Back in the 1990s, CBS carried a TV series called “Early Edition.” The series was about an unassuming Chicago stock broker named Gary Hobson who one day started receiving a copy of the Chicago-Sun Times a day early. None of the events described in Gary’s early edition have happened yet, and he has 24 hours to use that knowledge of the future for good. For instance, say Gary reads about a fire on the south side of Chicago and reads that an elderly woman died in the fire because the firefighters didn’t know she was in the building. Gary can show up and prevent the fire from starting. Or he can tell the firefighters about the woman, so they can rescue her. In that way, Gary Hobson can change the future. That made for an interesting plot, at least for four seasons.
But imagine the plot of “Early Edition” with a different twist. Imagine that Gary Hobson received his early edition of the Chicago-Sun Times, knew what was going to happen the next twenty-four hours, but that was powerless to do anything to change it. Imagine he shows up at the building fire, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t change the fact that an elderly woman dies. What would the story be like then? It would be a dark, despairing story, because knowledge of the future when you can’t change the future would be a curse, not a blessing.
In many ways, the last hours of Jesus’ life were like that. Although the Bible presents Jesus as the master of his own destiny, the Bible also presents Jesus as knowing what’s going to happen, but not being able to do anything to stop it. At least not being able to stop it without acting contrary to God’s will, which Jesus simply isn’t willing to do.
We’ve been in a series through the New Testament book of Mark called FOLLOWING JESUS IN THE REAL WORLD. Right now we’re looking at the events of what’s called “holy week” or “passion week,” the last week of Jesus’ life on earth.
It started on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered into Jerusalem amid shouts of praise. Then on Monday Jesus cursed the barren fig tree and declared God’s judgment on the barrenness of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. Tuesday was filled with debates with the religious leaders and teachings to his followers.
Two weeks ago we looked at Wednesday’s events, when a woman anointed Jesus was an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and Judas makes the decision to betray Jesus. Last week Pastor Bruce shared with you about the Last Supper, as Jesus celebrated the very first communion service on what Christians now call Maundy Thursday. Today we’re going to continue looking at Thursday’s events as we look at Jesus’ experience in the Garden of Gethsemane.
First we’ll look at the text from Mark and then we’re going to find two different layers of meaning for us. In Jesus’ garden experience we’ll first focus on the love of Jesus, and then secondly on the example of Jesus.
Let’s first look at the text together in vv. 27 to 42. Presumably Jesus and his twelve closest followers are walking from the place they celebrated the Last Supper to the Garden in Gethsemane. As they walk together, Jesus predicts that all of them—each and every one—will fall away. The word “fall away” is the Greek word skandalizo, which is where we get our English word “scandalize” from. It means to “stumble” or to “trip.” It’s a word that describes failure, when you’re running on the track of life, you stumble and fall on your face.
All of Jesus’ closest apostles will be scandalized; each one will trip and fall. Jesus sees this fall as an absolute certainty, because its predicted by the ancient prophet Zechariah. Jesus is the shepherd, and his closest followers are his sheep. Once Jesus is struck down, the sheep will scatter, just as Zechariah predicted. But Jesus also sees the coming resurrection, and in v. 28 he tells them ahead of time to meet him in Galilee after Easter morning.
Peter, full of self-confidence and bravado, protests that he’ll never fall away. Peter’s words in v. 29 are a subtle slap in the face of the other apostles, as if he’s saying, “of course these guys might stumble and fall, but I never will.” “You and I both know these other eleven guys are flaky and weak, but not me Jesus, not me.” Peter sees himself as a rock of faithfulness; after all, his name is Peter, the Rock.
But Jesus insists that before the dawn breaks—before the rooster crows twice—Peter will have disowned Jesus three times. To disown someone is to deny that you know them, to distance yourself from a person because you’re afraid of how people will react to your relationship with that person. Peter protests that he’s ready to die with Jesus, that no amount of intimidation or danger could cause him to waver in his faith. All the other apostles chime in with Peter, that they’ll never fall either.
Then Jesus takes his disciples to a private garden called Gethsemane. This patch of olive trees is across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem, on the foot of the Mount of Olives. Apparently this is a common place where Jesus went to pray.
Then Jesus invites Peter, James and John to join him a little further into the garden. Now remember Peter has just promised to face death before he’d turn his back on Jesus. And four chapters earlier in Mark, James and John promised the same thing. You might remember that James and John came to Jesus back in the tenth chapter of Mark, asking to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand. Jesus asked them, “Can you drink from the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” hat was a reference to Jesus’ suffering, as Jesus asks them if they’re prepared to face the kind of suffering Jesus will face. James and John answered, “Yes, we can” (Mark 10:38-39). Like Peter, James and John had pledged to stay with Jesus, even in the face of terrible suffering.
