An Earnest Prayer

Matthew 26

A young boy was kneeling in prayer, looking quite disgruntled.
He muttered, “Aunt Harriet hasn’t gotten married,
Uncle Hubert hasn’t found work,
and Daddy’s hair is still falling out…
I’m getting tired of praying for this family
without getting any results!”

Or there’s the prayer of the person who asked:
Dear God,
My prayer for 2024 is for a FAT BANK account and a THIN BODY
PLEASE don’t MIX these up like you did LAST YEAR!

I. THE GARDEN AT GETHSEMANE

A. A Place of Prayer.
The Garden at Gethsemane – just the very mention of that name produce a variety of images in our minds – images of prayer, agony & betrayal. Yet it is a beautiful site, & tourists visiting it will often be told that 8 of the olive trees there today were nearly a century or more old when Jesus went there that night. Our Scripture text this morning is Matthew 26:36-56. It begins with these words: “Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane...”  And Luke 22:39 tells us about it in this way, “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him.” Being in the Garden at Gethsemane was not something unusual for Jesus.Evidently, when He was in Jerusalem this was where He usually went to pray. So when Judas went hunting for Jesus to betray Him, he knew just where to go. Jesus had gone “as usual” to the Garden at Gethsemane to pray.

ILL. Surveys indicate that about 85% of all Americans say that they pray. Some pray a lot, & some not very much. But 85% of us say that we pray. In fact, I have even heard that 20% of self-proclaimed atheists & agnostics say that they pray, too. I’m not sure to whom they pray, but they say that they pray. You see, God has offered us a source of strength through prayer, but too seldom do most of us really pray.

So this morning, as we look at the Garden at Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed, may God help us to realize the power of prayer that He has so freely offered to us. By the way, do you have a place that is your place of prayer?
Is there a spot where, maybe early in the morning, or during the day, or late at night, you can go & be undisturbed as you pray?  Gethsemane was a place of prayer for Jesus. But for Him it was more than that.

B. For Jesus it was also a place of privacy. Vs’s 36-37 tell us that as Jesus & His disciples reach the garden Jesus “... said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there & pray.’ He took Peter & the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, & He began to be sorrowful & troubled.”

Here is the scene.  After eating the Passover meal together in the upper room, Jesus & 11 of His disciples are walking back toward Bethany. Judas is not with them. He had left them earlier to carry out his plan to betray Jesus.  As Jesus & His disciples are going up the Mt. of Olives they come to the Garden at Gethsemane. Jesus stops at the entrance & leaves 8 of them there to wait while He goes into the Garden to pray. He takes Peter, James & John with Him.  Then, after asking them to watch & pray, Luke tells us that He left them & went about a stone’s throw beyond them. Then He fell to the ground & prayed, all alone with God.  And there are times in our lives when we, too, need to be alone with God. I imagine that most of us have experienced times like that.

C. For Jesus, the Garden at Gethsemane was also a place of great agony. Vs. 38 tells us that He said to Peter, James, & John “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here & keep watch with me.” It was a time of intense feeling & agony for our Lord because He knew what tomorrow would hold for Him. He knew about the illegal trials, the scourger's whip, the crown of thorns, & the cross.

Is there any doubt that Jesus was feeling the agony of it all? The Gospel of John says that when Jesus left the upper room with his disciples to go to the Garden at Gethsemane that they crossed the Kidron Valley. And in that Valley was a stream called the "Brook of Kidron" that flowed down from the temple mount.  On that particular day, it was Passover, So thousands of lambs had been offered as sacrifices for the sins of the people. And the blood of those lambs had drained out upon the temple mount.

The Brook of Kidron would have been red with their blood. And Jesus, the "Lamb of God," knew that as He crossed this brook, it would soon be his blood that flowed.  Luke 22:44 says, “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, & His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  Scientists say that it is possible in moments of intense stress for capillaries to burst & blood to mix with perspiration. And as Jesus agonized in prayer that must have happened with Him.

D. For Jesus, Gethsemane was also a place of submission. Vs. 39 says, “Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground & prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’”
Jesus completely submitted Himself to God’s will. Sometimes we come to God in prayer & say, “God, this is what I think should happen.” And we ought to feel free to say that.  But because He is our heavenly Father & knows what is best for us, He may not always give us what we want.

ILL. Garth Brooks has a song entitled “Lord, Thank You for Unanswered Prayers.”  In it he sings about going back to his high school reunion & seeing his old sweetheart. She was the one he once planned to marry, the one that he thought he wouldn’t be able to live without. But after high school, for some reason, they went their separate ways. And after seeing her again at that reunion he wrote the song, “Lord, Thank You for Unanswered Prayers.” Just after we got married, Debbie and I placed bids on 3 different houses throughout northeast Ohio that we thought were ideal for our future family ....but we were out bid on all 3. We didn’t understand OR know at the time how happy we would be with the house in Perry that we have lived in for over 33 years. Our prayers back then went unanswered And it worked out to be a better future for us.

Jesus knew exactly what was happening, so he prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not MY will, but THY will be done."

