Gospel of Mark: Jesus Submits to Death

Our first reading is in Jeremiah chapter 25, which is on page 784 in the Red Bibles, the Church Bibles.

Jeremiah 25 · chapter mention

That's Jeremiah chapter 25.

Jeremiah 25 · chapter mention

And just starting in verse 15.

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me.

Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.

So I took the cup from the Lord's hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it.

And just further on in verse 27.

Then tell them, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says.

Drink, get drunk and vomit and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.

But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, this is what the Lord Almighty says.

You must drink it.

See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my name.

And will you indeed go unpunished?

You will not go unpunished.

For I am calling down a sword upon all who live in the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.

The second reading is Mark chapter 14 and verse 32.

Mark 14 · chapter mention

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 and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.

My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them.

Stay here and keep watch.

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if it was possible, the hour might pass from him.

Abba, Father, he said, everything is possible for you.

Take this cup from me.

Yet what I will, but what you will.

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.

Once more, he went away and prayed the same thing.

Then he came back and he again found them sleeping because their eyes were heavy.

They did not know what to say to him.

Returning the third time, he said to them, are you still sleeping and resting?

Enough!

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.

Amen.

Well, we're going to be continuing to look at our studies in Mark's Gospel, chapter 14, verses 32 to 42.

This is the final few days, the final few hours of Jesus' life before his death.

And we focus in here this morning on his prayer to his father.

So, please follow along.

I think there's sheets have already been passed out.

If you want to take notes, feel free to do that.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Father, please help us as we look at your word together.

Help us, as it were, to be almost as if we're in that garden,

watching and listening and knowing all that is going on.

And as we watch Jesus and as we listen to his words,

help us to see how this affects us

and how this can also change us.

Father, we ask for the help of your Spirit

to be at work amongst us

so that we will not leave

without an encounter

with Jesus

in this garden.

We pray for your help

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, I don't know how to say this.

I'm just really not sure anymore.

I just don't think

I can go through with this.

I'm beginning to have

second thoughts.

Have you ever been there?

Maybe you've been preparing to

start a new job

which means your family are having to move.

Or perhaps

you've been planning to get married.

Everything is set.

Everything is in place.

And then you begin to have second thoughts.

I don't think I can go through with this anymore.

Well, in our text this morning,

Jesus is having major second thoughts.

All through the Gospel story,

through Mark,

he's been planning

and preparing

for his death.

In fact,

three times

he's told us

explicitly

that he must die

and rise again

because that is why

he has come.

But now,

with only hours to go

and with the reality

of death

facing him,

Jesus begins

to have second thoughts.

I don't think I can go through

with this.

And from this inner battle,

as we enter into the garden

with Jesus,

we see him

having this inner battle.

And there's three things

we're going to learn

from it.

First,

the agony of the cross.

Second,

the temptation

at the cross.

And then third,

the power

in the cross.

So the agony,

the temptation,

and the power

that comes

from the cross

for us.

So first,

let's witness Jesus

and the agony

of the cross.

Verse 32,

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

and he began

to be deeply

distressed

and troubled.

Now this is not

the Jesus

that we have come

to know

through the story

of Mark's Gospel.

Do you remember

back in chapter 4

when Jesus was

in the raging storm

on the lake

and all those

around him

were thinking

we're going to drown?

Where was Jesus?

He was completely

calm and at peace.

So at peace

he was asleep.

And then do you remember

in chapter 5

when the man

with the evil spirit

who no one could

control or tame

came running

at Jesus

but yet he was

in complete control

and without fear?

That's the Jesus

we know

but now look at him

here.

Verse 34,

my soul

is overwhelmed

with sorrow

to the point

of death.

What's happened

to the God

man

who had confronted

death

and faced evil

with such supreme

authority

and absolute power?

People had been

following Jesus

and watching Jesus

they stood in wonder

at his awesome

brilliance

as the dead

were raised

to life

and the demons

were silenced.

And now we see

the master

and the creator

of the universe

is reduced

to a physical

and a spiritual

wreck.

He's displaying

all the signs

of a mental

and emotional

breakdown.

Look at verse 34,

my soul

is overwhelmed

with sorrow

to the point

of death.

The very thought

of what is ahead

of me

is killing me.

I can't

do it.

