Message
Matthew 26:36-46
Jesus Prays the Disciples Sleep
Let me ask you a question:-
How is Jesus like you? What are some of the things that Jesus does that we do as humans?
(weeps, gets angry, sleeps, eats, loves, was tempted etc).
So we see similarities don’t we. Let’s push it a little further.
Are there times when Jesus was overwhelmed?
Are there times when Jesus was struggling?
Was He ever in despair?
Did He ever ask God for a different life?
It is good to think about these questions because the Scripture says this:-
We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15
In other words Jesus went through the difficult stuff.
Jesus isn’t like the company CEO in undercover boss. You know that tv show were the boss of the company disguises themself and works in the company for a week or two. They get a bit of a taste of what the workers go through, but not really that much.
Jesus is more like an identical twin. He looks like us. He knows exactly what we feel. He experiences life as we do. He understands the challenges, temptations, difficulties, joys sorrows and everything else. He knows what it is like to have doubts, to second guess, to want life to be different, to be overwhelmed, to struggle, to despair.
Which makes Him a Saviour who is able to help us get through every aspect of life.
Let’s see how it works by turning to Matthew 26:36-46 (read)
Do you think Jesus is feeling a little overwhelmed? Absolutely. Let me show you what several different Bible translations do with verse 38.
My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. (NIV)
I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. (CEV)
My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. (ESV)
The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. (GNT)
This sorrow is crushing my life out. (MSG)
No matter how you look at it Jesus is really struggling. Definitely He is overwhelmed. The language used here is language used by those in despair … even those who are depressed. Jesus is facing a situation which is almost killing Him emotionally.
Let me ask you. Have you had times when you felt like this? You relate 100% with the emotions being expressed here.
I’m overwhelmed by the pressures of life.
I’m an emotional wreck.
I feel like life is crushing me.
Everything is just too difficult.
Can you relate?
Now let me ask you this.
How many times in those situations have you thought, “Christians shouldn’t feel this way?”
How many times have you been told by others, “Christians shouldn’t feel this way?”
Really? Christians should feel this way. So why is Jesus allowed to?
If it was wrong to feel like this then Jesus wouldn’t feel it … would He?
But Jesus does … he does feel this way.
Which makes what happens here very significant – because it is helping us to know how we can keep in connection with God, even when we are feeling in despair, or depressed, or overwhelmed.
So here is Jesus, expressing that He is overwhelmed to the point of death. What is the cause?
It could be that He is overwhelmed by the thought of the torture, and beating, and physical pain, and ultimate brutality that comes with being crucified.
It could be that. But there are many people throughout history – we call them martyrs – who have faced pain, death, torture … and even crucifixion … and they have had a very different response.
The early church father Ignatius who lived from in 67-110AD was thrown to the wild animals in a Roman stadium. “May the wild beasts be eager to rush upon me. If they be unwilling, I will compel them. Come, crowds of wild beasts, come, tearings and manglings, wracking of bones and hacking of limbs, come, cruel tortures of the devil, only let me attain unto Christ"
Ignatius is basically saying, “Bring it on” and if it doesn’t happen he will pray for it to happen. He certainly isn’t overwhelmed and crushed. And many martyrs have done that. They were able to do it because Jesus strengthened them through it. Which means that Jesus here is not worried about the pain and torture, or even about the crucifixion. There is something else that is far more overwhelming. 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Galatians 3:13 tell us what that something is.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree”. (Galatians 3:13)
God is a God of love. But He is also very serious about sin.
In Leviticus 24 you can read about a teenager who is stoned because he blasphemed God’s name.
In Acts 5 you can read about Ananias and Sapphira who die because they lie about how much money they made on the sale of a field.
The lake of fire is a second and eternal death for those who deny that Jesus is Lord.
We could talk a lot about these passages but just for now the issue is clear God is serious about sin.
Jesus is about to step into that moment when He will be on a tree … cursed by God … becoming sin for us … paying the price. God is serious about sin, so you can be sure the punishment is not going to be a small fine and a slap on the wrist.
To be honest I don’t think we can imagine the magnitude of it.
But Jesus can … and He is overwhelmed.
So Jesus does what any human does when they are overwhelmed … He calls on His friends. Peter and the two sons of Zebedee … their names are James and John. They know something is wrong.
They can see it … He began to be sorrowful and troubled.
Jesus tells them … my soul is overwhelmed.
They have been with Him for over three years. They know.
Then the night unfolds.
Stay here.
Jesus wants them to be pretty close. Jesus is feeling overwhelmed and the presence of His three close friends is comforting.
Keep watch.
The Greek says, “Watch and keep on watching”.
Not because they are in danger, but because Jesus is looking to them to give Him emotional support. Jesus will talk with His Father alone, but He wants the comfort of seeing His friends nearby – watching and praying for Him.
Stay here. Keep watch. Then Jesus goes a little further – Mark’s Gospel tells us it is about a stone’s throw distance. And Peter and James and John watch.
The see Jesus fall to the ground on His knees, on His face.
They hear Him, He is crying out to the Father.
It’s dark. It’s been a long day. They are emotionally drained.
Their eyes get heavy.
They want to stay awake.
But they can’t.