Mark tells us that at that point Jesus becomes deeply distressed and troubled. The Greek words Mark uses describe intense emotional upheaval and turmoil. Jesus’ words here echo the prayers of lament found in the Old Testament book of Psalms. In fact, in v. 34 when Jesus says, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” he’s deliberately echoing the language of Psalm 42, a psalm of lament.
Jesus commands his three closest apostles—those who’ve promised to never turn away—to keep watch while Jesus goes and prays alone. The command to “keep watch” is more than a command to stay physically awake. One chapter earlier in Mark Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:35-37). Clearly what Jesus is commanding there and here in v. 34 is spiritual watchfulness, an alertness to spiritual danger and an attentive insight into the gravity of the situation at the moment. Obviously it’s impossible to be spiritually watchful if you’re sleeping physically, but Jesus’ command here is more than a command to stay awake.
Then Jesus collapses on the ground in desperate prayer for relief from his impending suffering. He asks that if it’s possible, the hour of his suffering before him might pass. He addresses God as “Abba,” which is an Aramaic word that some scholars think means “dad” or “daddy.” Jesus confesses that everything’s possible for God, a teaching he’s taught others earlier in Mark (10:27).
Many have wondered why Jesus was so overwhelmed at this moment. In fact, in the second century a critic of Christianity named Celsus criticized Jesus for his actions in the Garden. Celsus pointed to many other famous people who faced death with a kind of noble silence. Jesus, claimed Celsus, seems to be having second thoughts, like he’s collapsing under pressure or having a failure of nerve. Why is Jesus so troubled here? Is it just the physical suffering that he knows is coming, or is there more to it?
I think they key lies in v. 36 when he asks God to “Take this cup from me.” The word “cup” isn’t just an ordinary metaphor for his suffering and death. The concept of the cup goes back to an Old Testament concept of the cup of God’s wrath. Often in the Old Testament God’s judgment against sin is described as a “cup” of God’s wrath, and it represents the fullness of God’s complete judgment poured against human wickedness and sinfulness (New International Dictionary of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology). Most scholars believe that Jesus’ use of the word “cup” here is echoing that Old Testament concept of God’s wrath against being poured out in all its fullness.
If that’s true, then it means that deeply troubles Jesus here isn’t just the physical suffering, but his knowledge that he’s about to take upon himself the full extent of God’s wrath against sin. That’s why Jesus will quote the 22nd Psalm on the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” The physical suffering, the scourging, the nailing of hands and feed, the mocking…these things are nothing compared to the crushing weight of God’s wrath against human sin. That’s a cup that no other human being has ever tasted before, which explains Jesus’ agony in the garden here.
When Jesus returns he finds Peter, James and John anything but watchful. They’re sleeping, and Jesus has to wake them up. Then in v. 38 he commands them to not only watch but now also to pray. In other words, Jesus is instructing his three friends to do what Jesus himself has been doing. Only through watchfulness and prayer will they avoid falling because although inwardly they’re willing, outwardly they’re weak.
Jesus goes back, prays some more, and then comes back to his disciples, only find them sleeping again. They’ve failed to watch, failed to pray, and now time is up. Their time of testing has come, as Judas the betrayer approaches.
1. The Love of Jesus
In this remarkable story we see the love of Jesus: EVEN WHEN JESUS KNOWS THAT WE WILL FALL, HE BELIEVES IN US ANYWAY.
In v. 27 he says, “You will all fall away.” No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. They will fall, in fulfillment of scripture. Yet in v. 28 Jesus is sure that they’ll meet him back in Galilee after his resurrection. Despite his knowledge of their future fall, Jesus is still confident in their future obedience. That’s amazing. It demonstrates the faithful, unfailing love of Jesus toward those who’ve placed their trust in him.
Fourteen years ago I remember sitting in my apartment living room, staring at the plaster wall wondering if God would ever work through my life again. I was in my first year of seminary, and I’d made a mess out of my life. I’d come close to having an affair, and my neglect of my marriage had left our marriage in a shambles. I’d sinned against God, let the people around me down, and I wondered if God could ever use me for anything useful ever again. Because of my actions, I had to withdraw from all my ministry involvement and I wondered if God would ever work through me again. I’d stumbled and fallen, just as the apostles had. And as I stared at those plaster walls trying to figure out what new career to pursue because I’d figured pastoring was surely ruled out now, it occurred to me that Jesus had known all along that I’d fall. My failure didn’t take Jesus by surprise, any more than the fall of the apostles took him by surprise. And despite the fact that Jesus knew all along that I’d fall, Jesus had still called me to ministry a few years earlier, he’d still issued the call for me to serve him. That flash of insight began a process of healing and transformation that helped me recover from that fall.