Why is Jesus

so distressed?

Well,

Jesus knows

that his death

is only a few

hours away.

In fact,

he's been reminding

us of what his death

is going to be like.

He's told us

he's going to be

flogged,

he's going to be

beaten,

he's going to be

tortured,

he's going to be

crucified on a cross.

So perhaps

it's the thought

of facing this

physical pain

that he's beginning

to crack.

But you know what,

that's not the reason

why Jesus

is overwhelmed

with sorrow.

Read on,

verse 35.

Going a little further,

he fell to the ground

and he prayed

that if possible,

the hour,

that's his death,

might pass from him.

Abba,

Father,

everything is possible

for you.

Take this cup

from me.

The reason

for the agony

that Jesus

is facing

is the cup

that he must drink.

The prophets

in the Old Testament

are helpful here.

they help us

to understand

what the cup is.

We read from it

in Jeremiah.

Let's remind us

of those words.

It's on the screen.

This is what

the Lord,

the God of Israel,

said to me.

Take from my hand

this cup

filled with the wine

of my wrath

or anger

and make all

the nations

to whom

I send you

drink it.

And when they

drink it,

they will stagger

and go mad

because of the sword

I will send

among them.

That's the cup.

It's not literal.

It's symbolic.

It symbolises

God's anger.

His just

and his fair

response

to sinful people

like you and me.

this is the cup

that Jesus

must drink.

And so as Jesus

contemplates

and as he thinks

about his death

that is to come

in just a few hours,

he's beginning

to taste

the wrath

and the judgment

that awaits him

on the cross.

And he is

overwhelmed

with sorrow.

Now we might

have trouble

with this.

Anger

and judgment

they're not

the sorts of

things we like

to associate

with God.

We prefer

to think of

God as

kind of this

gentle

grandfather

overweight

figure in his

rocking chair

loving

and kind.

But you know

what?

Anger

can be a

very loving

and kind

response.

Just think

about it.

When you

hear the

stories

of the

abuse

of little

children

and the

rape of

young women

how do

you feel?

When you

watch on your

television screens

villages

burning

and thousands

left homeless

because of

mindless acts

of war

and terror

what emotion

wells up

inside of

you?

When lives

are ruined

and innocent

people suffer

because of the

injustice or the

act of somebody

else what's your

response to that?

anger

is a

good

and positive

emotion.

We all

long for

justice

to be done.

We want

those who

cause such

terrible

torment

and suffering

to be held

accountable.

Anger

is a sign

that you

deeply

care.

anger.

But what

about me?

Is God

right to

be angry

with me?

