Series: The Garden and the Resurrection

 

Title: Reflections from the Garden

 

Some events leading up to the moment that Jesus finds himself in the garden of Gethsemane.

• Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
• Jesus is anointed in Bethany by a woman with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment
• Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver to the chief priest.
• Jesus celebrates the Passover with His disciples in the upper room.
• The Lord’s supper is instituted. (which symbolized the Body and blood of Jesus being crushed, but it was also signified that those disciples would also share in the same suffering as Jesus)
• Jesus foretells of Peter’s denial.

“Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

 

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

 

Matthew 26:36-56

 

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane,

 

Names of people and places in the bible are very significant. 

 

Gethsemane -  “an oil press” was the name of a place at the foot of the Mount of Olives, beyond the across the Kidron valley.  With the name meaning “oil press” the garden is likely a grove of olive trees.

 

(picture of olive crusher) During Jesus' time, heavy stone slabs were lowered onto olives that had already been crushed in an olive crusher. Gradually, the slabs weight squeezed the olive oil out of the pulp, and the oil ran into a pit. There the oil was collected in clay jars.

 

The image of Gethsemane on the slope of the Mount of Olives where Jesus went the night before his crucifixion provides a vivid picture of Jesus' suffering. The weight of the sins of the world pressed down upon him like a heavy slab of rock pressed down on olives in their baskets.

 

Isaiah 53:5
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;

It is no coincidence that mankind was created in the garden, sinned in the garden, now our Redeemer also finds himself crushed in a garden taking upon Himself the burden of our sins. The garden was a place of preparation, it was a place of crushing. 

 

Judas knew that Jesus often went to this place to pray, yet our Lord did not seek a different place to hide but continued as usual knowing what He would face.

 

and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 

 

 

Though Jesus was 100% God, He was 100% man.  He experienced sorrow (He was afflicted with sadness, He was grieved) just as you and I experience sorrow and even more so than we.  From Luke’s account of the gospel we learn that His internal distress had become evident in His physical body.

 

Luke 22:44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

 

In cases of extreme duress, a rare medical condition known as hematidrosis (hee·muh·ti·drow·suhs)

 

Hematidrosis is a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood; it occurs under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress

 

We have a Savior who can sympathize with our human weakness.  (Hebrews 4:15) whereas other so called “gods” are not god at all.  They are simply man-made images that people have worshipped.

 

Jesus was Human who experienced sorrow and troubledness. 

 

Though all eleven disciples went with Jesus to the garden, He only allowed Peter James and John to proceed with Him to witness his agony while the remaining eight were to keep watch from a distance.

 

It was the same three who Jesus had brought up the mount Tabor (tay·br) when He was transfigured.  

           

Matthew 17:5

 

            “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 

 

This was done to prepare them for the garden.  They were given the opportunity to see Him in His glory now they will witness His agony. Those who have by faith beheld his glory are best prepared to suffer with Christ. 

 

If we suffer with Christ, we shall reign with him; and if we hope to reign with him, why should we not expect to suffer with him?

 

³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 

 

The pain that He was facing internally would soon impact every aspect of His life.

 

Jesus hints to His disciples that the sorrow He was currently facing would continue to His death.  Jesus is trying to get His disciples to understand that He was serious when He had foretold of His death, it was going to happen.  He is preparing them for when the shepherd would be struck, and the sheep scattered.

 

Jesus’ one plea in His time of distress was that his closest disciples would be near Him and watch with Him.  If the command had been given by our enemies for a nuclear bomb to head our way to wipe us off the map and the end was eminent how would spend your last few moments? 

 

Would you want to be surrounded by your closest friends and/or family?  

That is the desire of Jesus.  He knew the end was coming for Him and He spends His last night with the people He loved with those who He had invested His life into.  He asks this one simple favor “remain here, and watch with me” (hold on to that thought)

 

³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 

 

Though all three prayers that Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane are similar prayers, in this initial prayer we see that Jesus is asking that if it was possible to let this cup pass from me.  What was the cup?

 

It was God’s wrath being poured out upon Him for the sins of the world.  Jesus had never known sin nor the consequences for sin. Yet He would become sin.

 

            2 Corinthians 5:21

 

²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

He gets our sin and the punishment thereof while we get His righteousness. Don’t ever count the cost of your freedom as cheap.  For it cost Him everything.

 

If there was another way, let’s do that instead.  (pause)

 

After coming to grips with the fact there was no other way.  Only a pure and spotless lamb would suffice in atoning for the sin of man and Jesus was that sacrifice.  It must be so.  “not as I will, but as you will”

 

There is a major difference between the will of God and the will of man.

