Suffering

Luke chapter 22, verses 39 to 53.

Luke 22:39–53

Let me read it out loud for us.

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples

followed him.

And when he came to the place, he said to them, pray that you may not enter into temptation.

And he withdrew from the stone's throw and knelt down and prayed, saying, Father, if

you are willing, remove this cup from me.

Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.

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

And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood

falling down to the ground.

And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.

And he said to them, why are you sleeping?

Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve,

was leading them.

He drew near to Jesus to kiss him.

But Jesus said to him, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?

And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike

with the sword?

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and coughed his right ear.

But Jesus said, no more of this.

And he touched his ear and healed him.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come out against

him, have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs?

When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me.

But this is your hour and the power of darkness.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

In our tireless effort to put together a good life, we fill our schedules with activities

to enhance our quality of life, improve the prospects of our children.

We plan meticulously for emergencies and also come up with contingency plans, take every precaution

to ensure a healthy and wealthy family, successful career, and a carefully curated group of friends.

But something or someone without fail interferes with our plans.

This is the nature of living in a fallen world full of unpredictable events and sinful people.

Suffering is inextricably woven into the very fabric of life.

But the prevailing worldview tells us that suffering is essentially meaningless and unnecessary.

That it's an interruption to life as usual and to be avoided at all costs.

It teaches us that a life full of suffering is not worth living.

That we should devote all of our human creativity and ingenuity to alleviate suffering, to eliminate suffering at all levels.

But that approach does nothing to help us make sense of and deal with the suffering that is there.

The Bible takes a different view.

Instead of emptying suffering of meaning and seeking to uproot it altogether,

it imbues suffering with meaning.

Helps us to endure it.

That's what this passage is about.

It particularly teaches us that in the midst of our suffering,

we can entrust ourselves to the strengthening, sovereign, and sin-bearing God.

And that's the outline I will follow as we go through this passage.

First, let's talk about how God calls us to entrust ourselves to Him in the midst of our suffering.

It says in verse 39 that Jesus came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives,

and the disciples followed Him.

He has just concluded, as we saw last week,

His last supper with His disciples, His last Passover.

With them.

And now they go out to the Mount of Olives with the intention to pray.

And Luke tells us that this was something that Jesus did habitually.

He says that it was His custom to do this.

Luke, more than any of the other authors of the Gospel,

emphasized Jesus' constant prayer and communion with God.

And then they come to the place,

which we know is called Gethsemane from the other Gospels.

And here Jesus tells His disciples,

pray that you may not enter into temptation.

But what temptation or trial is Jesus speaking of here?

And that reference is likely to what we spoke of last week from Luke 22, verse 31,

Luke 22:31

where Jesus warns Peter, Simon Peter,

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,

that he might sift you like wheat.

I noted last week that the word, the pronoun you, in verse 31,

is not singular, referring to Simon Peter alone,

but it's actually plural, referring to all the apostles.

And so even though Simon is singled out as the leader and representative among the apostles,

Satan intends to test all the apostles

to see if they would abandon Jesus.

Jesus, he's sifting them to see if he can filter them out like debris,

than to pick them out and discard them,

expose them as fraud, unfaithful disciples.

Jesus himself faces an even greater trial,

so he withdraws a stone's length, stone's throw,

from the disciples in order to pray himself.

There's a touch of emotion in the word withdrew, in verse 41,

because he's literally pulling away from the disciples

to engage in this prayer struggle by himself.

He knows that this is a trial he must face alone,

that his disciples cannot suffer with him or for him.

And then it tells us that he knelt down to pray.

This is also striking because Jews typically pray standing up.

We saw this earlier in Luke chapter 18, verses 9 to 14,

Luke 18:9–14

where the Pharisee and the tax collector are compared to praying to God side by side,

and they're both praying, standing up and looking up,

standing up to God, standing up before God.

But the fact that Jesus kneels here expresses his desperation.

He's desperate.

He's crying out to God.

He's humbling himself before his Father.

And this is typically reserved for cases of desperate pleas.

For example, in Acts 7, verse 60, which is also written by Luke,

Acts 7:60

Stephen falls to his knee to pray while being stoned to death

as the first Christian martyr.

So you could sense the kind of desperation that's characterizing Jesus' prayer here.

