Message

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JESUS PRAYS AT GEHTSEMANE

Mark 14:27-52

Key Verse: 14:36 “Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

  Last weekend we had the first historical St. Louis UBF Summer Bible Conference at Niagara Falls. Through this conference, we experienced many things such as the power of God’s creation through the Niagara Falls, God’s forgiving love and his heart for the lost through Luke’s gospel study, beautiful fellowships between our members and other chapter members and so on. On the top of these, we experienced the power of prayer. God helped us to prepare the conference through prayer and taught us how to depend on him moment by moment. In fact, we had prayed for nice weather, safe trip, and smooth conference program. God answered all our prayer topics when we prayed all together with one in heart and mind. Personally God taught me how to prepare the work of God through prayer, whether it is big or small. Prayer brings us a miracle. Prayer gives us victory. Amen.

  In today’s passage Jesus teaches us how to prepare his upcoming crucifixion and resurrection in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prepared himself for the work of world salvation through prayer. Today’s passage contains three parts: first, Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial (27-31), second Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and third, Jesus’ arrest. We will mainly study about Jesus’ prayer in the Garden.

1. Jesus predicts Peter’s denial (27-31)

In the previous lesson we learned that Jesus established a new covenant in his blood. This blood covenant is the promise of God that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16)  Whoever believes in Jesus and confesses his or her sins will be forgiven and will be saved. Jesus established the blood covenant with his disciples during the Passover meal the very night he was arrested and tried. But, God established this covenant with the people of the world forever, especially with those who accept his Son Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior.

As soon as Jesus and his disciples arrived at the Mount of Olives, Jesus told them that they would all fall away. Look at verse 27. “You will all fall away….for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” This is the prophecy in Zechariah 3:17. Here, “shepherd” refers to Jesus, and “sheep”, to the disciples. Jesus knew that his disciples’ faith was not strong enough to withstand the approaching trials and temptations. Jesus told this prophecy his disciples in advance so that they might remember what he said and stand firm in the midst of the devil’s attack. Jesus is a good shepherd who knows his sheep and understands their weaknesses. Jesus told them so that the disciples might accept their weaknesses and depend on God through prayer. Jesus also promised with them that he would meet them at Galilee after his resurrection. Look at verse 28. “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Jesus believed that the Father God would raise him up from the dead. Jesus also believed that he would meet his disciples at Galilee after his resurrection. Jesus told them about God’ promise of his resurrection and gave them hope even though they did not understand what Jesus was talking about.

But, how did Peter respond to Jesus? Peter must have been hurt when Jesus had said that all would fall away. “Even me, you mean, the Lord?” He was somewhat upset because his loyalty to Jesus seemed to be tested. So he declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” (30)  How did Jesus reply to Peter’s words? Look at verse 30. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “today-yes, tonight-before the rooster crows you yourself will disown me three times.” Jesus told Peter when and how he would betray Jesus in detail so that Peter might acknowledge his weakness and prepare the approaching trials and adversity in prayer. Jesus helped Peter to humble himself and depend on God in every and all situations.  Did Peter get the main point of Jesus’ teaching? Look at verse 31. “But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.” Peter’s loyalty toward Jesus is really great. However, Jesus taught Peter that human faithfulness and human effort has limitation in doing the work of God. The servant of God must learn how to depend on God moment by moment through prayer.

2. Jesus prays at Gethsemane (32-42)

Look at verses 32 and 33a. “They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him,..” ‘Gethsemane’, which means ‘oil press’ in Hebrew, is a garden located at the foot of the Mount Olive, where Jesus and his disciples frequently had visited. Some people say that Gethsemane is the route for escape because it is the very connected to the desert of Judea. But, Jesus did not go up to Gethsemane to escape but to pray. Jesus wanted to prepare the upcoming crucifixion and resurrection through prayer. Jesus knew how to carry out his mission given by God, which is by prayer. Jesus took his three top disciples to the garden. Why? It was because he needed their prayer support. Jesus is the Son of God. He could do everything with his own supernatural power and divine wisdom, but he humbly asked his disciples’ prayer support. It was because he knew that only prayer could make him possible to fulfill God’ will. He knew that by prayer he could overcome himself and win the spiritual battle.

How was Jesus’ heart in the Garden of Gethsemane? Verse 33b says that he began to be deeply distressed and troubled (33b). He said, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”(34) Whenever Jesus thought about the upcoming sufferings, he must have been deeply troubled. His disciples’ betrayal, arrest by the soldiers, trials, torture by the Roman soldiers, insults, mockery, nailing on the cross, deep pain in the heart of his mother Mary made his heart extremely sorrowful and burdened. Above all, separation from God the Father, even though it was short period, was unbearable sorrow and pain to him. Yesterday morning my stomach was upset because of burden of preparing this message. Even the sense of responsibility about message writing made my stomach upset, how much more sorrowful and painful to Jesus when he bore the sins of the whole world in his own body!

After asking his disciples to keep watch and prayer, Jesus went a little farther. Then he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. (35) Here the hour is the hour of execution on the cross. That hour is when his two hands and foot would be nailed, and when he would shed his blood as the Paschal Lamb for the sin of the world. When Jesus thought about that hour, he trembled. So he prayed that the hour might pass from him. If possible, Jesus wanted to avoid that hour.