I also learned from that experience to never say what the apostles say in this story: “I’ll never fall.” Never underestimate what your heart is capable of doing given the right circumstances and a little self-deception. Just a year before my fall fourteen years ago I’d told someone that I’d never be tempted to be unfaithful. I was confident in my own ability to stand, my own capacity for faithfulness. It all sounded so spiritual, but underneath was an arrogant bravado that underestimated my own sinfulness and overestimated my spiritual strength. I’m so glad Jesus still believed in me, knowing what he did.
We also see here that EVEN WHEN JESUS KNOWS WE WILL DENY HIM, HE LOVES US ANYWAY.
Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus later in this chapter is the crescendo of the apostles’ failure. And it’s ironic that it’s Peter who denies Jesus, because Peter is the one who has most loudly proclaimed his faithfulness. Yet on Easter Sunday when the angel appears to the women at the empty tomb, the angel says, “Go tell his disciples and Peter” (Mark 16:7). The angel singles out Peter, as if to say, “Even though you denied Jesus, he still loves you.” And indeed after the resurrection Peter would be forgiven, restored and empowered to become a key leader in the early Church.
What does it mean to deny Jesus? Well we deny him when we put distance between us and Jesus because we’re embarrassed by Jesus or what Jesus stands for. I remember when I first starting coming to this church, I ran into our founding pastor, Pastor Ray, in the gym one day. He yelled out, “Hey Tim. Do you still love Jesus?” I wilted, because I was embarrassed, and in a very subtle way I denied Jesus.
Whenever we try to hide our faith or try to distance ourselves from our allegiance to Jesus, we’re doing the same thing. It’s shameful, it’s wrong, yet we’re often weak. Thank God Jesus still loves us, even when he knows we’re going to deny him.
We also see here that EVEN WHEN JESUS KNOWS THAT OUR WEAKNESS IS STRONGER THAN OUR SPIRIT, HE GUIDES US ANYWAY.
Notice that in v. 27 he’s completely convinced that they will all fall away, but then in v. 38 he tells them to watch and pray, so they don’t fall. He knows they’re going to fall, but he instructs them anyway, giving them guidance and teaching. How would you like to teach a class, when you know beforehand that all your students will fail? Would you have trouble staying motivated to teach those students each day?
Jesus knows that they’re weak, that although there’s a willingness inside of them, that their weaknesses outweigh their strengths. Even in his moment of pain and anguish, Jesus is still the good shepherd, caring for and nurturing his sheep. Three times he returns to check on them, to guide them, to help them.
Thank God when I’m mired in weakness, Jesus still teaches me and guides me. Can you see how this section shows us the love of Jesus in a very deep and profound way?
2. The Example of Jesus
Yet we also see in Jesus an example to follow. After all, Jesus was fully human as well as being fully God, and nowhere do we see his humanity more clearly than here in the garden. You see, as a true human being Jesus is in that waiting mode none of us like to be in. He’s in that mode of life where he can see a light at the end of the tunnel, and he’s pretty sure it’s a train not an exit. So Jesus’ actions provide us with an example of what to do when bad things are coming.
WHEN JESUS KNOWS BAD THINGS ARE COMING, HE FINDS STRENGTH IN INTIMATE PRAYER.
“Abba, Father.” What a daring way to approach God, not as King, not as Ruler, not as Master, but as Father, even as Dad. How audacious, to approach God that way. Yet as followers of Jesus, that’s exactly how we’re invited to come. Romans 8:15 says, For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
I mentioned earlier that Jesus’ prayer in the garden follows the pattern of an Old Testament prayer of a lament. A lament is a cry of deep agony or grief. Yet the Psalms are full of prayers of lament. There are over fifty distinct prayers of lament found in the Old Testament book of Psalms. In fact, one book of the Old Testament is titled Lamentations.
A prayer of lament usually begins with a desperate plea for help, a cry for relief from some hopeless situation. Then there’s usually a transition from desperation to assurance that God has heard the request and that he will respond with love. Most laments begin with a desperate plea and end with hopeful praise (Brueggemann, Message of the Psalms 54-56). Jesus’ prayer follows this same pattern, beginning with a desperate plea to be free from the coming hour, to not have to drink the cup of God’s wrath, followed an affirmation that God has all power to do anything, concluding with a surrender to God’s will.
Listen to the words of Bible scholar David Garland: “In Gethsemane, Jesus meets the dreadful silence of heaven. There is no reassuring voice from heaven….No dove descends…Jesus overcomes the silence, fights off the human temptation to do as he wills, and through prayer acquiesces to God’s will” (Garland 541).