And then he prays in verse 42,

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.

Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.

This prayer really shows us the reality of Jesus' incarnation,

that he took on human flesh.

Because he was fully God, but he was also fully man.

And every fiber of his humanity resists,

militates against this impending death, his suffering.

This is a genuine request.

It's not an abstracted request.

It says, if you are willing, Father, remove this cup from me.

Of course, Jesus knew with certainty that this was his Father's will.

But his prayer, by articulating that he's expressing his inner turmoil,

could there be any other way, Father?

Is there any other way?

Father, remove this cup from me.

It's a cry of desperation.

I'll unpack in detail later why Jesus has such a hard time with this.

But it suffices to observe for now that he's in great distress.

It's described in verse 4.

He says,

He prayed even more earnestly so that he was sweating profusely.

It doesn't say that he was literally sweating blood,

which some people take this to mean.

It says that his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

It's a simile that portrays Jesus' intense anguish.

Blood is about four times as viscous as water.

Some of you are interested in these kinds of things.

I didn't.

And so it doesn't flow.

That means it doesn't flow as easily as water does.

And so it drips much more heavily, right?

So if you can picture it, Jesus was sweating so much,

it's like collecting and accumulating on his body,

and then it drips like thick blood, like congealed liquid.

That's how much he's sweating because he's praying so earnestly before the Father.

And he recognizes that he's not praying to a powerless God,

but to the all-powerful God.

So he doesn't say,

if you can, Father.

He says,

if you are willing,

remove this cup from me.

He also knows that he's praying not to a detached overlord,

but to an intimate, loving Father.

So Jesus doesn't bury his questions,

his pain.

He expresses the fullness of emotions

in complete transparency and honesty.

And this is what it looks like to entrust ourselves to God, our Father.

Prayer is the most tangible expression of that trust

because in prayer, we do not, strictly speaking,

do anything or get anything done, right?

If you think about it,

that's in fact precisely why sometimes we don't pray.

We feel like we're not getting anything done.

I could be using this time to be getting things done,

doing things,

solving my problems.

We consider prayer a perfunctory preamble to our activities,

but prayer is not a preamble to something else we do.

It's a relational conversation

and a transaction between God and man.

It can bring the power of heaven down to earth.

So before his greatest undertaking,

when facing his most difficult trial yet,

we find Jesus not busying about with activities,

trying to get something done.

Rather, he's praying,

agonizing in prayer,

asking God to do something.

That's what it means to entrust ourselves to God.

Now, God the Father does not grant his son's request,

but he does answer his prayer

by sending an angel from heaven

to strengthen him,

as it says in verse 43.

This is an important point in this passage,

although it's easy to overlook it

in the midst of all these great verses.

Verses 40 to 46 are structured symmetrically,

if you look at it closely,

so that each verse in the first half of those verses

mirror the second half.

So in verse 40,

Jesus tells his disciples

to pray that they may not enter into temptation.

And then in verse 46,

he again tells his disciples to pray

that they may not enter into temptation.

And in verse 41,

Jesus pulls away from his disciples

to kneel down and pray.

And in verse 45,

Jesus rises from prayer

to return to his disciples.

And then in both verse 42 and verse 44,

Jesus is praying to God the Father.

It's the content of his prayer.

And that leaves verse 43 alone in the middle,

which by itself does not have a matching part

in the symmetrical structure.

This kind of symmetrical structure

is called a chiasm.

And it's ancient literature

often employs this rhetorical device.

And the purpose of it is to bring

focused attention to the element in the middle

that alone doesn't have a matching element.

And so the focal point is actually verse 43.

The Father does not deliver Jesus

from his suffering,

but he does strengthen him

in his suffering.

And this is why we can entrust ourselves to God

in our suffering,

because we know that he will strengthen us

in our suffering.

When you pray to God for something

and he answers you with a no,

you pray earnestly for something,

God, please take this,

seek this from me,

please give me a child,

please save my family.

When he gives you all these things,

when you don't get a yes for an answer,

but instead get a no from God,

don't assume that God, therefore,

has abandoned you.

That God doesn't care for you.

Because in the midst of your suffering,

God is with you,

in the midst of you,

to strengthen you.

