Luke 22:39-71 - Where Do You Go When Suffering Comes?

Well, church, as many or most of you are well aware of by the lack of sleep you had last night, 4th of July is a bit of a celebration.

We celebrate freedom.

But what is freedom?

We have an idea as a nation, a construct of what we we're able to congregate freely.

We have a certain set of rights we're to do freely.

We're a free people.

And in a sense, politically and civically, that is true.

Very free compared to most of the world and compared to most of human history.

But as you probably know, true freedom is found in Christ alone.

Every one of you is born into slavery.

If you're still living as a rejecting the grace and mercy of Christ, you are a slave to sin.

This is why Galatians chapter 5 says, For freedom, Christ has set us free.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

True freedom comes from Christ alone.

The difficulty with this is that we have to first acknowledge our nature, our sin nature, that we are born into sin with a heart and a desire to worship ourselves.

Whatever brings us satisfaction or pleasure or makes us feel good could be all kinds of things.

Money, could be security, status, could be the control we want over others, all these things born with this desire.

Really, actually, it's a desire to be free, to be free to do these things.

But true worship and true glory is only found in Christ Jesus.

And Christ has come to earth to suffer.

He came to suffer, and so we also suffer with hope.

This is the main idea I want you to get from our passage this morning as we walk through it.

That Christians, if you're a Christian, you suffer with hope because Jesus modeled how to suffer faithfully in this life, and he vanquished suffering in the life to come.

So if you are primarily about your freedom, you will not find it here in this life.

It is only to be found in Christ.

And we are to join Christ in our suffering.

And our hope, our joy is that Christ has come and he has suffered faithfully on our behalf, and then he will vanquish suffering in the life to come.

Here in Luke 22, we have two scenes going on.

If you remember in Luke, it's written, why?

So that we might know what is true.

This is why the Gospel of Luke was written.

That's why Luke wrote down this narrative, so that we might know the truth.

Jesus is now heading, he's been in, he's in Jerusalem.

They've just celebrated the Passover earlier in chapter 22, and now they're in the garden.

So we're going to be in this passage, the garden and then the courtyard.

We're going to see how Jesus endures suffering.

And therefore how we are to likewise endure suffering.

As we just read for us, we see that Jesus came out as was his custom.

And there's these observations I want us to look at, these things I want us to see about prayer, firstly.

And that is the priority of prayer for Jesus.

He prioritizes prayer.

It was his custom.

We read under in Mark 1, he went out early.

We see this again in Luke 16 and Matthew 14, late at night.

He was going alone.

He prioritized going out to pray.

So there's a custom for him, a pattern that we likewise should observe and practice.

A priority of prayer.

Jesus did this early in his ministry.

He wasn't just waiting for the end towards the last couple days or the last hours to prioritize prayer.

All of his life we see this pattern of prayer.

He prioritized it.

In times of suffering, great difficulty, it could be easy to neglect prayer.

You feel so weak.

In suffering, you feel so empty.

So it's easy to not prioritize prayer.

We also see the power of prayer to actually do what it does, which is change us.

Jesus here is in his full humanity and in his full deity, complete God, complete man, voicing his emotions and yet submitting to God's will.

We know in John chapter 3, verse 38, Jesus says, For I've come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

Jesus is fully committed to the Father's will.

There's a priority there of praying.

Father's will be done.

Jesus knows what we need to know, and that is prayer changes us.

And you probably had this experience in your own life.

You probably met Christians like this who they're just really discouraged in their walk with Jesus.

They can't overcome sin.

Their appetite for the things of the Lord is really dry.

There's no real prayer life going on.

And you talk to them about their prayer life.

Are you communing with the Lord?

Are you taking these things to the Lord in prayer with the word?

No, I just, it's dry.

And that sounds common for most of us at times.

But imagine the same thing in a marriage.

Your marriage is kind of not going well.

But you're like, yeah, I just don't spend time with my spouse.

I don't find them very funny anymore.

And I don't really enjoy spending time with them.

Okay, but have you guys gone on any dates?

Have you gotten done like a little getaway?

