The Agony of the Cup

Our Lord's agony in the garden of Gethsemane.

This is the apex of his life of sorrow and grief. This is the high point of tortuous suffering. This is the night when he anticipates drinking a cup of divine wrath, to be his in full at the top in the amazing truth that is God.

Sometimes you have to remind yourself that he was also fully human in the clearest depiction of how he suffered as a human is of course seen at Calvary, but there is an aspect to his suffering in the lead up to the cross that you may never have thought much about and it's critical to understanding what Jesus went through on behalf of sinners like you and me and that's the scene. John MacArthur considers today. It's a sad, even shocking episode in the life of our Savior, but one that's essential to God's plan of salvation. Today's lesson is part of our brand-new series, the divine drama of redemption and now here's John as we come to chapter 14 of Mark in verses 32 to 42 we come to a very familiar account of our Lord's agony in the garden of Gethsemane, as he wrestles with the reality of the coming cross. Later that day.

This is set on Friday in the middle of the night. The very day he was crucified and died in the 33 years of our Lord's life in this world is God incarnate in human flesh.

He had been constantly exposed to the sorrows of life very well aware of them. As he was aware of absolutely everything. Not only what was visible and what was knowable outside of him, but what he knew because he knew what the heart of man was like meant that he not only saw people suffer, but he felt their pain. The New Testament never says he laughed never says he was happy, but it does say he was sad and does say he cried.

But as much sorrow as he had sorrow upon sorrow upon sorrow, grief upon grief. There was no sorrow and there was no grief ever in his life. Like the experience recorded in these verses is so severe that he actually sweat blood. This is a momentous experience in the life of our Lord in the middle of the night on that Friday in which he was to die. Let me read it to you beginning in verse 32. They came to a place named Gethsemane and he said to his disciples sit here until I have prayed and he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be very distressed and troubled and he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death remain here and watch and he went a little beyond them and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass them by, and he was saying. Father, all things are possible for you remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will but what you will and he came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, Simon, are you asleep because you keep watch for one hour. Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Matthew describes this mark describes that Luke describes it in John describe it in the full picture is the sum of all those descriptions again. This experience of our Lord in sorrow and grief and suffering defies comprehension defies human understanding surpasses our ability to grasp this is sacred ground.

This is a supernatural struggle. This is a private, divine conflict.

This is the apex of his life of sorrow and grief. This is the high point of tortuous suffering. This is the night when he anticipates the drinking of the cup of divine wrath, which will be his in full at the cross. This is a great great battle. This is the great battle. No wonder the struggle was so severe that Jesus said. My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. That's the overview of what's going on her let's go to the text verse 32 they came they, meaning Jesus and the 11 Judas having left to go plot the arrest of Jesus, which would come a little later, Jesus and the 11 leave the place where they had the Passover and the Lord's table verse 26, it said that the end of that evening. Thursday night, just around midnight saying him and they headed to the Mount of olives on the way. Jesus says you're all gonna fall are all gonna stumble. You're all gonna be scattered your all going to end up denying me they don't believe it. Verse 31 Peter says I will die before I will do that and they all said the same thing. They came then to a place named Gethsemane.

This is a garden. People lived in a crowded city and Heather gardens outside the city wall on the hillsides. This is somebody who owned a garden who had given it to the disciples and to our Lord to use and not only at this Passover, but John 18, two, says Jesus often resorted there with his disciples so it was a place to escape the crowds a private place a private garden where they could get away and spend time together.

That is why Judas knew where they were courted. Luke 2239 Judas who was betraying them knew the place, which means it was a place they went to frequently enough for him to know they would be there. They arrive at this garden is named Gethsemane, which means olive press the Mount of olives. They grow olives there. They do, even to this day. This would be named for the press that was used to get the olive oil. This is the garden. When they arrived there, he said to his disciples sit here until I have prayed, according to the parallel account in Luke Luke 2240. He also said this pray that you may not enter into temptation is just warn them of the danger therein of falling away scattering and denying him pray that you may not enter into temptation.

