Tawa Baptist

P.R.A.Y.

Scripture: Luke 22:39-54

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Prepare v panic
  • Request v repress
  • Anguish v assault
  • Yield v betray
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Please turn with me to Luke 22, verse 39, page 111 in your pew Bibles.

In this Scripture passage we hear how Jesus prays the night before his crucifixion and death. From Luke 22, verse 39 we read…

39 Jesus left the city and went, as he usually did, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples went with him. 40 When he arrived at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

41 Then he went off from them about the distance of a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed. 42 “Father,” he said, “if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 In great anguish he prayed even more fervently; his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

45 Rising from his prayer, he went back to the disciples and found them asleep, worn out by their grief. 46 He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation.”

47 Jesus was still speaking when a crowd arrived, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. He came up to Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you betray the Son of Man?”

49 When the disciples who were with Jesus saw what was going to happen, they asked, “Shall we use our swords, Lord?” 50 And one of them struck the High Priest’s slave and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “Enough of this!” He touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and the officers of the Temple guard and the elders who had come there to get him, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs, as though I were an outlaw? 53 I was with you in the Temple every day, and you did not try to arrest me. But this is your hour to act, when the power of darkness rules.”

54 They arrested Jesus and took him away into the house of the High Priest; and Peter followed at a distance.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

The night before an exam you prepare by getting a good sleep

The night before a marathon you prepare by eating lots of carbs

The night before your wedding you prepare by learning your vows

The night before a heavy rain you prepare by unblocking your drains

The night before his death Jesus prepared by praying

Twice in our reading Jesus told his disciples to pray so they would not fall into temptation. This tells us prayer is about being prepared. It’s about building a fence at the top of the cliff, so there’s no need for an ambulance at the bottom. 

But the disciples were exhausted from their grief. While the disciples slept, Jesus stayed awake in prayer. Then when the crowd came to arrest Jesus, he was prepared. Jesus was not caught by surprise. He was in control of himself and the situation. In contrast, Jesus’ disciples were in a panic.

We note too that Jesus made a request of God when he prayed. He requested that this cup of suffering be taken away. It may seem obvious that prayer is about asking God for something. But actually making our request is not as simple or straight forward as it sounds.

Before you can make a request of God you have to know what it is you want. And that’s the tricky bit. Making a request requires us to be honest with ourselves and with God. Prayer is not a place to pretend or to say what we think God wants to hear, much less what others want to hear. Prayer is place to be real. 

Jesus was honest with God. He did not hide or repress his truth. But nor did he get what he asked for on this occasion. Instead, God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus for the ordeal that lay ahead.

Perhaps, like Jesus, you have prayed earnestly for something only to be told ‘no’. Your prayer was not wasted. Your honesty is valued by God. Your honesty shows God you trust him and it provides a necessary release for your soul.

Verse 44 tells us that Jesus prayed in great anguish; his sweat falling to the ground like drops of blood. Blood falls heavy and thick.

I don’t pretend to fully comprehend Jesus’ anguish. Was it the anticipation of the physical pain he was about to suffer? Was it the bitter realisation of impending injustice? Was it the thought of being separated from his heavenly Father? Perhaps it was all these things and more besides.

What we do know is that Jesus was alone in a crowd. No one got it. No one (not even his disciples) understood. There is a certain agony in being surrounded by people and yet knowing you are completely alone.  

Everyone suffers, sooner or later. There is no escaping it. Jesus sat with his anguish in prayer. Prayer isn’t just the words we say or think. Prayer is also the pain we hold before God.

Now it is important to understand that sitting with our anguish in prayer is not the same thing as wallowing in self-pity. The point is to face our pain squarely so that we are not afraid of it.

The disciples were not prepared to sit with their pain and who can blame them. But if we don’t face our anguish, as Jesus did, it can ambush us and quickly turn into assault.

One of the disciples lashed out with his sword, striking the servant of the high priest and cutting off his ear. But Jesus put a stop to it and healed the man.

The fourth thing we note about Jesus’ prayer is that it resulted in him yielding to the will of God.  To yield is to give way. Although Jesus did not want to suffer and die, he qualified his request with the words, ‘Not my will, Father, but your will be done’.

Jesus did not hold anything over God’s head. Jesus submitted his request to God’s purpose. To do anything other than God’s will would be a betrayal.

It is difficult to know why Judas betrayed Jesus. Had he become disillusioned? Was he trying to manipulate the situation to force Jesus’ hand? Or was he simply selfish and greedy? We don’t know. Whatever his motive the outcome was the same. Judas yielded to temptation and the evil one led him down the path of betrayal.

Jesus shows us the purpose of prayer.

Jesus prepared for his suffering and death in prayer

Jesus expressed his honest request to God in prayer

Jesus faced his anguish in prayer

And ultimately, Jesus yielded to the will of God in prayer.

