Jesus demonstrated surrender to the will of God.

This lesson calls our attention to one of the most intense and private experiences in the early life of Jesus. This was his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before his crucifixion the next morning. We will study Jesus‘ prayer of surrender to God‘s will, as told in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. To get the full picture of Jesus‘ prayer in Gethsemane, it is essential to draw information from the three Gospels that tale of this event in Jesus‘ life. We will see what we can learn from Jesus’ example of praying with a heart weighed down with sorrow about His approaching death on the cross, as ordained by God.

Have you ever sensed the Lord was calling you to do something you would rather not do? How did you respond?

Have you ever sensed the Lord was calling you to do something you wanted to do but was too afraid taking action? How did you respond?

1. THE GARDEN OF SORROW

A. Pray to Avoid Temptation

…….In this setting and before this scripture Jesus had spent more personal and important one on one time with His disciples than ever. He not long ago washed their feet and became an example of servitude, He brake bread with them and revealed the betrayer, He gave to them the understanding of the Greatest Commandment, He foretells Peters denial, He then goes on to speak of His wonderful deity, He promises them the Holy Spirit, He gives them the understanding of being connected to the Him is just as a fruit being connected to vine to its life source in the tree, He gives them an understanding of the hatred of the world without a cause, and then He explains to the the power and comfort of the the Holy Spirit that would cause us to overcome the world as He has overcome the world, and then He prays for them with so much compassion.

Joh 18:1  When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

Luk 22:39  And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

…….This is a place that Jesus visited alone frequently to pray. Jesus did nothing to avoid His betrayer because He knew the Lord was allowing everything to fall in place according to His plan.

Luk 22:40  And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

…….In the midst of knowing what is ahead, but also knowing the future will of the Father, His current ministry is still His concern! No different then a good parent thinking of their own while in the midst of turmoil, Jesus’ love and thoughts are always towards us.

B. Jesus’ Soul in Anguish

Mat 26:37  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

26:38  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

…….Listen to the commentary writer’s explanation of what the Lord was going through: Jesus’ overwhelming sense of dread had more to do with His sin-bearing sacrifice of Himself on the cross, and His experience of separation from the Father, than with the physical punishment He was to suffer, although that too was a horrible part of His agony. Feeling the anguish of His soul, Jesus said to Peter, James, and John, “tarry ye here and watch with me”. Jesus desired them to pray with Him for the strength He needed to bear His sorrow and the burden of His commitment to die on the cross to fulfill God’s will.

…….Look at how Matthew takes note of the countenance of the Lord. He points out the inward sorrow that was causing an outward shift. People, it is okay to sometimes not be able to hold it all in. There are times that, just like Christ our emotions are going to be so heavy they affect our appearance. But just like Christ we must remain! There was not one time where His disciples lost hope in Him. Not one time did they ever say He gave up. He continued all the way to the end.

2. SUBMISSION TO THE FATHER

A. Yielding to the Fathers Will

Mat 26:39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Referenced again in Mark 14:35  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Referenced again in Luke 22:41  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

…….What have we been through in the means of suffering that Jesus hasn’t overcome? Christ experienced just like every one of us, how our agony will at times cause us to hit our knees. The crippling affects of anguish are not a sign of weakness, but a showing that we can’t make it without the help of the Lord. It is in our crippled brokenness that we seek with greater diligence for the Lord to put us together enough to make it through.

B. Encouragement to Watch and Pray

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye (all of you) not watch with me one hour?

…….After praying for sometime Jesus returned to His disciples questioning the ability to pray with Him and for themselves. They obviously were not experiencing that same torment that Christ was and the hour certainly contributed to the heaviness of their eyes. To me personally, in this moment their ignorance was bliss. In my opinion they really didn’t understand what was ahead. They thoughts of fear, disappointment and sorrow will take away our sleep. If they truly understood the situation they would have prayed until the end.

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

…….Jesus gives a warning that will ring until eternity here. It is always important, no matter how religious we are and regardless of how long we’ve been saved, we must pray that we never be fooled by temptation. Not only to not be fooled by it but to always be spiritually strong enough to recognize it before it comes. Jesus knew by the prophecy of Peters denial that His disciples would soon be scattered. Still he was concerned about their lack of strength and understanding. No matter how willing the spirit is, in our times of agony the flesh will become weak.

3. THE ANGUISH OF JESUS

A. Committed To Do the Father’s Will

Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

…….At this point, Jesus would offer up the most agonizing prayer to the Lord to the point where His sweat became drops of blood. If we could only understand truly the mental torment He must have been going through, we might could then understand the relief of knowing the comfort of the Lord when He says, this is what I want for you.

Mat 26:43  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

Mat 26:44  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Luk 22:43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Luk 22:44  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

B. The “Hour” That Came

Mat 26:45  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Mat 26:46  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

…….Understand this clearly, he didn’t lay around in depression! He didn’t give up and walk away because He didn’t like the answer. But He rose up! When the Lord gives the answer we have to move out of where we are when He says go!