Have you thought about just sharing the things you appreciate?

Yeah, just, you know, it's not giving me what I want.

This relationship, our salvation isn't dependent on us pursuing Christ and just doing all the right things.

But if we're not in prayer, if we're not prioritizing it, we're not going to experience the power of prayer changing us, stirring up our affections for the Lord.

As one commentator put it, prayer establishes roots in divine soil that not only absorb its nutrients, but also holds one's securely when the winds of testing batter one's faith.

Prayer is has a power to change us.

But we must acknowledge, as I've just mentioned, the pool to not pray.

This pool.

Jesus comes and he says to them, Pray that you may not enter into temptation.

And he starts praying.

And he's petitioning the Father.

He's submitting himself.

He's being built up and encouraged.

The angel is coming to minister to him.

This encouragement to the disciples to pray that you may not enter or fall into temptation.

But there is this pool for us to not pray.

This desire to just, in one sense, think, I am a Christian.

I've been a Christian for many years.

God knows I'm a Christian.

He knows my heart.

I've had seasons of sweet prayer.

I know it to be true.

But right now I'm just not in the right mood.

Or right now I don't have time.

Or right now, maybe I need some sleep.

I just need to go to bed.

Or maybe I'll just lay down in my bed and pray for 30 seconds.

Or I would wake up and I'll wake up tomorrow early and pray.

That'll be good.

I'll wake up tomorrow early and pray.

Then the alarm goes off, and then you're just tired.

And there is this apathy that we all, every single one of us, must deal with.

Not caring or taking seriously prayer.

Or there can be this pull to be transactional only.

We're not getting what we want.

Some kind of emotional result, some kind of just feeling better or a tangible thing.

I'm not getting what I want.

So why would I keep praying if I'm not getting what I want to see in my life?

In times of suffering, we can be very weary, very tired, physically tired, emotionally tired, or dry.

And that is when Satan begins to lie.

And it's the same lie we see in Genesis, right?

About who God is.

Why is God making you suffer like this?

Surely, surely he doesn't love you.

Or he wouldn't have you suffering.

Or you don't deserve.

Look at your life.

You're suffering because of how bad you are.

You don't deserve God to hear you.

He shouldn't hear you.

Why would he answer your prayers?

You're sinning.

These lies can begin to have this effect on our heart, making us apathetic to the things of the Lord.

So that we have to see the priority of prayer, the power of it, and the pull to not pray.

But what I really want us to look at in this passage right here is these relationships.

First, the relationship between Jesus and the disciples.

They're following, and this is right after the Passover.

They follow him out to pray.

Crucifixion is coming.

We know that one has already betrayed Jesus.

The disciples have this big argument about who's the greatest in the kingdom and who's gonna be the best.

There's this language, I'm never gonna leave.

I'll never I'll go to prison with you, Jesus.

I'll go to death with you.

Jesus telling them that Satan desires to sift them as wheat.

Jesus urges urges them to pray.

He urges them to pray.

Why?

That they may not fall into temptation.

How often God invites us to pray.

Just as we see here in this scene.

How often God bids us come and pray.

Come and commune and be built up.

Come have your desires renewed, be strengthened in the Lord.

And how often we sleep.

What really matters in life.

It's a clarifying situation when we're suffering.

We don't need a new car.

We don't need a vacation.

When you're suffering, you're longing for the suffering to end.

It could be your own physical situation, your own physical body, could be a really, really difficult relationship.

Could be someone adjacent to you who's suffering, and you're right there with them in that.

It clarifies our priorities.

We need to endure.

We need to commune with our Creator God.

And Jesus is telling his disciples that you need to pray.

Similarly for us.

Are you discouraged in your faith?

Are you weary from fighting sin and feeling like you'll never overcome the sins in your life?

Do you feel hopeless?

Are you drowning?

Brother, sister, pray.

Take these things to the Lord.

Prioritize prayer in your life.

And you will see, I promise you, you will see the Lord at work.

And if you don't pray, if you just keep kind of falling asleep, so to speak, prioritizing other things, you will miss out.

You will.

We see this invitation from Jesus to the disciples.

