The Pain and Agony of Gethsemane

Sermon Transcript from 4/5/09-----

Luke 22:39-46
In the Garden…Pain and Agony

Last night, thousands, maybe millions of people were watching the final four games—at least 70 thousand in the stadium itself.

Other millions were watching the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony screaming at the top of their lungs “Thank you Austin! Thank you Austin!”

What did he ever do for me—nothing!

People were riveted at the television and in the arena filled with anticipation and excitement and passion cheering on their teams sitting on the edge of their seats—they were enthralled and captivated by the hype and the hoopla—

And all of that for a temporary, non-eternal adrenaline rush of the moment that would soon fade and pass away…all for a reward that will fade and get dusty and break…all for trying to make this their best life now filled with earthly rewards…all that in light of eternity means absolutely nothing if Jesus is not receiving the glory…

I wonder if we are just as riveted and excited and captivated and enraptured by the scene in the text before us this morning…

I wonder if our hearts are just as captivated by gravity of this most sacred and glorious moment in the life of Jesus as he anticipates the cross—as he anticipates the physical pain and suffering—the abandonment of this father—and as we shall see also, the divine wrath of God for all sinners of all time in all places…

Yet, for many people, they are more like the disciples—asleep—tired of the same old story…the reality of what Jesus did for us no longer swells up within our souls and we carry on in life as if Gethsemane did not happen…as if the cross did not occur…we are asleep…

I hope this morning to re-ignite a passion in our hearts for the reality of agony and suffering of Gethsemane…which occurs before the cross…

A description of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is recorded for us in each of the three synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke

Each gospel adds or leaves out details based upon each author’s purpose for writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

Though there are some descriptive differences, there are also some common themes threaded throughout each of the gospels

One of those common themes is the tone of the narrative.

In each of the gospels, there is a very serious and somber tone—one that the authors desire to capture the readers’ attention and imagination—one that seeks to grab the heart of the reader and place him or her in the center of what is going on with Jesus as he contemplates his impending crucifixion and death.

The serious nature of Luke’s tone is enhanced by something we mentioned last week—that is, the decisive turn that took place in his gospel in chapter 9 where Jesus “set his face” toward Jerusalem…

And, then the strategic reminders to the readers of the journey to the cross along the way—

Another way Luke sets up this serious tone is his recording of Jesus’ words in chapter 21 concerning the end of the age, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the coming of the son of Man—which is Luke’s most prominent title for Jesus

At the end of chapter 21, Jesus warns the disciples about the necessity of watching and praying in order to be ready for his coming

At the Passover meal we discussed last week, something that was supposed to be celebratory in nature took a turn in mood and prepared the reader for the seriousness of the narrative in the garden of Gethsemane

At that meal, Jesus spoke of his impending suffering with the words “before I suffer”

He stated his purpose for coming and dying as the sacrifice for the ratification of the new covenant as he declared—

“this is my body given for you”

“this is the new covenant in my blood shed for you”

In the midst of these somber moments of what is taking place in Jesus’ life, Luke records an argument that ensues among the disciples in 22:24-30.

Jesus is about to go through excruciating physical, emotional, and mental suffering and the disciples are arguing about who gets to be in charge—

They are acting like the mob boss’s right hand men jockeying for position because the boss is on his deathbed.

They missed it—

Then, Luke records Jesus’ words to Peter about his denial that would soon occur

Then, in 22:35 he instructs them to take a money bag, a knapsack, and even a sword

Back in Luke 10, Jesus had sent them out in teams of two to proclaim the kingdom—at that time, Jesus told them not to take anything with them

It is clear as we move through the narrative that the serious nature and tone of Luke is building toward the Garden because the time for the prophecies to be fulfilled is drawing very near…

As we come to the Garden, we are allowed to eavesdrop on a very intimate conversation between Father and Son

We are made privy to the intimate thoughts of the Son of God as he seeks the Father

In this setting of the Garden and through this conversation, the seriousness is intensified by all three gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, and Luke

They each describe the emotional and mental state of Jesus using words like

Agony, as here in Luke, which refers to a state of intense grief and emotional anxiety

Mark uses words like greatly distressed and troubled and very sorrowful

Likewise, Matthew uses the word sorrowful adding along with Mark that Jesus was sorrowful even unto death

Do you feel the gravity of the situation?

Are you beginning to sense just how significant this moment is in the life of our Savior?

We are told in Matthew and Mark that Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him a little farther into the garden, but then he went apart from them by himself—alone with the Father in his grief and sorrow and agony of this moment

In his aloneness, he spent his time in prayer—

Luke records his words in v. 42…

Mark records a somewhat different version… Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will

And, then Matthew… My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will

According to Matthew and Mark, he made this request to the Father at least three times…maybe this is why Paul the apostle patterned his request to take away the thorn as he prayed three times…I wonder…

In this request, this plea, notice the intimacy between Father and Son in Jesus’ words…Father…Abba, Father…My Father

In the model prayer, Jesus taught us to pray “our Father”, but now he says My Father…it is personal

He calls him Abba, like our modern day term “daddy”…it is intense

The full effect of the seriousness of this garden narrative is found in the request that Jesus makes of the Father

In Jesus’ intense and personal prayer to the Father, he makes a plea for the Father to remove and take away the cup

Much has been discussed concerning what the cup represents

Some possibilities include the physical pain and suffering he was about to go through or the abandonment of the Father upon the cross

Though each of these has its place in our understanding of the cup to which Jesus refers, the primary thing the cup represents I believe is the divine wrath of God being poured out upon Jesus on behalf of sinners

It is true that there are other things a “cup” in scripture could represent—the new covenant, the shed blood, and others

But, in the context of the upcoming crucifixion and the context of the full biblical narrative as to the purpose of the Messiah’s coming, I believe this cup is referring to divine wrath against sinners

Matthew uses language in reference to the “drinking” of the cup as a way to visualize the partaking of it

John records this as well when Peter cuts off Malchus’ ear and Jesus responds, “Shall I not drink the cup which my father has given me?”