Now, Jesus is receiving this strength

from God the Father,

but the disciples are a study in contrast.

After his prayer,

Jesus finds the disciples

sleeping for sorrow,

he says,

and he tells them,

why are you sleeping?

Rise and pray

that you may not enter into temptation.

He had told them to pray

that they may not enter into temptation,

so it's no wonder then

that the disciples are unprepared

for the events that follow.

When Judas, the betrayer,

comes with his arm bent

to arrest Jesus.

They fumble about

trying to figure out what to do,

and one of them impulsively

slices off the ear

of the servant of the high priest.

And Jesus, however,

in contrast to the disciples,

is poised

and in total control

because he

had already risen

from an intense

spiritual struggle in prayer.

So then,

this is intended to teach us

that prayerful waiting

and prayerful watching

is a secret

to not succumbing

to trials

and temptations.

I want to ask you,

are you

always falling

to the same temptations

in your life?

Does it seem like

you have the same trial

that you never seem

to be able to overcome?

Find the strength

to endure through.

Then let me ask you,

have you been

prayerful and watchful?

Ephesians 6,

18-19,

which we referenced

last week as well,

teaches us

we are to put on

the full armor of God

in our spiritual warfare

by praying

at all times

in the Spirit

with all prayer

and supplication,

keeping alert

with all perseverance,

making supplication

for all the saints.

Prayer is the

often enjoined

but seldom employed

key to victory

in Christian life.

Are you praying?

Are you watchful?

of course,

when overcome

with great sorrow

and encumbered

by the relentless

pace of our lives,

it's easy

to get lost.

It's really difficult

in those situations

to pray

and consciously

entrust ourselves

to God

and that's the same

reason why

the disciples

fell asleep.

It says that

they were sleeping

for sorrow.

verse 45,

they were physically

and emotionally

exhausted

from a hectic

week in Jerusalem

and a troubling

day they had just

spent speculating

and discussing

about which

of the twelve

apostles

would betray

their Lord

and all the more

in our wariness

and grief,

however,

when we're

particularly vulnerable,

that's when most

we should be

leaning on God

and entrusting

ourselves to Him

in prayer

because when we do

that,

He strengthens us.

So when you are

struggling with

severe depression,

some of you

struggle with

seasonal depression

as you approach

winter.

I guess winter

is here.

Is it technically here?

No,

it's still not here.

When you're struggling

with severe depression

or when you ask

God to take it away

and He doesn't,

know with certainty

that He is with you

to strengthen you.

When you come down

with the flu

just before a big

project

or before your

exams at school,

midterms that are

going on right now,

pray to God to heal

you and entrust

yourself to Him.

But if He doesn't

heal you,

know with certainty

that He is with you

to strengthen you

through it.

when you have a long

and stressful day

at work

and you're returning

home,

looking forward

to finally

getting some quiet,

enjoying a restful

evening,

stretched out on the

couch with your

legs on the coffee

table.

But then instead

when you come home,

you come home

to a house

in disarray

with your children

throwing tantrums

and your spouse

frazzled

and seeking

your help.

Cry out to God

for help.

Know that God

will be in the

midst

to strengthen you

so that you can

care for and

strengthen

and serve your

family.

As Charles Spurgeon

once said,

the refiner is never

very far from the

mouth of the furnace

when his gold

is in the fire.

In suffering,

rather than giving

us his good

gifts to

relieve us,

God often

gives us

himself

to sustain

us.

That's what he

did here.

He does not

take the cup

of his God's

wrath away

from Jesus,

but he sends

an angel,

his representative

to be his

presence

for Jesus.

And it's only

in our suffering

at times

when we feel

that God

is all we

have.

That's when we

truly know

that God

is all we

need.

It makes

suffering so

much more

bearable

when you

remember that

God is

with us.

That's the

strengthening

God.

And this

narrative ensues

in verse 47.

And let me

read verses

47 to 53

just one more

time to jog

your memory.

It says,

While he was

still speaking,

there came a

crowd,

and the man

called Judas,

one of the

twelve,

was leading

them.

He drew

near to

Jesus to

kiss him,

but Jesus

said to him,

Judas,

would you

betray the

Son of Man

with a kiss?

And when

those who

were around

him saw

what would

follow,

they said,

Lord,

shall we

strike with

the sword?