We see Jesus speaking with his Father.

And here we only have part of that conversation recorded.

Jesus says, Father, if you're willing, remove this cup from me.

Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.

Well, what is the cup that Jesus is asking to be removed?

Well, remember earlier in Luke 22 when Jesus says there's a new covenant?

This cup represents that.

So one cup is a new covenant in the blood of Christ, which is free mercy and grace.

Salvation, not by works, but by grace alone.

And the cup that Jesus is now taking is the wrath and sin that will be put on him.

The wrath and sin that will be put on him as 2 Corinthians 5, 21 says, for our sake, he Jesus, excuse me, he made him to be sin who knew no sin.

So that in him, in Jesus, we might become the righteousness of God.

Thank you.

Amen.

That's correct.

You will spend eternity, brothers and sisters, understanding and learning the depth of 2 Corinthians 5.21.

That he who knew no sin, was guilty of no sin, did nothing wrong, would come and become sin.

Why?

So that you and me might become not gaze upon, not be elevated up so we can start trying to achieve, that we would become the righteousness of God.

That we would not stand before God in our own righteousness anymore, but in the righteousness of Christ and Christ alone.

So he's come.

But what was required for that to happen?

Well, this cup that Jesus was to take.

Well, was the Father not willing?

Did God the Father not desire to remove this cup?

We have the perspective of Jesus asking for deliverance.

But what about God the Father's attitude, his posture?

He's a good Father, always faithful.

No doubt he heard his son's request.

If God hears any prayers, God the Father, it's God the Son.

No doubt he heard his request.

No doubt he desires, and scripture says that none should perish, let alone his perfect son.

But you need to know something.

Before the foundations of the world, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit made a covenant.

A covenant of redemption.

That God would redeem a people, that Christ would have a bride.

And there was no other way to make that people than for Christ Himself to come and redeem his bride.

To redeem her, to purchase her, to save her.

And so this covenant of redemption we see acting out right here.

Did Jesus plan to come and die for the sins?

Yes, he did.

Did the Father agree with that before the foundations of the world?

Yes, he did.

So Jesus says, nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

In the Father's will will be done.

It will be done, church.

So Jesus is ministered to, is encouraged.

It's easy to look at a passage like this and think, man, is Jesus really God?

Yes, he is.

As you will see, only God could defeat death.

Only a perfect sacrifice, not to get too far ahead in the coming chapters of Luke, but only a perfect, spotless lamb could atone for the sins of the world.

So Jesus is ministered to.

And he goes back to the disciples, encourages them to pray again that they might not enter into temptation.

And while he is still speaking, here comes Judas.

One of the twelve.

One of the twelve.

Betraying him, leading his enemies, Jesus' enemies to him, kisses him.

Would you betray the son of man with a kiss?

This wasn't a formal greeting.

This was an intimate greeting.

This was a dear, trusted individual who not only betrayed Jesus, but in the moment when that betrayal was revealed for everyone, does it in an intimate way.

In a way that shows their friendship, this connection.

Judas.

Does it say from here?

Well, that's Jesus.

You guys go get him.

I'll stay over here.

Or he's the tall one, or he's the, as Isaiah said, he's the one who's really unattractive to the eye of man.

No, he comes and he greets him with a kiss.

Disciples get excited, cut off an ear.

Jesus repeats a similar phrase here in verse 40 51.

And he says earlier in Luke 22 that it's enough, no more of this.

He heals this man's ear.

It's the last miracle we see before crucifixion.

What does Jesus do?

What's his last miraculous thing he does?

He takes a slave and heals him.

The slave of his enemy and heals him.

That he might hear.

That he might actually hear again.

And Jesus asks this question Why have you come against us as robbers with swords and clubs?

I was with you in the temple.

You didn't lay hands on me, but this is your hour, he says.

This is your hour in the power of darkness.

So we see this relationship between the disciples.

Once they realize this that this spiritual battle is happening, they don't band together and say, okay, now let's pray.

They pull a sword out, that doesn't work, and then they scatter.

These brothers who were just hours ago arguing about who was going to be the greatest are gone.