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to be prepared

          Deliver us from the time of trial

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to be honest with you and with ourselves

          We would prefer not to suffer

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to face our anguish without self-pity

          Give us courage and strength equal to the day

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to yield to God’s will and purpose

          Your kingdom come, your will be done. Amen.

Tawa Baptist

Jesus Prays

Scripture: Mark 14:32-46

 

Title: Jesus Prays

 

Our first reading today comes from Mark 14, verses 32-46…

 

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

 

35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

 

37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

 

41 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 delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

 

43 Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.

 

44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 The men seized Jesus and arrested him.

 

May God bless the reading of His word

 

One of the things that strikes me about Mark’s account of Gethsemane is the importance of prayer to Jesus

–         But what is prayer?

 

Well, sometimes we understand what something is by its opposite

–         The opposite of light is darkness

–         The opposite of vision is blindness

–         The opposite of reality is fantasy

–         The opposite of facing something is avoiding it

–         The opposite of awareness is ignorance

–         And, in Mark 14, the opposite of prayer is sleep

–         While Jesus goes off to pray, the disciples fall asleep

 

When we sleep we are unconscious, unaware of reality

–         If the opposite of prayer is sleep then prayer is waking up to reality (to truth), becoming more conscious of God’s presence and will

–         (After all God is the ultimate reality)

 

Prayer also includes becoming more aware of what is going on inside us

–         When we pray we get our head and heart together

–         We get organized, we get mentally & emotionally ready

–         A good prayer time gives us both the God awareness and the self-awareness to better help others

 

Jesus’ prayer in the garden reveals his full awareness of the situation

 

In Mark 14 Jesus’ prayer time begins with profound emotional awareness

–         Jesus began to be deeply distressed and troubled, saying “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,”

–         This reminds us of the refrain from Psalms 42 & 43…

–         Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

 

Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed with emotional distress and we are not sure why

–         It takes time & effort to pray – to become conscious of what God wants and to come to terms with how we feel about that

–         Jesus had known for some time that it was God’s will for him to go to the cross

–         Now he was having to deal with the intense pressure and tension this created within him

 

Jesus didn’t want to suffer this separation from God his Father and so he says…

–         “Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

–         This prayer is the fruit of intimate agony – it is beautifully honest, revealing a love stronger than death

 

In contrast to Jesus who is fully awake, fully conscious, fully aware of what is happening, the disciples keep falling asleep

–         They are unconscious – unaware of what is about to happen

 

If you are a test batsman about to face a fast bowler

–         You don’t go to sleep or let your mind wander off in a daydream

–         You make sure you are ready

–         You look at the field placements to see what your options are

–         You make sure you know where your middle stump is

–         You keep your eye on the ball

–         A small lapse of concentration and you could get out

 

Jesus is about to be arrested and crucified – a terrible thing is about to happen and the disciples aren’t ready

–         Jesus asks them to stay awake – to keep watch and pray so that they will not fall into temptation

–         Jesus doesn’t ask his disciples to pray for him

–         He asks his disciples to pray for themselves – that is, to become aware of the reality before them and within them

–         Prayer is how Jesus’ followers keep their eye on the ball

 

Interestingly Jesus says to the disciples…

–         The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

–         I’m pretty sure Jesus isn’t talking about the human spirit here

–         I think he means the Holy Spirit is willing to give us strength to pray and resist temptation when our bodies are tired & weak

–         So prayer is not something we do in our own strength

–         Like Paul says in his letter to the Romans…

–         The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

 

Now in saying that the opposite of prayer is sleep, I’m not suggesting that sleep is bad

–         Sleep is good – in many ways sleep is like a foundation – we need our rest

–         It’s really more a case of timing – sometimes prayer is even more important than sleep and Gethsemane was one of those times

 

When Judas turns up with temple guards to arrest Jesus – the Lord is not surprised – he is fully aware of what is going on, he sees it coming

–         (Look, here comes my betrayer)

–         Jesus is mentally and emotionally ready to face his ordeal because he has worked through the tensions within himself

–         The disciples on the other hand are quite unprepared

 

As Christians we are to have an attitude of prayerful awareness

–         This might mean starting your day with the question: ‘What do you want to do today Lord?’

–         It could mean looking for God’s presence throughout your day – both in the ordinary routine and the unexpected interruptions

–         It means being in touch with what you are feeling and giving your soul the time it needs to catch up – not pressing your feelings down or putting them aside for too long

–         So if you are angry or hurt or happy or sad, take time to sit with that feeling – be still before God, give Him room to show you what He wants to reveal

–         Feelings are the messengers of the soul – deep calls to deep

 

We could go on but you get the point

–         Prayer is about facing reality – not avoiding it

 

What realities are you facing this Easter?

–         What weighs your soul down in sorrow?

–         What does God want in your situation?

–         And how does this make you feel?

 

Prayer

Let’s face reality by praying the Lord’s Prayer together now…

 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

 

 

 

https://soundcloud.com/tawabaptist/14-apr-2017-gethsemane