Communion: The Garden of Agony (Matt 26:36-46)

THE GARDEN OF AGONY (Matt 26:36-46)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2006

There are probably times, perhaps several times, when you wish that you could predict the future.

• Will I get that job I want?
• Whom will I marry?
• What are the next winning lottery numbers?

There are other times when you are just as content not to know what lies ahead.

• Will I have a car accident this year?
• What medical problem will I face next?
• When will I die?

Prescience, knowing what the future holds, is not necessarily a good thing.

When Jesus left heaven to take on human form, he left behind many of his divine prerogatives and took upon himself many of our human frailties. Paul writes that Jesus...

Phil 2:6 ...being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be [retained], 7 but made himself nothing...being made in human likeness.

As a result, he experienced...

• Temptation
• Hunger
• Fatigue
• Thirst
• Loneliness

One of the divine attributes Jesus surrendered, at least in part, was his prescience, his knowledge of things future. For example, when his disciples asked when the messiah would reign, Jesus said...

Mark 13:32 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Still, there were events Jesus was able to predict. What was especially clear to him was his own destiny. He explained repeatedly to the disciples...

Mark 16:21 ...that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things...and that he must be killed....

Knowing such an ordeal lay ahead of him must not have been easy for Jesus and, as the time draws near, his inner turmoil becomes evident in The Garden of Agony. Matthew provides the fullest version of that struggle in chapter 26, beginning with Jesus' reluctance, his desire to avoid the cross.

Matt 26:36 ...Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

From early in his ministry, Jesus had a clear sense of his priorities, priorities his Father had established, and Jesus spoke about them several times.

John 4:34 My food...is to do the will of him who sent me....
John 5:30b I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
John 6:38 ...I have come...not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

It comes as no surprise when, at the end of his ministry, Jesus affirms that mission. Nevertheless, there is a hesitation here, as the high cost of his commitment draws near: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me."

Is Jesus out of line to make such a request? Certainly, if he does nothing, the plans of his detractors, plans Judas is even now advancing, will come to a head this very night. Perhaps there is some way to avoid the cross and still fulfill the mission the Father has entrusted to him.

• Abraham successfully petitioned God on behalf of the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Moses successfully petitioned God on behalf of the Israelites...twice.

So, Jesus petitions God here, hoping the Father will reconsider the plan that calls for His son's death.

Jesus' struggle in the garden reminds us that, for all his miraculous power, he was still human. The author of Hebrews states that this trait, although an apparent weakness, enables Jesus to identify with us, with those he came to save.

Heb 4:15 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.

This trait also enables you to identify with him. When you face some difficulty, you can rely on his support, his encouragement, his help to overcome the problem. You may not be able to avoid a situation, whatever that may be, but as you seek God's will, you can be certain that He will manipulate events to your ultimate good, even as He does for Jesus when His son faces the cross.

How are the disciples doing in Jesus' absence? Are they praying with him, as he requested?

Matt 26:40 ...he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."' 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

However disappointed Jesus is in the disciples' apparent lack of concern for his dilemma, however much he wants, even needs, their support at this crucial time, Jesus does not give up. He appeals to the Father again and again, hoping for a favorable response. Luke records that...

Luke 22:44 ...being in anguish, [Jesus] prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Despite the fervency of Jesus' petition, though, God does not change His mind. This is one aspect of the divine plan that must play out a certain way.

Whether God is silent or responds in some obvious manner, Jesus understands that he must face his death. What is important to note as the evening progresses is Jesus' resolve, his determination to accept the cross.

Matt 26:45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

Jesus does not simply resign himself to his fate; he embraces it, confident that this is, indeed, God's will for him. Could he reject God's will and avoid arrest by fleeing into the wilderness? ...Yes, he could, but he chooses not to do that. As he said earlier...

John 10: 18a No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

God does not force Jesus to sacrifice his life. Jesus could change his mind, even as the guard comes to take him away. When Peter resists, Jesus says...

Matt 26:53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Jesus recognizes that however difficult, however humiliating, however painful the cross will be, this is the path he must take to accomplish man's redemption...to accomplish your redemption.

As you reflect this evening upon Jesus' sacrifice, realize that he had a choice. He could accept God's will or avoid it. To choose a different way would spare him much suffering, but it would accomplish nothing of lasting value. So it is with you. There may be times when heeding God's will is difficult or humiliating or painful. The choice, however, is always yours. You can accept God's will or avoid it. To choose a different way may spare you much suffering, but it will accomplish nothing of lasting value. It is okay to be reluctant, to ask God if there is another way. You would be in good company. But if you continue to follow Jesus' example and resolve to embrace God's will, you will also accomplish something of lasting value.

When we think about Jesus' final hours, we often focus on the cross, which is understandable, given that event's crucial role in atoning for our sin. That atonement might never have occurred, though, if Jesus had not endured and prevailed in The Garden of Agony.

For the Endnotes see the pdf here.