Palms That Mattered. Matthew 26:36-38
A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?” “You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today.” The little boy replied, “Aw Shucks The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up”
Here on Palm Sunday, churches across the globe wave Palm branches to remember, worship of a King.
However, the only palms that really mattered eternally during passion week were Jesus’ palms. This is a study of all His hands touched and accomplished, and what they were about to do!
Just outside Jerusalem was a little garden…the Garden Of Gethsemane. Jerusalem has always been a very crowded city, property hard to come by. The wealthy would purchase private garden spots on the slopes of the Mount of Olives…This is the place of the olive press, a place to press olives into oil. Again, Gethsemane, a place of total surrender. -Let’s look at the text together:
Matthew 26:36-38NIV 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.”
Again, Palm Sunday is a time of celebrating with Palm branches worshiping our Lord while singing, Hosanna! -Save us now!
However this morning, I want to show you the palms that really mattered. There are several palms we’ll notice along the path:
First, is the Palms in the Garden.
These palms that were in the garden were the palms of Jesus, surrendering to His Fathers will.
Psalm 143:6NIV I spread out my hands to you;? I thirst for you like a parched land.
You see, Jesus’ DNA could be found in the garden. His prayers, His cry, His sweat, His surrender, and even His blood.
Song: I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses; And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known. He speaks, and the sound of His voice Is so sweet the birds hush their singing; And the melody that He gave to me within my heart is ringing. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.
Again, Gethsemane means “oil press.” Evidently, it was a place where people would harvest the olives from the trees, press and crush them to remove the oil.
Isaiah 10:27NKJV It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck,?And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
All of Israels enemies will lose their grip on Israel because of Israel trust in the God of the anointing.
Please remember this, the Gethsemane you go through is created to draw the anointing oil to the top. -Oil floats.
This is significant because Jesus was about to be crushed and pressed; Jesus’ pressing and crushing prepares us for the oil of salvation, that could flow freely to the world.
Matthew 26:39NKJV He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.
3 times our Lord prayed in Gethsemane, He fully surrendered His will. He was now ready for the cross. P.H
Therefore, It was in the Garden that victory on the cross was actually won.
* Your victory is won in the Garden.
* The Garden is God’s practice field.
* In the Garden you practice with full pads. It’s not flag football, it full contact.
* In the Garden is where everything is fleshed out or fixed.
* In the Garden is where you get sweaty and dirty.
* The Garden prepares us for the real game, in the garden you’re all alone.
This side of heaven, we may never understand what Jesus went through that night in this garden…our vocabulary couldn’t express the depth of His experience.
Here is where Jesus surrendered to go to the cross…so it was here in the garden, the garden in which Jesus surrendered His Palms that the victory of the cross was actually won!
2 Corinthians 5:17AMP Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
Again, 1. The palms of Jesus were in the garden.
2. We see the, Palms of Sorrow.
Matthew 26:37-38TPT He took Peter, James, and John with him. However, an intense feeling of great sorrow plunged his soul into agony. 38 And he said to them, “My heart is overwhelmed and crushed with grief. It feels as though I’m dying. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
In, Matthew 26:37-38 the phrase “exceeding sorrowful” comes from one Greek word meaning “surrounded by sorrow” / in a whirlpool of sorrow / engulfed by sorrow.
Why did Jesus experience this sorrow in the garden? 3 reasons:
First, it’s the emotional suffering Jesus was about to endure.
Isaiah 53:5AMP But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.
Jesus was subjected to every negative emotional attack possible:Luke 22:44AMP And being in agony [deeply distressed and anguished; almost to the point of death], He prayed more intently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down on the ground.
In medical language he experienced ‘hemathydrosis,’ or bloody sweat in which under extreme distress the blood vessels actually burst.
-And perhaps Jesus kneeling there He placed His palms of sorrow over His face as He sweat great drops of blood!
Moreover, the unbelief of people calling Him liar and blasphemer (It hurts to have your integrity doubted/sincerity questioned). Betrayal of Judas Iscariot (who walked with Him for 3 years/prayed with Him/Judas was Jesus’ treasurer! Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave!