 

⁴⁰ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 

 

James and John were there as well, but Peter is the only one called out by name.  Remember we talked about Peter (petros) and how his name meant “a rock or a stone.“ Jesus was going to build His church upon the revelation that Peter had in saying that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.

 

Peter, could you not watch?  Peter, I needed you? At Jesus hour of need Peter is asleep.

 

The depravity of man continues to be astonishing.  Thus, further revealing our need for a savior.

• For mankind has proven to be incapable of keeping the commandments of the Lord we are not able to bring about our own righteousness by doing good.
• We have also proven to be a selfish and self-centered people with the inability to help others consistently in their time of need. Jesus needed a friend in His time of need only to be disappointed.  There is nothing good in and of ourselves. 

 

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

 

This all points to the fact that salvation is God’s work in us and it is His work alone.

 

⁴¹ Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 

 

Notice how Jesus’ prayer is different this time.  He is not praying for his suffering to be taken away. 

Jesus has accepted the fact that He must drink the cup of suffering.  His prayer is that God would grant Him the strength to complete the mission.  It must be so. 

 

Often, we pray for God to remove the cup of suffering from us.  Take Moses for example.

 

            Numbers 11:14-17

 

¹⁴ I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

 

Moses was so frustrated with the Israelites that death was looking like a better option than enduring the task at hand.  But the Lord does not kill Moses, instead He raises up other leaders to come along side of him to help carry the burden. 

 

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. ¹⁷ And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. 

 

We find a very similar thing in our story today.  God gave Jesus the strength to endure by sending an angel to comfortHim during His time of need.  

 

            Luke 22:43

 

             ⁴³ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 

 

Ultimately, God’s will must be done.  So Jesus’ second prayer illustrates His willingness to embrace God’s plan for His life and His plan for man’s eternal salvation with the confidence that God would see Him through it all.   

 

⁴³ And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.  See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

 

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

 

⁴⁷ While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” ⁴⁹ And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 

A kiss on the cheek was a common greeting, a sign of deep respect, honor, and brotherly love.  For a student who had great respect for his teacher, a kiss on the cheek was an expression of honor. 

 

But what is preposterous in this story is Judas’ upfront malicious hypocrisy.  For with his actions, he said “I respect and honor you,” while at the same time he had betrayed Jesus to be murdered. 

 

Judas’ betrayal had been foretold nearly a thousand years prior to this event by the Psalmist David.

 

            Psalm 41:9

 

⁹ Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

 

Zechariah 11:12-13 (The thirty pieces of silver that Judas collected as payment for his betrayal)

 

Consider with me another Psalm of David and how our Lord could relate to the words that he wrote.

           

Psalm 55:12-14

 

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
   then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—
    then I could hide from him.
¹³ But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
¹⁴ We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in the throng.

 

Being betrayed particularly by someone with whom one is very close, can potentially produce anxiety, depression, emotional detachment, dissociation, and physical discomfort being around that person.   

 

Hopefully you have a picture of the mental and spiritual anguish that Jesus dealt with while He was in the garden. 

 

⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him

 

Jesus still calls him friend a title he did not deserve.  The hatred and evil of this world did not overcome the love of our savior.  It reminds me of Cory Asbury’s song “Kind.”

 

The chorus of this song goes like this:

I've tried to run from Jesus, I've started holy wars
I've tried the patient waitin' and the kickin' down the doors
I've cursed His name in anger with my fist raised to the sky
And in return, all He's ever been is kind 

 

The agony that Jesus faced in the garden did not detour Him from the cross nor did it rob Him of His ability to love His enemies. The garden was a place of testing, it was a place of preparation, it was a place of crushing.  

When have you been like Jesus?

 

• In His willingness to say yes to the Father’s will amid suffering. He did not hide from it.
• In His willingness to invite His closest disciples into His suffering. You can’t do it alone.
• By praying for the strength to endure God’s will for your life rather than for it to be removed.
• By showing kindness to your enemies.

 

When have you been like the disciples?

• Not that concerned about things that concerns our Lord?

 

When have you been like Judas?

• By appeasing the crowds while ignoring your moral convictions. (high priest)
• By trading your relationship with the Lord for pleasures of this world.
• By saying you love the Lord with your words, but your actions speak differently. Being hypocritical

 

Before we are too hard on Judas, we must address the issues of our lives and look at our own depravity. It could have been us for we are no different. 

 

The garden illustrates the humanness of Jesus and how is He can sympathize with us.

The garden highlights mankind’s depravity and their desperate need for a savior.