Use the means of grace. Don't depend on your own strength call on the Lord, the means of grace to overcome iniquity, to be victorious is vigilant. Prayer yes, we have a high priest praying for us that our faith fail not. Jesus said that with regard to Peter. I pray that your faith fail not. It will be a total failure of total collapse. We have an interceding high priest, but we will lose the battle with temptation along the way. If we don't pray and depend on divine strength rather than be overconfident in our own human strength, so they should have been praying because of what was coming. The most dangerous moments in their experience up to this point was that as a background.

Let's look at the scenes that unfold in these few verses, just briefly. First, we see a transcendent affliction, a transcendent affliction. This is an affliction that comes to Christ in this hour that really transcends anything we would know I'll explain that to verse 33, he took with him Peter, James and John. They were the leaders, James and John.

You know were the ones who work came to Jesus with her mother and said can we sit on your right your left and they had the sense that they were there were the prime guys they had the sense that they had the enemy track with Jesus and there was a course Peter who is the recognized leader as far as everybody was concerned and not the least of which was Peter so they go along what what is this about what these are the three main leaders. These are the guys that are going to be the influences on the other so they need to learn lessons with Jesus come with me as you have something to learn and if you learn that you can teach it to the rest by the way they were going to learn a lesson there will learn how important it is to pray, so that you will be triumphant in temptation and they were learned by failing to pray and falling to the temptation.

So they're gonna learn the way that we learn the Best Buy failure.

They were gonna learn out of the disaster of their powerlessness can only tell you something.

If Christ himself needs to pray in the face of temptation, how much more do we need to pray as he was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin. He drew on the father's power and protection much more do we need to. So in the three go with Jesus to a certain point on the way. Verse 33 says he began to be very distressed in trouble. Distressed is a very interesting word is compound form of the verb to be amazed, to be amazed then you would ask yourself what could amazed Jesus. He is omniscient. He knows everything what what is going to amaze him what is going to stun him what is going to shock him. Is there any experience. He's never had. Is there anything he doesn't know answer yes there is an experience. He's never had and he's about to have it so he is amazed and astonished at the level of anguish that he's feeling over this. This is something new. What was it was causing is the anticipation of experiencing the father's will and embracing the role of becoming a sacrifice for sin to become the sin bearer. He is facing something completely alien to himself. He has never known sin. He has never known the wrath of God. He has never known alienation and what God was asking him to do was to embrace sin is a sin bearer not as a sinner but as a sin bearer to take the wrath of God for sin to receive divine punishment in the level of divine wrath is staggering because our Lord will embrace eternities of wrath eternities of divine punishment. Remember mean that for every sinner, for whom he died, he took that sinner's eternal wrath for the millions of sinners, for whom he died, he took a million eternities full of wrath and he was wholly harmless and undefiled, separate from sinners, and how could this be. That's why the struggle was so immense and verse 34 says it he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved Perry loop us literally surrounded by sorrow surrounded by greed.

Perry perimeter periphery he's engulfed in this grief to the point of death, to the point of death. He had never said yes to alienation from his father. He never said yes to guilty never said yes to sin bearing. He never said yes to punishment that almost killed him that Luke 2243 says God sent an angel to strengthen mighty angel came to save.

When he came to the point of death.

How severe was it. Luke 2244 says the struggle was so immense, the stress on his physical form was so great that he began to sweat drops of blood there is a clinical name for that method grosses. What happens is under immense stress capillaries Gorge inflate and explode in the blood comes out the sweat glands. This is the maximum point of human stress. The anguish was so profound that an angel had to save his life.

He might have bled to death from the sheer struggle and stress of remain here. He says in verse 34. Keep watch and he left the three further into the garden and he went little beyond the verse 35 he went little beyond them, and Luke 22 verse 41 says he went a stone's throw as far as you can throw a rock and he fell to the ground and he began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass him by the hour, the hour of the power of the darkness all the suffering leading up to and including his cross were not holy, so we can't relate to the some people say will limit is in the show weakness on Jesus part is in the store.