Suddenly Jesus is there.
You couldn’t keep watch, not even for one hour.
You have to pray.
You have a willing spirit, but you are weak.
That’s us in a nutshell … isn’t it?
We are willing, but we are weak.
We want to be faithful and follow Jesus and serve Him. But then we are on the internet and all of the sudden we have spent two hours looking at funny pictures and quirky videos … and now it is time for dinner.
We want to be witnesses. But I’ll just check my facebook page because … you know … everyone has such interesting lives there. It’s really important that we find out what all our 357 friends are doing … and now I don’t have time to catch up with real people.
We want to make Jesus a priority. But we really need to work as well. And before we know it our lives have fallen into a routine of eat, sleep, work … eat, sleep, work.
It’s very rare that we wake up and go – you know what Jesus I’ll think I’ll just put you on hold. I think I’ll just live for myself for a little while and I’ll send you a text when I’m ready again.
Few of us do this, instead we discover we are good failures. And when fail, what do we say?
The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
That’s how it works doesn’t it … and it’s biblical because we are using the words that Jesus used. But here is what we forget.
We use it as an excuse. That is just who we are. We can’t really help it. I can’t help it. I was born that way. Everyone will just have to accept it – including God.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We use it as an excuse for our behaviour, but look at the context. Jesus is using it as a call to greater discipleship. Jesus is using it to give us a reality check. To get on with it.
Watch.
Pray.
Focus.
Overcome.
Because there is a bigger issue here.
That very night, not more than a few hours ago, Peter and Jesus had a conversation.
33 Peter said, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”
34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
Matthew 26:33-35
Peter can’t even stay awake for an hour to watch over his friend while he is praying. How does Peter expect to stand when the situation really becomes difficult?
If you’re not going to be faithful in the little things, how on earth are you going to be faithful in the big things?
Jesus is overwhelmed … because He is about to take on all the sin of the world.
Peter James and John are also overwhelmed … because they are tired.
The disciples fail … but we know Jesus succeeded. What was the difference?
Remember what we said at the beginning. It’s not wrong to be overwhelmed by the pressures of life, or feel crushed, or to be an emotional wreck. Where we go wrong is when we let our spirit disconnect from God and let our weak flesh take full control.
Which brings us back to Jesus.
Specifically I want to focus on His prayer.
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
(Matthew 26:39).
Father I am overwhelmed to the point of sorrow. Is there another way? Could it be don’t differently? Could the plan change?
That’s a bold prayer isn’t it? But nowhere in the Bible does it say we can only pray little prayers and ask for little things.
To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us … that’s what Ephesians 3:20 tells us what God is like. You can’t out-ask God. You can’t out-imagine God. You might think it is impossible Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:26 that with God all things are possible.
But here is the reality.
All things are possible.
But there are times when some things are also necessary.
It is possible for the cup to be taken, but it is necessary for Jesus to die for sin.
Sometimes the overwhelming way is the only way.
Which gives us a bit of an insight when we do feel overwhelmed.
In despair, or depression, or difficulty … we cry out to God and we say, “Father take this cup from us”. We want it to be different.
But we still feel in despair, in depression, crushed.
Does that mean we don’t have enough faith? No it doesn’t.
Does it mean that God can’t do anything about it? No it doesn’t.
God is sovereign therefore all things are possible, but there are times when some things are necessary.
Why do we sometimes go through crushing times? The times that rock us and make us feel despair and have us on our knees in desperation before the Father. Why do they happen?
I really don’t know.
But I do know this. God the Father isn’t doing it just for fun.
Do you think the Father enjoys the fact that His Son is going to have to pay for the sin of all mankind? Do you think He wants to be silent, and distant, and pour out His anger. Jesus is innocent yet treated as guilty.
Do you think if there was another way … of all the possibilities … that God would have taken it?
Of course He would.
Do you think God the Father will treat you any differently?
If God was willing to give His Son for you do you think that you are less precious to Him than Jesus?
Do you think, in those times when your sorrow is crushing the life out of you that God would have taken a different path if it wasn’t necessary to bring you through those moments?
Of course He would. So how do we get through?
Well how did Jesus get through?
My Father if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.
(Matthew 26:42).
Notice the subtle shift
Jesus first prayed If it is possible may it happen.
By the second prayer Jesus accepts If it is not possible unless I drink, may Your will be done.
Jesus is crushed so He first asks for the crushing to be removed. When it is clear that this is necessary Jesus asks from the strength to get through. It was the prayer that made all the difference.
Do you want to get through life even when you feel crushed and in despair?
Look at this passage and see the clear lesson.
The disciples were only facing a small difficulty, and they were a bit overwhelmed – they didn’t pray and they failed. Jesus is facing an overwhelming event where He is rightly crushed even to the point of death – He prays and He gets through.
The lesson is obvious … isn’t it. But, if we are honest, we know that we fail more times then we succeed. So let us also see the other clear lesson here.
Even after the disciples fail Jesus says to them Rise, let us go.
Let US go.
They are still on the journey together. There is going to be even more failure … but Jesus will still be there for them. Even when we desert Him, He never deserts us.
Nothing, not even the life crushing, soul tearing, faith battering, failure enticing situations is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer
