In the Garden
Text: Matthew 26:36-46
(OPEN WITH PRAYER)
Well, I’m going a little bit of a non-traditional route this year. I opened with something that occurred during the Triumphal Entry last Sunday, and today I’m going deeper into the week, and we’re going to look at Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. So it’s not going to be your traditional Palm Sunday type of service.
So if you will, please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew 26:36-46 (READ).
Let me give you the context here. This was right after the Last Supper. Jesus and the disciples just celebrated the Passover in the upper room. Judas has left to go betray Jesus. Jesus has washed the disciples feet. After they ate, they sang a hymn, and then they left the upper room and went to the Garden of Gethsemane. And I don’t know about you, but I kind of get the idea that Jesus and the disciples have probably done this before. You know… you eat and fellowship with each other, and then you get away into the cool evening, outside of the city, away from all the noise and sounds, and hustle and bustle and busyness of the city. Maybe this was a customary thing for them to do, or maybe it was the first time they did it… regardless, they go out to the Garden, and Jesus has 8 of the disciples sit in a certain spot, and then He and Peter, and James, and John go a little further along. Jesus then says to those three – His “inner circle” so to speak… He says, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with Me.”
In other words, “Guys, I’ve got to get alone with the Father. I’ve got to go to God in prayer… but I want you close by.” And it’s interesting that Jesus uses the phrase, “Watch with Me.” It’s the Greek word, “gregoreo”. To be watchful, vigilant, like a guard on duty.
That’s what Jesus says, “STAY ALERT!” But there’s the idea of prayerfulness as well.
And Jesus goes a little further and now He’s all alone.
And that is significant church! The work of securing our salvation couldn’t be done with the 11 disciples. Not the 8 Jesus told to wait, and not the three that He told to keep watch. They can’t help Him with what He’s about to face and endure.
Jesus, and Jesus alone is the only One who is qualified to bear our sin.
The name “Gethsemane” means “oil press”. And the Garden of Gethsemane was actually made up of a grove of olive trees, with a press for making oil in it. And the press of the will of God, for our salvation is now starting to bear down on Jesus. The full weight of what He’s about to endure is now pressing down on Him. Probably Isaiah 53:10 is running through His mind, “It was the will of the Lord to CRUSH Him…”. And we actually see the weight on Jesus.
Think about this with me for just a second church… let’s really dive deep into what’s going on here. Jesus – the Son of God… The One who has always done the will of the Father. The One who was with the Father in the beginning. He’s in perfect communion with God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit… but here, in His humanity, He’s feeling the weight. So much so, that He has asked His disciples to stand watch and pray.
I mean… the disciples praying for one another – that makes sense right? The disciples asking Jesus to pray for them… makes sense as well. But Jesus has set His disciples at their posts (so to speak) and He’s told them, “Guys I need you to be alert. I need you to be praying.”
And then He goes on and prays Himself, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
THAT IS COMPLETE AND PERFECT SUBMISSION to the will of the Father.
And I want to get to that in a second, but first understand, that Jesus is alone in this.
He comes back and finds the disciples sleeping.
Of course, they had just eaten a big meal… they were out in the cool night air, away from all the sounds, and buzz of the city. It was probably dark, and quiet, and peaceful. And they’re totally oblivious to the spiritual battle the Lord has been engaged in just a few yards away from them.
And there’s a side lesson for all of us there.
You might not ever, this side of eternity… fully grasp the battles fought on your behalf by praying brothers and sisters in Christ. We get glimpses of it from time to time. Our loved one gets over a serious illness… our family member gets saved… God comes through for us in some miraculous way. We see the results of the answered prayer, but not the toil that our brothers and sisters went through while praying. I can tell you this… I can remember being a rebellious teenager, being out all night, engaging in sin and dangerous behavior… and by God’s good graces making it home alive and unharmed… and oblivious! You know, never quite understanding why my mom had such dark circles under her eyes the next day. It’s because while I was out being a fool, she was up engaging in spiritual warfare for me.
The effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous avails much!
And Jesus is at this very moment, interceding for us, and on our behalf. The Bible says, “He lives to make intercession.” That’s part of why we celebrate the resurrection… Because Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us.
Jesus has been praying… and here’s what He’s praying, “God, if it’s possible that there’s any other way to save sinners, let’s do that.” But He knows that’s not the case, and so He says, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but Thy will be done.”
And He comes back, and finds Peter, James, and John sleeping.
He wakes them up, and even gives them a slight rebuke, “You couldn’t even watch for one hour?” But as with all of His rebukes to His disciples, there’s correction and teaching… “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
All of these disciples are going to be tempted very soon, and every one of them is going to fail. And of course they NEEDED to fail! They need to be brought to the end of themselves. The end of their self-righteousness, the end of their ability, the end of their wrong thinking, and the end of their unbelief…
And so they’re eventually exposed. Their bravado and false courage, their wrong thinking and false faith… it all crumbles – and it’s not until AFTER the resurrection we see them changed.
The false courage becomes true, unshakeable courage. The false faith, becomes true, immovable faith! Their self-reliance becomes a reliance solely on Jesus. “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to the cross I cling.”
But here they are in the Garden – sleeping…
Jesus wakes them, and then goes back to praying. He comes to them again, and they’re sleeping again. “For their eyes were heavy.” And once more Jesus goes away and prays and firmly sets His resolve to the cross.
And I love the mercy that He shows the disciples here. He doesn’t say, “I’m done with you. You guys are losers. You can’t even pray for an hour. What’s the point of all My teaching and all the discipleship you’ve received over the last 3 – 3½ years?”
No… He is patient with them, even though He knows they are all about to abandon Him.
So we see here the submission of our Savior – “Not My will, but Thy will be done.”
We see the solitude of the Savior – He was alone, His disciples not only can’t stay awake and pray with Him, but they’ll all abandon Him soon enough…
But I also want you to see the SORROW of the Savior.
In our text here, Jesus says, “My soul is very sorrowful, even unto death.” In Luke’s Gospel account of this we’re told that Jesus was in agony and that His sweat became like drops of blood.” Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was “sorrowful and greatly troubled.”
And no doubt, some of that is because He knows that His disciples will shortly abandon Him… but there’s a whole lot more to it than that.
Why was Jesus sorrowful? Because He understood what was in that cup He was about to drink.
Church if you take nothing else from this sermon today – make sure you get this!
Not a single one of us deserves to be accepted before the throne of God, but we are – not because we are righteous, but because the righteousness of Christ is reckoned to our account! The Father counts us as righteous – FOR JESUS SAKE!
But in doing that – all of our sin has to be dealt with. All of Christ’s righteousness is reckoned to my account because ALL of my sin was placed on Jesus!
“He who knew no sin, became sin…”. Why? So that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.
And Jesus, bearing my sin… means that the wrath that my sin has incurred is instead going to be poured out on Him. When we say, “Jesus paid for our sin”. What we’re actually saying is that Jesus bore the wrath of God on our behalf! We have two words that cover that… PROPITIATION and ATONEMENT.
“Propitiation” means – “To make an appeasement.” “To appease God’s wrath.”
“Atonement” means – “To cover the cost.” “To make amends.” “To pay the price owed by someone else, in order to bring into reconciliation.”
Jesus did both of those things on the cross.
But as He’s in the Garden, He knows that He’s about to be called upon to do those things.
That He’s going to be beaten beyond recognition. That He’s going to endure the flogging of a Roman scourge. That He’s going to be nailed to a cross. And that the wrath of God is going to be poured out upon Him, and He will be separated from His Father.
WHAT A SAVIOR!
How can we not love Him? And worship Him? And bow down before Him?
How can we not count all things as loss compared with the excellency of knowing Him?
I pray that you do.
CLOSING