Well when we

look back over

the history of

this world

let's just

take the

last 50

years

the millions

of people

who have

died

through

genocide

the thousands

who have

been permanently

scarred

physically and

emotionally

through

terrorism

the hundreds

of children

who each

day get

trafficked

into sexual

slavery

the individual

suffering that

goes on within

our community

caused by

fits of

rage

God

sees it

all

not just

the last

50 years

but he's

seen over

the whole

sweep of

history

and he

takes it

all to

heart

because

this is

his world

he made

it

it is

his

creation

these

are

his

people

and he

loves

his

people

and so

his just

and fair

response

to such

sinful

behaviour

is one

of anger

expressed

in his

judgment

that is

good

and

anything

less

is to

be

unloving

and

unkind

or tell

me

would you

just

prefer

if God

turned a

blind eye

to that

act of

rape

or would

you prefer

if God

just said

you know

what

those people

killed over

there

it doesn't

matter

would you

prefer if

God

ignored

it all

but what

about

me

is

God

right

to be

angry

with

me

well

when I

look back

over the

history

of my

short

life

the hurt

that I

have

caused

the

things

that I

have

said

in

temper

the

actions

that I

have

taken

the

attitudes

and the

grudges

that I

hold

then yes

God is

right to

be angry

with me

you see

come back

to the

text here

to the

cup

it's you

and me

that should

be drinking

the cup

we deserve

it

as one

writer put

it

that cup

has my

name on

it

and it

fits

perfectly

into the

palm

of my

hands

but look

in the

garden

here

look

who

figuratively

is

holding

the

cup

right

now

it's

Jesus

has

taken

the

cup

into

his

hands

and

as

he

stares

into

that

cup

as

he

contemplates

the

judgment

that

awaits

him

at

the

cross

as

he

thinks

about

the

agony

of

hell

that

he

must

suffer

for

you

and

for

me

he

has

second

thoughts

take

this

cup

away

from

me

I'm

not

sure

that I

can go

through

with

this

I

can't

do

it

anymore

you

see

if

Jesus

doesn't

drink

this

cup

then

you

and

I

have

to

drink

this

cup

Jesus

faces

the

agony

of

the

cross

and

second

the

temptation

at

the

cross

as

Jesus

begins

to

taste

the

judgment

that

is

to

come

he

prays

doesn't

he

verse

35

look at

that

again

he

prays

that

if

possible

the

hour

might

pass

from

him

surprisingly

Jesus

this

God

man

with

all

power

and

all

authority

is

beginning

to

feel

the

strain

he's

struggling

in the

face

of

temptation

Jesus

is

beginning

to

look

for

another

way

out

of

having

to

go

to

the

cross

verse

36

take

this

cup

away

from

me

everything

is

possible

with

you

father

please

if

there's

some

other

way

I

will

do

it

but

please

do

not

let

me

have

to

face

the

cross

so

often

we

have

this

image

of

Jesus

don't

we

as

being

so

strong

and

so

brave

calmly

facing

his

mission

with

a

determined

resolve

to

go

but

that's

not

the

Jesus

that

we

have

here

he's

buckling

under

the

weight

of

temptation

ready

to

give

up

verse

39

once

more

he

went

away

and

he

prayed

the

same

thing

three

times

we're

told

in the

passage

that

he

praised

it

again

and

again

having

to

drink

this

cup

is

a

real

inner

battle

because

Jesus

knows

that

to

face

the

wrath

of

his

father

will

mean

separation

from

the

father

for

him

but

look

what

he

does

look

what

he

says

in

his

struggle

under

the

strain

he

puts

his

own

desires

to

one

side

and

he

submits

to

the

will

of

the

father

look

at

verse

36

again

Abba

father

everything

is possible

for you

take

this

cup

from

me

yet

not

what

I

will

but

what

you

will

not

what

I

want

but

what

you

want

Jesus

says

no

to

the

temptation

at

the

cross

and

he

says

yes

to

the

agony

of

the

cross

Jesus

says

yes

I

will

drink

the

cup

for

you

and

he

drinks

it

undiluted

right to

its

very

dregs

so that

there is

nothing

left

for you

and I

to even

taste

Jesus

takes

the

cup

and

as

we

see

Jesus

submit

and

say

no

to

temptation

look

in

contrast

here

to

the

disciples

they're

just

like

us

look

at

verse

37

here's

Jesus

in his

agony

overwhelmed

distressed

and troubled

verse

37

then

he

returns

to his

disciples

and he

found

them

sleeping

Simon

he said

to Peter

are you

asleep

could you

not keep

watch

for just

one hour

watch

and pray

so that

you will

not

fall

into

temptation

the

spirit

is

willing

but

the

body

is

weak

and

once

more

he

went

away

and

he

prayed

the

same

thing

and

when

he

came

back

he

found

them

again

sleeping

because

their

eyes

were

heavy

what

do we

say

in that

moment

well they

didn't know

what to

say

and we

don't know

what to

say

you see

this is

our

problem

we are

so

weak

that we

fall

so often

we can't

even

obey in

the small

things

never mind

the big

things