E. For Jesus, this Garden was also a place of patience & understanding.

1. Notice vs’s 40 & 41. “Then He returned to His disciples & found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ He asked Peter. ‘Watch & pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.’”  Now we have to sympathize with the apostles here, don’t we?  It had been a busy week. There was the Triumphal Entry as Jesus came into the city & was greeted with hosannas & the waving of palm branches. After that came the cleansing of the temple & conflict with the religious leaders.

The Passover meal in the upper room had also been a very emotional experience as Jesus told them again that He was going to die, & that one of them would betray Him.  Then they had walked to Gethsemane, & by then it was probably well after midnight. They were tired. They wanted to do what Jesus asked them to do, but they fell asleep. And when Jesus came back to where they were, notice His patience & under-standing. He didn’t bawl them out. He just gently reminded them what they were supposed to be doing & said, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  One of the benefits of prayer ought to be that we become more patient with each other. If we’re not patient with each other, then we’re not praying the way we ought.

2. Vs. 42 says, “He went away a second time & prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.’”  Vs. 43 says, “When He came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So, He left them & went away once more & prayed the third time, saying the same thing.” The Bible teaches us that we ought to be persistent in our prayers – never giving up, coming again & again in prayer to the Lord, seeking His will in our lives.Jesus prayed this same prayer at least 3 different times. If prayer is going to be a source of power in our lives, then there must be some persistence in what we pray for.

F. Again, for Jesus the Garden at Gethsemane was also a place of strength & renewal. Vs’s 45 & 46 tell us, “Then He returned to the disciples & said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping & resting? Look, the hour is near, & the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer.”  What a change! Just a few verses ago we were reading about Jesus being sorrowful & troubled & near the point of death. But here is renewed energy. Jesus is saying, “It’s time! Rise up! Let’s go! Here comes my betrayer.”  Where did His renewed strength & determination come from? It must have come from His time of prayer in the Garden at Gethsemane.  Luke 22:43 says that as Jesus was praying, “An angel from heaven appeared to Him & strengthened Him.”  Now He is ready to face the cross for us!

ILL. Bill Hybells in his book “Too Busy to Pray” says that if the request is wrong, God says, “No!” If the timing is wrong God says, “Slow!” If we are wrong God says, “Grow!” But if everything is right God says, “Go!” So, God said to Jesus, “It’s time to go.”

II. JESUS IS ARRESTED!

A. Before we close, I want us also to see the arrest of Jesus. Vs's 47-49 tell us, “While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords & clubs, sent from the chief priests & the elders of the people.  "Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ & kissed him.”

Have you ever been betrayed by someone you loved & trusted? If so, you understand the deep hurt & pain that Jesus must have felt as Judas approached. In spite of this, notice how Jesus responds in vs. 50, “Jesus replied, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’” He still called Judas His “friend.”  Vs. 50 goes on to say,  “Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus & arrested him." "With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out & struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.”  Matthew doesn’t tell us it was Simon Peter, but John does.

Vs’s 52-54 tell us “’Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  'Do you think I cannot call on my Father, & He will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?’”   And while the people who stood there didn’t see angels, they saw in Jesus a power such as they had never experienced before. In fact, John 18:6 says that when all this happened, instead of rushing forward to grab Jesus, the soldiers & Temple guards drew back & fell to the ground. But Jesus surrendered to them. After all, He had just prayed, “Father...not my will but Yours be done.” “Then all the disciples deserted Him & fled.” (Vs. 56)

B. Now there are two lessons we need to learn this morning.

1. “Effective emergency prayer should be preceded by regular daily prayer.”  The Bible says that Jesus often prayed all night. He would often go up into the mountains to pray. He was constantly in an attitude of prayer. So, when an emergency arose, when the crisis came, when the cross was before Him, Jesus was able to handle it. Don’t expect emergency prayers to work if you haven’t developed a daily habit of prayer. God may say, “Who’s that stranger calling?” So, every day let Him hear your voice. Then when emergencies arise, when crises come, you’ll be ready.

2. Secondly, “Prayer strengthens us to face our difficulties more than it changes our circumstances.” Sometimes prayer changes circumstances. Sometimes we see people healed who should have died. Sometimes we see situations in life changed because we have prayed about them.  But for the most part, God gives us strength to face the difficulties more than He changes the circumstances.  When the apostle Paul prayed that the thorn in his flesh be removed, God said “No, you’ll keep the thorn in the flesh. But I’ll give you the strength you need.” And Paul proclaimed that God’s grace was sufficient for him.  When Jesus prayed, “Let this cup pass from me,” God said, “No, this is a part of the plan. But I’ll give you the strength to face the cross.”  And sometimes God will say that to us, too. He may not always change the circumstances, but he will give us the strength to face the difficulties.

ILL. Someone wrote:
I prayed for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel my need for God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for, yet everything I’d hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed!

These are stressful times. We need a Garden at Gethsemane, a place where we can go & recognize that we’re not strong enough or wise enough to do what God has called us to do. We can only do it as we realize His strength & His blessings in our life.
This morning, if you’re not a Christian, we give you the opportunity to come to Jesus, to be baptized for the remission of your sins and to walk in newness of life. It is His invitation, & we offer it to you. Will you come as we stand & as we sing?

INVITATION

Based on a sermon given By Melvin Newland