And one

of them

struck the

servant of

the high

priest and

cut off

his right

ear,

but Jesus

said,

no more

of this,

and he

touched his

ear and

healed him.

And then

Jesus said

to the

chief priests

and officers

of the

temple and

elders who

had come

out against

him,

have you

come out

as against

a robber

with swords

and clubs?

When I

was with

you day

after day

in the

temple,

you did

not lay

hands on

me,

but this

is your

hour and

the power

of darkness.

There's so

much injustice

and corruption

in this

account of

Jesus'

betrayal.

First look

at verse

47,

it says,

there came

a crowd.

Generally

in the

Gospel of

Luke,

a crowd

is depicted

as being

favorable

toward Jesus.

It's the

crowds that

just days

earlier

greeted

Jesus as

he was

entering

into

Jerusalem

and

seated

on a

donkey,

hailing

him as

king.

But now

Jesus was

on top of

the world

just a few

days ago.

Now

everything

starts to

turn on

him.

And first

thing we

see here

is the

crowd.

The crowd

has turned

on him.

It's a

crowd that

has not

come to

enthrone

him,

but to

arrest

him,

to kill

him.

And not

only the

crowd,

Luke's,

it says

that

Judas,

whom Luke

makes sure

to know,

was one

of the

twelve.

Think about

the horror

of that.

He spent

years with

Jesus.

He's seen

Jesus'

life.

He has

benefited

from his

teaching.

He has

served

alongside

him.

He has

been

Jesus'

most

trusted

of

companions.

one of

the

twelve.

He

ate

with

Jesus.

And it

is he,

one of

the twelve,

that

betrays

Jesus.

It gets

worse.

It says

that he

draws near.

He drew

near to

Jesus.

The phrase

draw near

used in

other parts

of Luke's

gospel

convey a

posture of

longing and

receptivity

toward

Jesus.

You

know who

always

draws near

to

Jesus

throughout

the

gospel

of

Luke?

It's

the

tax

collectors

and

sinners.

They're

always

described

as

drawing

near

to

Jesus.

Luke

15.

1.

Blind

beggar

draws

near

to

Jesus

for

healing.

Luke

18.

Verse

40.

But here

someone

once again

draws

near,

but not

for

healing,

not to

be

ministered

to by

Jesus,

but to

betray

Jesus.

With

the gesture

of

friendship,

a kiss,

that

phrase

with

a kiss

is

fronted

in the

Greek

for

emphasis.

With

a kiss,

Judas,

do you

betray

the

Son

of

Man?

And

the

same

word

for

love.

It's

a sign

of

love.

It's

a sign

of

strong

affection

among

family

members

and

close

friends.

And

what

shamelessness

for

Judas

to

betray

his

teacher

with

this

intimate

gesture.

And

then

Jesus

disciples

finally

recognizing

what's

happening

asks,

Lord,

shall we

strike

with

the

sword,

but an

impulsive

one,

we know

that this

is,

you could

guess it's

Peter,

we know

that it's

Peter from

John's

gospel,

chapter

18,

verse

10.

Jesus

to

actually

answer

the

question,

and

then he

just

cuts

off the

right ear

of the

servant

of the

high

priest,

which

could

have been

really

bad.