Here we learn the true humanness of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God. Indeed he is God himself in the beginning.(Jn 1:1-3) But he came to this world in a human form.(Php 2:5-11) He was born as a baby in a manger. He ate and slept like one of us. He suffered and wept as we did the same. He experienced weakness, tiredness, hunger, sorrow, and pain as we did. He shared the very humanness with us in order to understand our weakness and our sufferings. He shared our humanness in order to destroy the power of death and to restore Adam’s failure. Hebrews 3:14says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil…”

From the human point of view, Jesus was too young to die. No one on this earth is willing to die young. Everybody wants to live as long as possible.  Jesus also did not want to die young since he shared our humanness. If possible, he wanted to avoid that hour. Then, what did he do at this crucial moment?  He prayed.

Look at verse 36. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” First of all, he called God, “Abba, Father ” as a little child calls his lovely daddy for help. By calling God the Father, Jesus reminded the deep trust and love relationship between God the Father. Jesus loved the Father and trusted him. He also knew what the Father’s will is. The Father’ will is to sacrifice his one and only Son as a Paschal Lamb for the sins of the world. The Father’s will is to save the world through faith in his son. God’s will is for Jesus to take the cup of suffering and die on the cross.  It was too painful for Jesus to obey the Father’s will. So, he wanted to avoid the cup if possible. But, he decided to obey God’s will. But he needed the Father’s help in order to obey. So he prayed, “Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Jesus meant, “Father. I will obey your will, but I am weak. Please help me!”

What can we learn from his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? First of all, Jesus learned obedience through prayer.  Hebrews 5:8, 9 says, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Jesus’ obedience did not come naturally. It came from his fierce spiritual battle in prayer. Prayer is not a habitual murmuring. It is a fierce spiritual battle between God’s will and my will. It is hard labor. R.A. Torrey said in his book “the Power of Prayer” that prayer is extreme suffering. We suffer when we deny ourselves to obey God’s will. Through prayer at Gethsemane Jesus overcame his human desire and obeyed God’s will. No one wants to die young. Among all human desire, the desire to live must be strongest. But, Jesus overcame his human desire in order to obey the will of God.

We also must pray to overcome our human desire in order to obey the will of God. We have our own plan and desire based on our human ambition. So we frequently pray to God that my will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. One young Korean pastor had a dream to study in America and get a Ph D. So he secretly decided to resign from his position and move to America. But, soon he came to realize that God’s will is to evangelize the whole colleges in his country and then to go out to the world. The young pastor struggled all night to seek God’s will and obey him. Finally, he decided to remain in his country and to give his life to Bible Korea and to world campus mission. Then God blessed his ministry abundantly as well as he gave him two Ph D degrees in America.

Our life is the continuation of struggling between God’s will and my will. Jesus overcame his will in order to obey God’s will through prayer at Gethsemane. May God help each of us to learn how to win spiritual battle through prayer. May God help us to overcome our sinful desire and learn obedience to God when we pray. Amen.

Second of all, Jesus received strength and experienced spiritual victory through prayer.  Look at verse 37. “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Jesus knew that our battle is not human battle, but spiritual battle.  Ephesians 6:12 says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the power of the devil. Jesus knew that his disciples were weak. They needed more prayer for spiritual battle to withstand the devil’s attack. But, the disciples slept while Jesus was praying. Peter might have said, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”, then fell into sleep. We must pray all the more because our body is weak. Physical weakness cannot be an excuse for our laziness. Jesus prayed all the more when he was weak.

  Jesus prayed with the same prayer topic three times. He prayed again and again until he completely submitted himself to God’s will. What happened when he finished prayer? Look at verses 41,42. “Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” Here we learn that Jesus’ attitude toward the upcoming sufferings and trials were totally different from that before he prayed. There was no hint of sorrow or agony on his face. There was no sign of retreat or regret in his words. Rather, there was only triumphant spirit in his soul. There was the power of victory over sin and death. It was a proclamation of war against the Satan. “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer.” Jesus woke them up to confront his enemies. Jesus encouraged his disciples to go to Jerusalem as if he would bring them to Niagara Falls. “Rise! Let us go!” In this way Jesus prepared his approaching death on the cross. In this way Jesus won spiritual battle through his prayer. We also must experience spiritual victory over the power of death through prayer. Amen.

  In verses 43-51, we learn how Judas Iscariot participated in the arrest of Jesus. We also learn how Peter failed to overcome his human desire when he did not pray but sleep.

Our battle is not human battle against our brothers or sisters. Our battle is a spiritual battle between God’s will and my sinful desire. Today let us go up to the Garden of Gethsemane and pray. Through prayer we may find what God’s will is for my life and decide to obey him. Through prayer let us experience the power of God. Through prayer let us share Jesus’ suffering, death and the power of resurrection. Let us pray that God may make America a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Nothing is impossible with those who pray. Amen.

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• JESUS PRAYS AT GEHTSEMANE-revised.doc

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