LUKE 22:39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place,
Luke assumes his readers knew that “the place” was the garden of Gethsemane. Why is that? Probably the same reason he added “as usual” to the fact that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Jesus had a spot.
This spot was a place to connect with his father. Especially in tough times. We know he went to this spot just before he picked the 12 disciples. This is where Jesus was transfigured before the eyes of Peter, James and John, Jesus’ inner circle. This is where Jesus eventually ascended to be with the father as he left this earth. I would venture to say that Jesus actually felt closest to God when he was around this place.
Where’s your spot? Is it your custom to go?
...he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."
By this time, it’s pretty late. It’s been an eventful day. It seems like things might be winding down. Jesus knows this is just the beginning of the longest night of his and his disciple’s lives.
Most of us don’t have the privilege of knowing when trying times are just around the corner. (MACU) Jesus warns these guys that they are about to face some difficult and tempting times.
41He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,
I’ve always wondered why Jesus isolated himself in this way here. He was far enough to be seen, but not necessarily heard. Maybe it was because what Jesus was facing was just unexplainable to his disciples. They’re so ready to pick up swords and fight, they will never understand why Jesus is struggling with the fact that he’s about to die.
At the same time that Jesus is about to accomplish the culmination of his mission, he is facing the most severe temptation of his eternal life. How was he supposed to explain this to the disciples?
Ever been in a life or death situation with your kid right there with you? How do you explain it in such a way as to not make the situation worse?
Even today we have a hard time truly grasping the extent of Jesus’ surrender to God’s will through this crucifixion. This is why the bible is full of analogies to help us put a frame of reference around it.
Jesus uses one of those analogies next…
42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
To the untrained ear this just seems like the job of a waiter, to carry a cup. It meant far more than that in the OT.
The cup was a symbol of God’s wrath in the Old Testament. The only way to describe the unleashing of God’s wrath on people was by using the imagery of pouring or drinking. It covered or completely consumed a person.
Isaiah 51:17 Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger.
Jeremiah 25:15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.
I think it’s safe to say that we are looking a moment in Jesus’ life where he would rather not do what he’s about to have to do. For at least a moment, Jesus would rather have done something other than absorbing the wrath of God in our place. Had Jesus followed through with that desire, we would be without hope, because only Jesus could accomplish what he did on the cross.
Jesus is the only one to ever live without sin. Had he sinned once, he would have rightfully had to die for his own sin, leaving no room for him to die for ours.
Even after living a sinless life, Jesus could not have died on the cross for our sins unless he was eternal God. The temporary death of an eternal God meets the requirements of an eternal death for mortal men.
Only Jesus could be our great Prophet, Priest and King.
If all that sounded really confusing, read Hebrews, it will confuse you even more, but every bit of it is true. Had Jesus given in during this split instance of temptation, we would be in some deep trouble.
Praise God he resisted. It clearly wasn’t easy for him to do so…
Hence the next verse back in Luke 22,
43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
I don’t think many people in the history of man have experienced anxiety and trauma like this.
There are both ancient and modern accounts on record of people sweating blood—a condition known as hematidrosis, where extreme anguish or physical strain causes one's capillary blood vessels to dilate and burst, mixing sweat and blood.
Hematidrosis is a real medical condition that results from the kind of anxiety soldiers can feel walking in to a bloody battle or prisoners walking into a death chamber. There are no videos of this kind of thing happening because it is so rare.
From this point on Jesus will likely have bloodstains on his body. The anguish of the cross really began here in a garden in prayer.
This all seems very appropriated because the first sin that caused this trouble in the first place happened in a garden. While Adam and Eve ran and hid from God in their time of need, Jesus runs to God.
I’ll ask you again. Where’s your place? Is it your “custom” to go? Is that the first thing you think of when you’re in need?
45When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
There’s the contrast in perspective. Naturally, long emotional days like the one Jesus and the disciples have just had, from the teaching in the temple to the foot washing in the upper room; those kind of days push us toward our beds. Days like this push some people to prayer.
When you get to the place where you desire prayer more than sleep, you are on the right track as a disciple.
Have I asked you yet? Do you have a spot? Is it your “custom” to go? Is it your refuge?
Trouble’s always just around the corner…
47While he was still speaking a crowd came up,
Great! Here comes another crowd to hear Jesus preach! After all, pretty much every other time a crowd gathers around Jesus it’s for good. The last crowd Jesus saw was in the temple shouting praise to him.
But there’s something different about this crowd. You can see it even in the very first face in the crowd…
and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, 48but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
The irony is too much for Jesus not to mention it. Everything seems to be spiraling out of control quickly. It seems that way to his disciples at least.
49When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" 50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. 51But Jesus answered, "No more of this!"
Those last four words sound strikingly familiar to what Jesus said when they picked up their two swords to carry with them in chapter 19. “That is enough.”
Jesus had something far different from violent revenge in mind. To illustrate that, he does something that, out of all the gospels, only the physician Luke records.
And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
John records that Jesus said to Peter, the one who cut the man’s ear off…
John 18:11 "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
Jesus was there to take God’s wrath, not give it.
When he comes back however, it will be altogether different. If Jesus thought it was important for his disciples to watch and pray then, how much more important is it today when we may not know when he’s coming back but we definitely know how he’s coming back… with a sword.
Don’t believe me?
Revelation 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Jesus didn’t need Peter’s sword. He’s got one.
When he comes back. He plans on using it.
We’ve got our own garden to deal with don’t we?
Perhaps we should pay attention to what Jesus told his disciples back in v.40. Pray that you will not fall to temptation.
One day the hour of the fulfillment of God’s reign will come. It will be the hour of justice and light. Until that time, darkness and temptation will try your resolve.
I keep coming back to this verse because you need to hear it.
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
So… where’s your spot to pray? Is it your custom?
Luke 22:52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? 53Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns."
Things just get darker on this long night.
54Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance.
Remember this is after business hours. The Romans and Jews were intentional about doing all of this stuff under the cover of darkness because they knew how influential Jesus was with the people in Jerusalem.
They’re not going to a court proceeding in the middle of the day. They are going to a back room lynching in the middle of the night.
By this time all the disciples run for their lives thinking “Forget what happens to Jesus, I’m saving my own skin.”
We read in Mark that he even thought “Forget what happens to my clothes, I’m getting out of here!” Apparently he liked to sleep in his linen skibbies. And when they try to grab him he runs naked from the situation. Don’t believe me? Look it up. (Mk. 14:51)
Everyone’s gone. Except there’s Peter following at a distance. I wonder what’s going through his mind.
55But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, "This man was with him."
57But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. 58A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. 59About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." 60Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." 62And he went outside and wept bitterly.
That was a long night. I would say it was the longest night of their lives. I wonder how different things would have been for them had they taken Jesus’ advice. Pray.
Jesus mentioned the need for prayer three times to Peter. Once when he said he would be sifted like wheat by Satan, Jesus told him he was praying for him. Twice when they were in the Garden Jesus told all of his disciples to pray for themselves.
I honestly believe things would have been different if those disciples had prayed that night instead of slept.
They would not have stopped Jesus from going to the cross, but they may have avoided the fear that they felt those 80 days before the holy spirit came in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. (40 between resurrection and ascension, 40 between ascension and Pentecost)
We know from Acts 2 that at least 3000 were saved on that day from Peter’s one sermon. How many more people would have been able to hear and respond had the disciples had the fortitude to preach the whole 80 days they were waiting for the Holy Spirit behind locked doors in upper rooms? That’s almost 3 months lost to fear.
Maybe that prayer in the garden would have made all the difference for them.
Prayer is so important.
Where’s your spot? Is it a habit?
