorrow do not have the last word. Jesus’ story does not end in Gethsemane nor Calvary nor the grave. It ends – or rather goes on – in glory, the glory of the Son of God who reigns on high as our Redeemer and our Lord.
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