But

Jesus

stops

them saying,

no more

of this,

and then

he heals

the injured

man,

even at

this

critical,

desperate

hour,

when he

could have,

he of all

people had

the right

to say,

well,

I don't

have the

time,

I don't

have the

emotional

energy,

I don't

have the

strength to

deal with

somebody else's

problems right

now,

about to go to

the cross

to die,

but in the

midst of that,

Jesus has

compassion,

he heals

even this

man who

has come

to arrest

him,

and

consider the

iron of

this,

his

apprehenders

have come

with swords

and clubs,

fully prepared

to use

violent force,

they're

treating

Jesus like

a robber,

but they're

the ones

that are

acting like

robbers,

so Jesus

tells them,

do you like

robbers have

you come

with swords

and clubs,

and

let's

look at

what this

crowd consists

of further

in verse 52,

Luke specifies

that they were

the chief

priests and

officers of

the temple,

and elders

that have

come out

against Jesus,

this means

Jewish

religious

authorities,

their military

authority,

and their

civil authorities,

all of

them have

come out

in concert

to address

Jesus,

in other

words,

the crowd

has turned

on Jesus,

and the

entire

Jewish

people

have turned

on Jesus,

the people,

the chosen

people of

God,

that God

has set

his name

upon,

they have

all turned

against

Jesus,

and not

only them,

one of

his own,

not just

the larger

group of

disciples,

but one

of the

twelve

has turned

against

Jesus,

and Jesus

exposes their

treachery in

verse 53,

when I was

with you day

after day in

the temple,

you did not

lay hands

on me,

Jesus

ministered out

in the open

with total

transparency and

integrity,

if he had

really done

something wrong

that warranted

arrest,

then they could

have done it

right there,

but of course,

they're scheming,

they're seeking

to do something

that is

unlawful,

they knew

Jesus was

innocent,

yet they have

come in the

cover of night

with swords

and clubs

to carry out

their lawless

deed,

and that leaves

only one

conclusion,

Jesus says,

this is your

hour,

and the power

of darkness,

referring to

spiritual evil

authority,

power that

Judas and

Jewish leaders

are serving,

have become

agents of,

so note how

Jesus,

everything has

turned against

Jesus,

he was just

a few days

ago at the

top of the

world,

but now all

have turned,

and even

though everything

seems to be

going awry

for Jesus,

surprisingly,

he's the one

that appears

to be in

charge of

this entire

narrative,

in fact,

neither Judas

nor the

Jewish leaders

say a single

word in this

entire passage,

look at it

again,

it's Jesus

who highlights

the hypocrisy

of Judas,

it's Jesus

who restrains

his disciples

saying no more

of this,

it's Jesus

who exposes

the treachery

of the Jewish

leaders,

all of this

is there to

show us that

even in the

midst of his

crisis,

Jesus is in

total control

of his situation

as we have

seen over and

over again

throughout the

gospel of

Luke,

this is the

hour and

power of

darkness,

yet,

in this

moment of

seeming

triumph of

the devil,

Jesus is not

succumbing to

the power of

darkness,

he is in

control,

he's submitting

to his

father's will,

this reminds

me of Acts

2,

23 to 24,

where Peter

charges the

Jewish people,

this Jesus

handed over

to you

according to

the definite

plan and

foreknowledge of

God,

you crucified

and killed

by the hands

of lawless

men,

God raised

him up,

losing the

pangs of

death because

it was not

possible for

him to be

held by it,

Jesus,

though it

seems like

the devil's

triumphing,

though it

seems like

evildoers are

getting the

best of

him,

Jesus was

handed over

not by

hands of

men,

but according

to the

definite plan

and foreknowledge

of God,

this is

helpful for

us because

even in

the midst

of the

cruelest

injustices

and the

most gut

wrenching

betrayal,

even something

as tragic

as the

death of

the Messiah,

the perfect

sinless

son of

God,

even this

is not

outside of

God's

plan and

power,

he was

sovereign

through it

all,

God vindicates

Jesus in

the end by

raising him

from the

dead,

and that

means we

as God's

people,

we can

submit ourselves

and entrust

ourselves to

God in the

midst of our

suffering,

because we

know that

God too is

sovereign in

the midst of

our suffering.

when you

lose a

promotion,

perhaps when

you lose

your job

due to the

cruelty of

your colleagues

or unfairness

of your

boss,

when you

suffer gross

injustices and

discrimination on

the basis of

your ethnicity,

race,

gender,

when your

spouse is

killed in a

car accident

by a

distracted and

grossly

negligent

driver,

when you

incur great

financial loss

because of

a dishonest

neighbor.

In short,

when things

don't make

any sense,

God's

sovereign

through it

all.

That means

no suffering

that befalls

you has

ever escaped

God's

oversight and

care for

you.

Every loss,

every sorrow,

every

disappointment

is measured

out by

our all

powerful and

loving,

sovereign God.

So then we

don't have to,

like the

disciples try to

do here,

panic and

try to seize

control of the

situation.

We can simply

entrust ourselves

to God,

pray to God

that He might

strengthen us

through it,

trusting that He

sovereign.

And maybe

you're kind

of like me

and you've

probably already

done things

to bumble

your situation.