Add to this, Desertion by all the disciples is coming.The coming denial of Peter, one of Jesus’ own.(He’s already predicted Peter’s denial). Injustice of His coming trial (convicted in a kangaroo court that broke every law of jurist prudence of that day…He was convicted of crimes for which He was not guilty!)
"Emotional distress is real. It’s costly on our body and our organs.” P.H
Jesus knew he would be further ridiculed, spit upon, stripped naked. Maybe the greatest indignity, -Jesus was put to open shame.
If you or I, experienced any one of the above we would be devastated, yet Jesus experienced it all at once!
Salvation may be free, but it’s not cheap!
With palms of sorrow upon His face He endured the emotional suffering!
• Secondly, Jesus experienced Physical Suffering.
Jesus knew a rugged cross awaited Him…and Josephus stated, “To be crucified is to die 1,000 deaths!”
Again, Matthew 26:38...“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death...
Verse 38, makes it clear Jesus’ emotional suffering led to physical suffering immediately-- “even unto death”!
If a Doctor gave you a choice between living and dying, you’ll take living every time! As humans we have a built-in defense mechanism to resist pain and death.
Can you see the palms of sorrow, as Jesus looks down at His hands, knowing in advance the spikes which will be driven through them?
But the worst part of His suffering wasn’t physical or emotional…
• Thirdly, Jesus’ Spiritual suffering was the worst.
Matthew 26:39NKJV He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
He picked up that cup with His palms…and in that cup was much more than physical and emotional suffering…for in that cup was the sin of all humanity, the accumulated sin of all the ages about to be laid upon the sinless, perfect Son of God.
“And we cannot even pretend to imagine the repugnance He must have felt at the thought of becoming our sin…to the point His own Father could not look upon Him.” P.H
Jesus would cry from the cross, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
We’ve seen His palms of sorrow…
3. Palms of surrender.
Matthew 26:42b. The last phrase, “Thy will be done.”
In Jesus’ humanity, He may have buried His face in palms of sorrow…but thank God He looked up with palms of surrender!
Another garden to consider today:
The Garden of Eden…here the first Adam exerted his own will, and brought about the ruin and damnation of the human race.
But in the Garden of Gethsemane…the last Adam Jesus Christ didn’t exert His own will, but deserted His own will!…and in so doing brought about the redemption of the human race!
The first Adam said, my will be done—and brought about death. However, the last Adam said, “Thy will be done” —and the result was salvation!
Thank the Lord that with palms of surrender Jesus accomplished God’s will!
1 Timothy 2:8NLT In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
What is Paul stating to the Church? With Palms of surrender, lift up your holy hands!
And daily, we make choices… and we answer either, “My will” or “Thy will.”
Satan tries to keep us busy, and gives us alternatives to being faithful to God’s house, and we answer my will or thy will…tithing / serving / witnessing / tv viewing / surfing net /tax time! / punch time card / work day / invitation given. -My will, Thy will.
We sing “I Surrender All”…but some should just be honest and sing “Some to Jesus I surrender, some to Him I freely give…I will sometimes love and trust Him, in His presence sometimes live!” …He deserves better than that!
With complete and total palms of surrender He willingly gave all! And so should we.
* We’ve seen His palms of sorrow:
* His Palms of…Emotional suffering, (Face).
* His Palms of...Physical suffering (nails in hands)
* His Palms of...Spiritual suffering (Looking into that cup, He held in His palms)
* We’ve seen His palms of surrender: “Thy will be done!”
4. Last, Jesus’ Palms of submission.
Matthew 26:50NKJV But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.
In Matthew 26:51-56, Jesus knew they were coming. He could feel ground shake from trampling of marching feet. He could hear the shouts of the mob. He saw lights of torches, and He heard clanging of swords.
But Jesus didn’t run nor resist…but with palms of submission He did what He’d already committed to do. -He had surrendered to God…
The fact about Matthew 26 is, “Everyone left Jesus; however, His surrender came from a higher calling.”
What’s in your cup? What’s in your palm? Sorrow? Suffering? Is it emotional? Physical? Spiritual?
Benediction. Will you surrender it to God? Will you say like Jesus said, “Thy will be done.”