They have fled.

This hour of darkness has been appointed.

This was not a mistake.

This didn't just kind of happen.

So look to the right, to the book of Acts, chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

I want you to see this in the scriptures.

Acts, chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

This is in the setting of Acts, Peter and John before the council.

They're let go, all these things.

And then verse 27 of Acts 4.

For truly in this city, Jerusalem, there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you appointed.

Speaking, speaking, God speaking, whom you speaking of God, whom you appointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with all the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel.

So here we see the Jews, the Romans, the crowd, the Gentiles, the religious leaders, everybody.

Who are they against?

Have gathered against your holy one Jesus.

Verse 28, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

This hour of darkness, this power that had come that Jesus is speaking of, it's not an accident.

This wasn't like, man, I just wish it didn't happen to come this way, and here it is.

This was like by God, the Father's sovereign hand, because he knows what's required to redeem, what's truly required to alleviate all suffering in this life or in the life to come.

So Jesus speaking in a way that they don't even know.

And now they're taken to the courtyard.

They seize him and he's led astray or led away.

And Peter's denials begin.

And I'd imagine that, as Peter has denied Jesus three times in this scene, I'd imagine many of us can relate to Peter.

We want to follow Jesus.

When he's passing out bread and he's got fish for everyone, and he's healing people and bringing them back from the dead.

I want to follow Jesus like that.

We don't hate Jesus.

Like we're not like Judas.

Like we're not trying to sell him for a little bit of silver to buy a field or something.

That's not our heart or our intent.

But when called upon to sacrifice our life, when called upon to lay down our life, our priorities, our dreams, and to pick up our cross and follow him, man.

I love Jesus, but I'm going to keep my distance.

I'll keep my distance.

And you know what?

We're cool.

If people ask me here, I'll just say, I'm, you know, I'm not with him.

We'll sort it out later.

And this is what Jesus was telling Simon Peter earlier in 22.

That Satan demanded to have him.

And why is it that even though through Peter's denials that Satan didn't have him, it's because Jesus had Peter.

Amen.

See, Peter was confident in his faith at the Passover meal.

He was confident.

And he knew, yeah, hardship was coming.

But I'm confident in my faith for Jesus.

He's confident in his love for Jesus.

He was confident in himself and his own love for Jesus.

You get that tracking.

He's confident in his own love for Jesus.

But what Jesus knew is that Peter needed to be confident in Jesus.

He wasn't looking to rest his faith on his own feelings toward Jesus.

Or how he thought he would be faithful with prison or death.

His confidence is in Jesus.

It's easy for us to think I'm confident in Jesus until testing or trials hit.

We think, man, did I have I done enough good things?

Have I obeyed enough?

Have I given enough money to the church?

Have I served enough?

What's going on?

And the suffering is happening, and how can I make sure I endure the suffering?

And church, I'm here to tell you that there's only one answer to that question when you're facing suffering, and that is to look into the face of Christ, who endured suffering on your behalf, faithfully for you, because you never would and you never could.

He's done that for you.

Here, Peter denied, denied, and denied.

How often do you think, man, what was Jesus' face like when he looked at Peter?

He looked right at him.

They made eye contact.

They knew in that moment what was going on.

Peter, you're exactly who I said you are.

That was what was revealed to Peter.

I am exactly who Jesus Christ said I am.

And I have to believe that the look that Jesus gave to Peter was saying, Peter, I am exactly who I have said I am.

I'm exactly who I said I am.

Remember earlier in chapter 22, Jesus tells Peter to, after this, to encourage and strengthen the brethren?

And we'll get to that.

But Jesus is mocked.

The hard-heartedness of the religious leaders in the crowd is almost astonishing.

But we see this pattern again and again.

People not genuinely asking questions.

That's what the religious leaders are after here, this passage.

Jesus is being mocked.

And they say to him, Prophesy.

Well, this is right after he just prophesied that Peter would deny him.

And he proved that prophecy true.

So they're beating him up and saying, Well, why don't you prophesy for us?

And as Jesus said in Luke 13 about Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.

How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing.

Behold, your house is forsaken.