here

Jesus

is

facing

the

judgment

of

God

for

us

and

all

they

have

to

do

is

pray

they

can't

even

do

that

and

it's

the

same

for

us

instead

of

fighting

in

prayer

we

just

give

up

in

despair

just

like

that

but

this

is

nothing

new

this

is

the

history

of

the

world

all

the

way

through

it

was

the

problem

for

the

first

man

and

woman

do you

remember

the

story

Adam

and

Eve

God's

first

people

that

he

created

come

back

with

me

in

your

minds

to

the

garden

of

Eden

we

read

about

it

in

Genesis

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

chapters

1

to

3

and

what

do

we

see

in

the

garden

of

Eden

we

remember

that

God

had

created

a

beautiful

and

a

good

world

a

world

where

they

enjoyed

God's

blessing

in a

perfect

relationship

with him

there

was a

world

of

peace

and

prosperity

and

plenty

it

was

wonderful

and

all

they

had

to do

to

maintain

this

order

and

harmony

was

just

obey

God

not

to

fall

but

just

to

say

yes

to

God

but

we

know

the

story

temptation

came

and

under

the

weight

of

temptation

Adam

and Eve

collapsed

and

they

disobeyed

God

and

the

effects

of

the

fall

are

all

around

us

we

live

in

a

broken

and

suffering

world

where

there

is

disorder

and

destruction

and

we

face

death

every

day

their

disobedience

unleashed

a tsunami

of sin

that has

just

pounded

the

shores

of our

own

lives

ever

since

and

in

desperation

we've

tried

everything

we try

to push

against

it

we try

to hold

it back

but our

efforts

come to

nothing

in fact

we soon

realise

that because

you and

I also

fall into

temptation

we're just

adding to

the sin

problem

that we

see all

around us

we can't

do what

we're meant

to do

we keep

on failing

and so

the wave

of judgment

is upon

us

now

come all

the way

back

to the

garden

of

gethsemane

we're

in a

different

place

and the

focus is

on a

different

man

not on

Adam

who

disobeyed

but the

man

Jesus

Christ

here

our

lives

are

resting

on the

choice

of one

man

the

salvation

of the

world

is

resting

on this

one

man

and in

the

garden

temptation

comes

again

but this

time it

is so

different

instead

of

disobeying

his

father

Jesus

obeys

his

father

he says

not what

I will

but what

you will

so as

we

fall into

temptation

look

at

Jesus

bowing

in

submission

to

his

father

look

at

the

one

here

in

the

garden

who

fought

temptation

and

who

overcame

temptation

for you

and for

me

look

at

the

one

who

resisted

to

the

point

of

death

so

that

we

don't

have

to

die

but

we

might

live

you

see

at

the

cross

and

in

this

garden

Jesus

is

taking

the

cup

and

he

says

I

will

obey

the

father

and

I

will

take

the

cup

for

you

and

for

me

he

drinks

the

cup

of

wrath

so

that

we

might

be

able

to

drink

the

cup

of

life

and

look

forward

to

his

new

creation

a

world

where

there

is

no

more

death

and

no

more

destruction

and

no

more

disorder

he

does

it

all

for

you

and

for

me

Jesus

said

no

to

the

temptation

at

the

cross

and

he

said

yes

to

the

agony

for

us

and

third

the

power

in

the

cross

because

what we

want to

see

here

now

is

that

this

can

change

our

lives

in

ways

we

never

thought

possible

because

Jesus

said

yes

to

the

agony

and

because

Jesus

said

no

to

the

temptation

this

event

has

power

to

change

our

lives

here

right

now

it

changes

us

in

two

ways

firstly

it

helps

us

say

no

to

temptation

because

Jesus

said

yes

to

the

agony

of

the

cross

that

means

we

can

say

no

to

temptation

have

a look

at

Hebrews

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

chapter

4

it's

on

page

1203

Hebrews

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

chapter

4

Jesus

said

yes

to

the

agony

of

the

cross

which

means

we

can

now

say

no

to

the

temptation

in

our

lives

and

what

do

we

see

here

well

we

see

that

if

our

trust

is

in

Jesus

our

relationship

with

him

is

completely

changed

and

altered

we

are

no

longer

facing

judgment

and

condemnation

instead

we

have

a

loving

faithful

high

priest

let's

read

chapter

4

verse

15

for

we

do

not

have

a

high

priest

who

is

unable

to

sympathize

with

our

weaknesses

but

we

have

one

who

has

been

tempted

in

every

way

just

as

we

are

yet

was

without

sin

he

was

perfect

he

didn't

fall

into

temptation

in

the

garden

verse

16

let

us

then

approach

the

throne

of

grace

with

confidence

so that

we

may

receive

mercy

and

find

grace

to

help

us

in

our

time

of

need

we

now

because

of

Jesus

have

access

to

the

risen

Jesus

who

is

in

heaven

and

who

pours

out

his

mercy

every

time

we

do

fall

and

fail

but

not

only

that

he

pours

out

his

grace

into

our

lives

giving

us

the

strength

so

that

we

don't

have

to

fall

we

don't

have

to

say

yes