Reluctance to obey his father looked if he didn't react like this we would wonder whether he was wholly right. This is this the only possible response of the holy person to the thought of bearing sin and guilt, and judgment. This is the most acceptable normal expected response will have a perfect hatred for sin, he did everything in his being was repulsed by the thought of iniquity is plea is absolutely consistent with his nature's God is too pure to look on things that are sinful can even behold him.

Habakkuk 113 says no wonder came almost to the point of death bloodlust so severe that an angel had to come and rescue them in some way his words or even given here. This is his actual prayer that takes us to a second point, a passionate supplication or passionate petition. He was saying by father Abba meeting Popeye daddy it's a term of familiarity. No Jew would ever even call God father let alone calling him Abba. But our Lord calls on the affectionate intimate personal name of God as if pleading for that intimate love to rescue him all things are possible for you. He says all things are possible for you, theoretically, that is true, that is an absolute fact, all things are possible for God.

There is nothing that God doesn't have the power to do and the privilege to do in the prerogative to do that is true. Theoretically, however, it's not true actually. God couldn't allow him to miss the cross when he says all things are possible for you remove this cup from me. That is a problem if he doesn't go to the cross. Then we have some big problems. Satan wins heaven's empty hell is full. The Bible is in true the promises of God are lies. There is no salvation.

Theoretically, God can do anything he wants but God is already put himself on record that salvation will come through blood sacrifice without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

God can go back on his word and while God can do anything he wants to do one thing he doesn't want to do is do what he says he would never do or not do what he said he would do that is he's never inconsistent with his promises.

The request nonetheless is clear. We know what's on Jesus heart, remove this cup from me cup is a symbol from the Old Testament of divine wrath. A cup of wrath.

You see that Psalm 11 Psalm 75 Isaiah 51 Jeremiah 25 Jeremiah 49 Lamentations chapter 4 other places, let this cup of wrath pass from me remove he's beginning to think about it, what shall I say father, save me from this hour.

Here is saying what I must say father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose I came to this hour. He knew that he said my going to say that.

And guess what he did say in the throes of the horrors of that save me from this hour, remove this cup from me. But then comes his triumphant resolution, yet not what I will but what you will not what I will but what you will in the end that's what he always he said over and over only do the father tells me shows me the desires of me and what I see the father do I follow only his direction, because as he said when he was 12 years old. I must be about my father's business. Well, in the horrors of that agonizing struggle. He starts to think about the disciples mixing that takes us to 1/3 scene. Here we see affectionate exhortation verse 37, he came and found them sleeping goes back to the three Peter, James and Johnny said to Peter, Simon always called him his old name react like his old self. Are you asleep, could you not keep watch for one hour. Luke actually adds something very helpful for us. They were asleep. Luke as for sorrow for sorrow. Things were not going the way they want them to go. Where was the kingdom were where was all the glory they anticipated. And now there's a betrayer among them going off to do his dirty deed Luke as they went to sleep for sorrow. Sleep is a tranquilizer is difficult to sleep when just want to skate sorrow will put you to sleep and their sorrows were exceedingly heavy heavy sorrows, but our Lord gives them a warning in verse 38.

Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation. Don't you understand the danger you are in keep alert and praying. That's an old lesson lead us not into temptation again.

Matthew six. Luke 11 watch and pray be on the alert. Use the means of grace. You better depend on divine power, but what is the point of this. The point is this and this is such a profound thing to understand in the middle of the most consummate agony of his entire existence as an eternal being. He is concerned about these guys. Now that's a kinda high priest, you need right sympathetic, merciful, compassionate, high priest, so just in case you wondered whether in the busyness of Jesus activities in life. He forgets you don't wonder anymore. No matter how intense the struggle is he has you in his heart, my name said the song we sang is graven on his hands.