You don't

naturally

entrust yourself

to God.

Take heart in

this fact too

because obviously

the disciples

mess it up.

Peter kind of

messes up big

time, right?

He cuts off

the guy's right

ear, the

servant's right

ear.

But even

through it all,

God's sovereign.

Even through

your mistakes.

Even through

your faithless

deeds.

The often

quoted verse

Romans 8, 28

really is true

for us.

We know that

for those who

love God,

all things work

together for good.

For those who

are called

according to

His purpose,

what is this

good that God

does for us?

It's definitely

not earthly

comfort.

Since the only

innocent and

deserving man of

this kind of

comfort and

peace, that was

Jesus, and He

suffered a lot.

The answer

then lies in the

following verses

in Romans 8, 29

to 30.

For those whom

He foreknew, He

also predestined to

be conformed to

the image of His

Son, in order that

He might be the

firstborn among

many brothers.

And those whom

He predestined, He

also called.

And those whom

He called, He

also justified.

And those whom

He justified, He

also glorified.

The good that God

guarantees for us

is not earthly

comforts, but it's

the comfort of

knowing that we

will in the end

be conformed to

the image of

His Son.

That we will in

the end be saved

and glorified with

Jesus.

It's coming when

we will receive

full vindication for

all of our

suffering, all the

injustices we

endure, and we

will be restored to

God, our Father,

and all of our

tears will be wiped

away.

That's the good

that God promises

us, that all

things will work

out for our good.

In a book

entitled, After

Auschwitz, Richard

Rubenstein, a

respected Jewish

rabbi, reflects on

the aftermath of

the Holocaust.

He says this,

We stand in a

cold, silent,

unfeeling cosmos,

uneided by any

purposeful power

beyond our

resources.

After Auschwitz,

what else can a

Jew say about

God?

Thomas Hobbes

was right after

all.

In a world where

there is no

evidence that what

is true and right

would ultimately be

vindicated, and

what is false and

wrong will ultimately

be punished and

eradicated.

In such a world,

life is at best

short, nasty, and

brutish.

church.

But let me ask

you, after

Gethsemane, what

else can a

Christian say about

God?

After Golgotha, the

hill upon which

Jesus bore the

cross for us, what

else can a

Christian say about

God?

That even in the

coldest and darkest

corners of human

history, that God

is sovereign, that

He is the God who

brings justice, that

He will vindicate, that

He will save, that

ultimately what is

false and wrong will

be punished, that

ultimately what is

true and good and

right will prevail.

What else can we

say after Gethsemane?

So 2 Corinthians 4, 16

to 18 says this, so

we do not lose

heart.

Though our

outer self is

wasting away, our

inner self is being

renewed day by day,

for this light,

momentary affliction

is preparing for us

an eternal weight of

glory beyond all

comparison.

that's the true

reality for us in

our suffering.

And for my final

point, sin-bearing

God, return with me

to verse 42 and

revisit Jesus' prayer

on the Mount of

Olive.

I asked earlier why

Jesus is so desperate

and troubled.

Why couldn't He, like

some of the other

martyrs, Christian

martyrs in human

history, just face

His death with total

peace?

Why was Jesus in

such anguish?

The cup that He

asks the Father to

remove from Him is

an allusion to an

Old Testament motif

that represents God's

wrath and judgment.

For example, in

Isaiah chapter 51,

Isaiah 51:17

verse 17, it says,

Stand up, O

Jerusalem, you who

have drunk from the

hand of the Lord the

cup of His wrath.

who have drunk to the

dregs, the bowl, the

cup of staggering.

It's a fearful image, a

cup.

Imagine, against your

will, being forced to

drink again and again

and again until you are

totally witless, out of

control.

that's the picture of the

wrath, of cup of God's

wrath.

So in other words,

Jesus is not

dreading physical death

in and of itself.

He's dreading here what

His death entails.

Namely, that for our

sake, He who knew no

sin would be made

sin for us, that He,

the righteous one, would

endure the wrath and

punishment of God that

we sinners deserved.

It's the weight of it all

that Jesus dreads.

Yeah, the whipping is

terrible.

The crucifixion is

painful.

But this, it's tough, it's

really impossible for us to

grasp the enormity of

Jesus' suffering.