When we see bad things happening coming down the pike in our lives, we’d do well to follow that same pattern. Too often instead of praying the kind of intimate, honest prayer that Jesus prays, we try to think happy thoughts and sing happy songs. We try to persuade ourselves that it’s not really a train at the end of the tunnel, that God would never allow terrible tragedy will never hit us. Walter Brueggemann, a scholar on the psalms says, “Much Christian…spirituality is romantic and unreal…a frightened, numb denial…that does not want to acknowledge…the disorientation of life” (Message of the Psalms, p. 11, 51). Yet if Jesus allowed his beloved Son to experience suffering, why would we think we’re exempt from such suffering? The prayer of lament we see in Jesus should be a normal part of our Christian experience. Jesus is our example, as he finds strength from this kind of intimate prayer.
We also see here that WHEN JESUS KNOWS BAD THINGS ARE COMING, HE FINDS STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY.
Peter, James and John have formed Jesus’ closest inner circle. When Jesus raised a little girl from the dead earlier in Mark, these three men witnessed it (5:37). When Jesus shined with the brilliant glory of God on the mountain of transfiguration in the ninth chapter of Mark, these three men were there to see it (9:2). These three have each in their own way sworn to stay by Jesus’ side no matter what, even if it meant suffering or death.
Jesus yearned for their company on the most agonizing night of his life. Like friends who sit with us in a waiting room while we await news of a loved one in surgery, Jesus needed friends he could trust just who would just sit with him. They didn’t need to say anything or do anything, but to just be with him.
In his humanity Jesus needed a sense of community with other people to find strength. And if Jesus needed it, how much more do we? How much more do we need men and women who share our faith in Jesus to strengthen us during painful times? Do we dare think that we’re stronger than Jesus, that he needed something that we ourselves don’t?
This whole idea of needing community cuts against the grain of our highly individualistic culture. We’re so used to idolizing the cowboy who rides out of town when he’s no longer needed that we fail to see the great virtue of Jesus’ need for community. For us needing community is a sign of weakness, but for Jesus it was a sign of strength.
The primary place for Christians find this sense of community is in their local church. That’s a big reason why Jesus creates his Church, to create a place for community to flourish. For us to encourage and strengthen each other, to support and challenge each other, to love and forgive each other. You can’t do that if you’re not in community.
Mike Cloud, our minister of Care and Visitation once went to the hospital to visit someone in our church who’s husband was in critical condition. Mike told me when he got into the waiting room, it was overflowing with people from couple’s small group. They were there to provide community. Mike told me he quickly realized that wasn’t needed.
It’s interesting too that Jesus’ community lets him down. You might say the church let Jesus down; it wasn’t there when he needed it the most. Having a community is no guarantee that the community will be there when you need them and do what you need them to do. Relationships with people are simply too complex and messy to be that simple. Yet despite their failure to support Jesus, Jesus still loves his community, still invests his life in them, still cares for them. Being let down by those around us doesn’t erase our need for them. I’ve seen many people greatly supported and strengthened in the midst of difficult circumstances by this church. But I’ve also occasionally seen people fail to find the support they need. Sometimes they get mad and leave, other times they just shut down and stop investing in relationships, and other times they forgive and continue to invest in relationships. And it breaks my heart when people who look for community here don’t find it or when we somehow let them down. Yet as I look at Peter, James and John, I see that we’re not alone in falling asleep when people need us. You and I are no stronger or better than they were. I’m just glad that this wasn’t their only chance, that in the book of Acts these followers of Jesus do a much better job. Jesus models for us a need for community.
Finally we find here that WHEN JESUS KNOWS BAD THINGS ARE COMING, HE FINDS STRENGTH IN SURRENDER TO GOD’S WILL.
Jesus’ prayer here echoes the prayer he taught us to pray. Remember how it goes? “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus is praying the same when he says, “Not what I will, but what you will” (v. 36).
Jesus prays to be delivered from death and all that his death will entail, but God’s will is that Jesus be delivered through death, that is that Jesus is exalted and lifted up by way of resurrection rather than by way of avoiding the cross (Garland). And Jesus finds the strength to face what lies ahead by surrendering himself anew and afresh to God’s will.
That’s also where we’ll find strength as well, as we face the hard things of life. Too often when people come to us with their problems and their hurts, we try to help them fix their problem and remove their pain. But perhaps the more important question to help them ask is, “What’s God doing in your problem?” Maybe God doesn’t want to fix it just yet, maybe the pain is serving a purpose, and to take away the pain too soon will short-circuit what God is doing. People don’t want to hear that. I don’t want to hear that.
But true strength is found in surrender to the will of God.
Conclusion
The story of Jesus in the Garden is truly remarkable. It’s so vivid and human, that many Christians throughout church history have been embarrassed by the agony. Yet in it we find the love of Jesus and the example of Jesus. And as followers of Jesus Christ in the real world, today God is inviting us to rejoice in the love of Jesus and to live by the example of Jesus. Even in the hard things of life. Perhaps especially in the hard things of life.
Note: This sermon was followed by a special music presentation of “In the Garden” by Michael Card.