Jesus is fulfilling prophecy.

There was no amount of information or amount of emotion or no amount of evidence that could have been produced.

So these people would have believed.

I mean, just moments ago, he literally put a guy's ear back on.

He's resurrected multiple people from the dead.

He's cleansed, he's healed, he's done everything, every bit of evidence there, every bit of emotion produced.

Their hearts were hard.

They were enemies of God.

They were enemies of God, yet God came to show his love and his compassion.

Jesus speaking to those who claiming to be his followers.

And I want us to think about our own lives so you listen to Jesus says in Luke 6, Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not what I tell you?

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like.

He's like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation of the rock.

And when the floods arose and the stream broke against the house, could not shake it, because it had been well built.

But the one who hears and does not and excuse me, the one who hears and does not do them is like the man who built a house on ground without a foundation, when the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.

How often we look to Jesus and we say, Lord, Lord, when there's bread aplenty, when there's fish to eat, and things are good, and the suffering comes, and the difficulty comes, and we scatter.

And I just want to tell you, if that's true in your life, if that's if that's something you've experienced in your life, I want to give you some hope, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is why Jesus came.

It's because in and of yourself, in your own good intentions, in your own good desires, you can say, Lord, Lord, all day long.

But until you're made a new creation in Christ, until you're made new in him, and you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and your sins are wiped away, you cannot obey him.

You will not obey him.

You might act this way, you might go along with it, but we need the gospel, the transforming power of Jesus Christ in our life to do this.

So our foundation, our house isn't built on good behavior, strict obedience, knowing the right things.

It's built upon Jesus Christ.

Our faith is in Jesus Christ, that he is who he says he is, and he will do what he says he will do.

You might, sitting here this morning, you might relate to Peter.

You feel confident, like you're you're built for the climb.

I can do this.

Or you relate to Peter that you've denied Jesus multiple times.

You're broken.

You failed again and again and again.

Maybe you're like the religious leaders.

You're hostile to Jesus.

Again, you tolerate a certain version of Jesus.

It's nice and doesn't say anything offensive.

But you're hostile to his message that you're a sinner, that you need to repent and believe in Christ alone.

Or maybe you're like the crowd.

You're just kind of watching to see what's going to happen.

Is he giving out some food?

I'm here.

Is he going to heal somebody?

Let's see it.

This is cool.

Take up my cross and follow him.

Maybe another time.

Maybe once I'm out of full grown or I'm out of college, or once I get enough money, or once I retire, then I'm all in on Jesus.

I want to tell you, friend, that Jesus was in the garden, sinless, pure, in his humanity and in his deity, fully united to God the Father and God the Spirit, enjoying their presence.

But in order to crush the head of the serpent and undo the curse of Genesis 3, Jesus must be cast out of the garden, not by his own choosing, not being forced out, but by his own choosing to undo the curse.

He must go and feel the weight of sin, endure the wrath that sin brings, and this feeling of rejection from the Father.

All this so that we who've been cast out of the garden in Genesis 3 might be brought back into the garden and that we would walk with our God again.

This is what Jesus has done for us.

Church, this is what freedom looks like.

Jesus became sin so you would be free from sin.

And Jesus chose to endure suffering so that in the life to come, you who are redeemed be free from suffering.

There is no more rejection, Christians.

There is no more longing.

For Christ, our King, has come to us.

And Jesus is fulfilling this redemption covenant.

He's come.

He's just beginning to endure the suffering.

And Scripture will lay on Lord willing, we will get to you next week.

The suffering of crucifixion.

But where does he go?

He goes to prayer.

He communes with the Father.

If we're suffering, we look to him for our hope.

Yes, there is suffering in this life, but there is hope in Jesus Christ alone.

Boundless mercy in him.

There is nothing that you're going to endure or face that Jesus has not already conquered.

There's nothing in your life that he that's going to perplex him.

There's nothing going on.

You're not there, you can you cannot get too far away in your sin.

Come and know the mercy and the joy of Jesus Christ as we walk in his ways.

As we know what true freedom is through the love of Christ.

Church, let's pray.