I bring these two up because other scripture references that refer to the cup as representing the divine wrath of God and the extent to which it is poured out use the language of drinking the cup…

Let’s review a few of these…you may want to write them down and study them later…

Psalm 75:7-8 But God is the judge: he puts down one, and exalts another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed and he pours it out; surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down

Isaiah 51:17 Stand up, o Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord, the cup of his fury; you have drunk the dregs of the cup trembling, and drained it out

Revelation 14:10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength the cup of his indignation…

Revelation 16:19 and great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath

All of this talk of divine wrath against sinners refers to what is known as the penal substitution theory of the atonement

In order for a holy and righteous and perfect God to save sinners, his holiness demands that justice and the penalty of sin, transgression, and iniquity against him be satisfied—either by the sinners themselves for eternity in hell or by a substitute

Jesus enters the stage of human history as our substitute on the cross becoming sin for us and bearing upon himself the full extent of the divine wrath of God in our place, which you and I fully deserve

You and I deserve the wrath of God—we are not only undeserving of God’s grace, we are ill-deserving of his love

We deserve for God to open the floodgates of all of hell’s fury and torment and pain and horror and torture and pour it out upon us

Yet, Jesus in obedience to the Father’s will, endured the cross—he drank the cup of the wrath of God for you and me—he did it as our substitute

Isaiah 53…

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him…

“yet it please the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief…

“for he shall bear their iniquities…

“because he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors…”

Jesus bore upon himself the wrath that you and I deserve…

Therefore, in the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus, the holy demands of a perfect God were satisfied and the wrath of God upon us was diverted

It is as if we were standing in a valley with no way out as a rushing river of lava from an erupting volcano bears down upon us from all directions and somehow by a miracle of divine intervention someone covers us in a protective shield at the expense of their own life diverting the lava away from us to rescue us from certain death—

We deserve as sinners for the river of God’s holy and raging wrath to wash over us for all eternity because we have offended and snubbed him with our very lives

Jesus’ diversion of God’s raging wrath is the doctrine of propitiation made possible for sinners only by the sacrifice of the only perfect Lamb

Jesus is in this garden pleading for the Father to take away and remove that cup from him------

Yet, the Father says, “No, there is no other way.”

His pleading becomes so intense that Luke, as a physician, records that Jesus began to sweat drops of blood…

The anguish and agony and distress that Jesus was experiencing…

Frederick Leahy writes in his book “The Cross He Bore” – “Gethsemane is not a field of study for our intellect. It is a sanctuary of our faith.”

Have the trappings of this world and its allurements dulled our spiritual senses to the reality of the suffering of our Savior for us?

Are we glibly living our lives as if our sins are being “overlooked” by a holy and righteous and infinite God?

Are we glibly living our lives as if the cross were just some ornament of decoration that sparkles and shines?

Michael, this is not a very encouraging word—my self-esteem isn’t too high right now—I don’t like this cross and death and suffering stuff, let’s get to the resurrection, that’s happy and joyful…

Friend, we cannot get to resurrection Sunday without going to the cross…and if you do not go to the cross, you get no resurrection…

I fear that in an age of self-esteemism we have lost the gravity of our sinfulness against a holy and righteous and perfect God

I fear that we have been seduced into the “we need to feel good about ourselves” mentality of our culture that we have moved away from a biblical understanding of our plight as sinners who deserve the wrath of God balanced with the realization that in his grace and by his grace we have been given the righteousness of Jesus Christ and are seated in the heavenly places only in Jesus…only because of Jesus…only clothed in Jesus…only through Jesus

The prayer of Jesus in the garden at least helps bring us back to center away from the extremes of self-esteemism of our culture…here we see the reality of the agony of Jesus in the garden because he knew what was about to happen to him…taking upon himself the divine wrath of God as the substitute for sinners like you and me…

Hear these words from CJ Mahaney from his little book “Christ: Our Mediator”:

“As we watch Jesus pray in agony in Gethsemane, He has every right to turn his tearful eyes toward you and me and shout, ‘This is your cup. You’re responsible for this. It’s your sin. You drink it.’ This cup should rightfully be thrust into my hand and yours.

Instead, Jesus freely takes it himself…so that from the cross he can look down at you and me, whisper our names, and say, ‘I drain this cup for you—for you who have lived in defiance of me, who have hated me, who have opposed me. I drink it all…for you.

This is what our sin makes necessary. This is what is required by your pride and my pride, by your selfishness and my selfishness, by your disobedience and my disobedience. Behold him…behold his suffering…and recognize his love.”

Let’s remember what Jesus willingly did for us today as he submitted to the Father’s will and lay down his life for his friends as a perfect substitute for us…

If you are here this morning without a reconciled relationship with God through Jesus, the bible commands you to repent of your sins and turn to Jesus…the expression of that is through a public confession of that faith through baptism…will you surrender to him today?

Christian, have your eyes and heart grown too accustom to the cross…has it become just another piece of jewelry…or another symbol…have you forgotten the intensity of what Jesus did for you…ask Jesus to renew your passion for the cross…