BLOOD, SWEAT, TOIL (MEANING HARDWORK AND EFFORT IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES) AND TEARS
LUKE 22:44
IN GREAT ANGUISH HE PRAYED EVEN MORE FEVENTLY; HIS SWEAT WAS LIKE DROPS OF BLOOD FALLING TO THE GROUND.
Men started using the phrase ‘BLOOD, SWEAT, TOIL AND TEARS’ in the 1900’s. First said by Sir Winston Churchill in his famous ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat’ in 1940. Warning the British people of the hardships in World War Two.
Let us read Matthew 26:36-46 (also in Luke 22:39-46; Mark 14:32-42)
Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Every Christian is commissioned to a ministry of love and justice. The new life into which God is calling each and every one of you means to become an evangelist for God. Whatever your work, sales, lawyer, doctor, technician, secretary or homemaker – you are at the same time an Evangelist of God out there in the world.
And so often this means a genuine commitment of blood, sweat, toil and tears. Jesus gave up all his heavenly power to live like us. He was sinless yet Jesus fought for our salvation with
Cries and tears of desperation, discouragement, exhaustion. Tears of grief, betrayal and heartache. Jesus was truly human, YET HE IS GOD, Let us look at three points to how we can say that
1- We relate to his experience with pain.
PAIN – the gift nobody wants. But it is certainly a part of life, some more than others. Jesus knew pain. I bet he hurt deeply.
The garden of Gethsemane tells us how Jesus was feeling
MARK 13:44
‘Distress and anguish came over him, and he said to them, the sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.’
(also found in Matthew 26:37, and in Luke)
It was here that Jesus wrestled with the greatest decision of his earthly journey, he was deciding to go to the cross, and you can imagine every aspect of his humanity was crying out against it.
(An interesting fact, this is a condition in science known as HEMATIDROSIS. It is not unusual for people to sweat when they experience stress, when under stress the tiny blood vessels known as capillaries can burst. When they do they release small amounts of blood into nearby sweat glands. When the sweat is released it looks like great drops of blood.)
Jesus asked God to take this cup of suffering from me, so what exactly was it that brought on such anguish and agony?
What was this cup?
Physical agony?
Pain of the cross?
Mental agony?
Humiliation?
IN JEREMIAH 25:15 IT SAYS: ‘THE LORD THE GOD OF ISRAEL SAID TO ME, HERE IS A WINE CUP FILLED WITH MY ANGER.’
Let us remember God’s wrath – burns cities, changes weather. Imagine the vilest, disgusting, most foul smelling fluids sitting in a drum in front of you; it has been infected with mad cow disease, HIV, cancer and other awful diseases, bacteria and decayed flesh. Picture yourself drowned I it, drinking, tasting it, breathing it, having it get in your eyes, nose and mouth, ears. That is not even close to what it was like for Jesus. Our saviour was giving his close disciples a look into the depths of his emotional, physical and spiritual trauma.
Both the beating and the actual death on a cross were known to be extremely painful.
2- We relate to his experience with prayer
Jesus prayed, “Father he said, if you will take this cup of suffering away from me, not my will however your will be done.’ (Luke 22:42)
He was ready to submit to God, he lived his life that way no matter what the cost. His human desire was put one side, his prayer was not answered, and the cup did not pass.
Sometimes that is our experience too; we do not always receive what we want in prayer. God knows what is best. So like Jesus when you are up against some mountain, pray. Like Ps Derrick says, pray, pray, pray without stopping. Dear Father this is too big for me but your will be done. God just wants us to ask and strength to accept that will.
3 – We relate to his experience with people
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus needed companionship, I mean Jesus often went off and prayed, or sent his disciples away but that night, he kept them close. When something happens good or bad, we all want someone close.
We get DISAPPOINTED BY PEOPLE. Jesus was disappointed by his disciples when he found them sleeping. (Mark 14:37)
Are we BETRAYED BY PEOPLE As Jesus was with Judas, Peter or do we feel we have been betrayed?
When we need someone the most, there is no-one to be found. PEOPLE LET US DOWN, maybe some of us have been stabbed in the back by someone we trusted.
Matthew 26:56
‘THEN ALL THE DISCIPLES LEFT HIM AND RAN AWAY’
HOW DID JESUS FEEL?
there are many facts going around the world, Christians beheaded, attached and murdered. Gunned down and shot, suffering intense persecution for their faith.
Jesus warns us of the persecution that lies ahead for us, he wants us to know that following him comes with a cost of blood, sweat, toil and tears but the rewards that await us. We need to know what to expect and we need to know how he would have us respond to the persecution we might have to face.
JESUS KNEW PAIN AND HE SYMPATHIZES WITH US. JESUS PRAYED INTENSELY AND SENT US HIS HOLY SPIRIT AND ANGELS. HE LIVED; HE KNOWS WHAT IT IS LIKE.
JOHN 16:33
‘I HAVE TOLD YOU THIS SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE PEACE BY BEING UNITED TO ME. THE WORLD WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER. BUT BE BRAVE I HAVE DEFEATED THE WORLD.’
THROUGH JESUS’ BLOOD, SWEAT, TOIL AND TEARS. I HAVE THE JOY AND HONOUR OF HAVING GOD’S PROVISION IN MY LIFE BUT I WILL NEED TO WORK, PRAY, PREPARE AND FIGHT FOR IT.
HOW: OP SY WOORD
Let us pray:
Dear Jesus
Thank you for your blood, sweat, toil and tears. The life of sacrifice you lived, emptying yourself of your divine privileges to be with your sinful creation. Thank you for enduring, faith-loving character displayed through life. I want to live the kind of life you would have me live. To receive your strength and grace and your help. I depend on you, you are my King and I am your child, this in your name I pray, Amen.
Alta calls for those who do not know the Lord. Or need a top-up.