Think about it this way.

A person who is rejected

and shunned by an

acquaintance of one or two

days is not going to be

devastated.

When I try to make

conversation on the

airplane with the person

next to me and they don't

seem interested at all,

hey, I'm not bothered.

My ego's not hurt, right?

It's just a stranger.

But imagine a person who

is rejected by someone he

or she has been dating for

a few months.

Now, that's going to hurt a

little bit.

A person that you thought

liked you.

A person that you thought

you could maybe get into a

more serious relationship

with.

Now, imagine that you have

been married to someone for

several decades and then

your spouse rejects you.

Now, that painful

experience will scar you for

the rest of your life.

To be rejected by someone

you had given all to,

trusted and completely,

to be rejected by that

person.

But to an infinitely greater

degree, the Son of God,

who has enjoyed a perfect,

loving relationship with His

Father for eternity past,

must now endure the wrath and

judgment and alienation from the

Father He has never known.

He's always had His favor,

His love,

His kindness.

There was nothing to come,

nothing could ever come between.

Yet, He has taken up our sin

upon His shoulders.

And no wonder Jesus dreads this cup

of wrath.

Father, is there any other way?

Can you remove this from me?

We all know that

truism,

that what doesn't kill us only

makes us stronger.

But I want to tell you,

especially if you're not yet a

follower of Jesus Christ,

there is one suffering in the

world

that doesn't make you stronger,

it actually will kill you.

And that's sin.

Because sin separates us from God.

It alienates us from God,

our Creator,

our Heavenly Father.

Romans 6, 23 says,

The wages of sin is death,

but the free gift of God

is eternal life in Christ Jesus,

our Lord.

All the suffering that we

experience in this life,

all the suffering we experience

in our own lives,

within ourselves,

within our friends and

neighbors and family members,

in all of creation.

All of these are but symptoms

of the underlying root of sin.

And unless that sin is dealt with,

we cannot be restored to God.

Jesus is your only remedy for sin.

That's why He's suffering here

in this passage.

That's why He's going to the cross,

so that He can bear that suffering

for your sake,

so that if you repent of your sins

and believe in Jesus,

you might be saved

and have eternal life with Him.

If you're a believer,

this means you can rest assured,

Christ bore your sins,

every last one of them,

once and for all.

now all suffering that you experience,

there are trials that will make you stronger,

that will refine you,

just like a lump of coal

that under pressure becomes a diamond.

anyone else?

Charles Spurgeon writes about this

in one of his sermons.

He says,

in all this that I am called to suffer, there is not even a single particle of punishment for my sin.

God has punished Christ. Consequently, He cannot punish me. To punish two for one offense would be

unjust. Therefore, there is nothing penal in all that I am suffering. I do not know of any reflection

more consoling than this, that my sorrow is not laid on me by a judge, nor inflicted on me as the

result of divine anger. There is not a drop of wrath in a river full of a believer's grief.

Does not that take the bitterness out of affliction and make it sweet?

Are you with me? Are you following this? Because Christ has suffered and died on our behalf.

He drank the cup of God's wrath Himself down to the dregs. We are now heirs with Christ and adopted as

sons and daughters of God. Therefore, we can be assured that all of our sufferings and afflictions

that we experience in this life, they don't come from a wrathful judge. They come from the hands of

our loving Father to discipline us, to refine us, not to break us or destroy us.

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also, along with Him, give us all things?

So if you're experiencing infertility, recurring miscarriages,

don't think that God is punishing you for your past sins.

Christ has already been punished for you.

If you develop a rare form of malignant cancer, don't you believe that God is punishing you for anything you've done?

It does not come from a vengeful God. It comes from the hands of a loving Father.

If you have a chronic illness that does not seem to go away, don't think for a moment that God is punishing you for something you have done.

Jesus has been punished for you. He drank the cup of God's wrath down to the dregs.

Jesus has been punished for you for something you have done.

Only the sin-bearing God who suffered in our place can help us make sense of and persevere through our suffering.

Only the sin-bearing God who once for all proved His love for us can fully entrust ourselves to Him.

So I urge you this morning, come as you are to God in your suffering.

Pray, entrust yourself to Him, the strengthening, sovereign, and sin-bearing God.