My name is written on his heart and he ever lives to make intercession for us. Beautiful Jenny went away and he prayed saying the same words what words back in verse 36 Abba father. All things are possible for you remove this cup from yet not what I will but you will. Three times he poured out his heart, saying, remove this cup from me and it's reminiscent of Paul in second Corinthians 12 going for the Lord three times to ask that the thorn in the flesh be removed right and finally saying no, that's it. Third time he came and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting while this prayer was only interrupted because of his compassion. This is our great high priest who cares for us. So we see the affliction they petition the exhortation. There's a final consideration coming in the last couple of verses. Let's just call it triumphant submission.

He yields to the will of the father in each of those three cycles per but he finally comes out triumphant.

The last temptation is over. He is resolved triumphantly majestically unhesitatingly to do it. His father is asking to do is going to go to the cross. Verse 41 of them… He says it's enough it is enough temptation over struggle finished prayer done answer clear the hour has come, he says behold are better look.

Actually, I think he said look, the son of man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. What he mean by that.

They were up on the slope of the Mount of olives. There was an entourage coming made up of the leaders, the Sanhedrin of Israel and assorted other dignitaries and followers of Judea stick religion. There were the Temple police who were the ones who policed the crowds in the temple on behalf of the temple operation and then there was a cohort of Romans, which could be as many as 600 soldiers there could've been a thousand people coming up the hill with torches he sees John 18 records what happened.

He went right at them. Let's be going behold the one who betrays me is at hand. I can now see Judas coming up the hill. Jesus doesn't go the other way. He confronts them that he says to them, according to John 18 who do you seek they say Jesus of Nazareth, he says I am he, and they all fell down flat on the ground. Many as a thousand hit the dirt just by the sound of his voice when he said I am he. They crawled back up again.

He said it a second time. He is triumphant.

He is majestic but the disciples not so they can flee for their lives unprepared, prayerless and unprepared. So in triumphant resolve.

He goes to face his betrayer was to face the religious enemies of Judaism and the Roman soldiers in all the rest of the crowd. What was it that because Jesus to come out with that triumphant submission. Why would he say all go to death.

Why would he do that.

Why would he accept this from God.

The answer comes in Hebrews chapter 5 in verse seven where the writer of Hebrews looks back at this event and he says this in the days of his flesh, and the days that Christ was on earth he offered up both prayers and supplications, with loud crying and tears okay that was at the garden. Listen to this to the one able to save him from death, and he was hurt because of his holiness wasn't mean, he entrusted himself to God who was able to save him from death, and would do so because he was holding. In other words, Jesus trusted the promise of resurrection. It was our Lord's trust in the father's promise of resurrection. Psalm 16 and the father's power of resurrection that enabled him to accept this from his father go to the cross and look past it to his own resurrection and that ends today's look at what Jesus endured to save sinners like you and me. John MacArthur's current study on grace to you that's helping you prepare for a worshipful Easter is titled the divine drama of redemption and along with teaching each day on the radio. John serves as Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary.

John, you said many times that there is no aspect of Scripture that's more fascinating, more enriching, more wonderful the study than the person and work of Jesus Christ. You've told me many times you brother preach about Christ than anything else. If you are driven by anything. It's this desire to help people understand and worship the Jesus who is revealed in Scripture that you know just the comment you made that I'd rather preach about Christ than anyone else. I give you a secret hint to that.

The reason I feel that way is because as you know, when you when you're preparing a message to give. When I prepared to preach on Sunday that occupies my mind all week right and I would rather be occupied with Christ than anything else right so studying to preach on Christ puts Christ in the central focus of my mind.

Even as I'm sitting here now for doing this on a Wednesday and I am preaching on Christ on Sunday and all this running through my mind of the magnificent realities of Christ that I'm going to be bringing out Sunday so the benefit of preaching Christ is studying Christ and being Christ conscious and I don't think preachers understand that strongly enough putting together a quick message she knows slapping together something on a computer with bits and pieces from here and there doesn't allow you to contemplate the to the depth of Christ.

One of the reasons that I study books and study slowly as to absorbed these realities and no greater subject in the person of Christ because he becomes my companion in that week, as I think about his glories that I'll be talking about in the coming sermon to help me with that.

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