24 hours that changed the world: The
garden of Gethsemane
Reinbeck UMC 2/21/16
If this altar rail could talk... I know I am
not the only one who has knelt here and wrestled with some of the darkest
moments of life. I know I am not the only one who comes here to beg for mercy,
or forgiveness, or guidance. I am not the only one who has poured out some of
my deepest hurts and greatest worries to this old wooden rail. If this altar
rail could talk... would it tell of the secrets it has heard? Or of the tears that
have been spilled on it? Would it tell of the angry fists that thumped it?
Would it cry out with the pain it has witnessed? Maybe all of those things; or
maybe none of them. But having spent my share of time with it, I am pretty sure
that whatever else this altar rail has to say, it would say, “Remember, not
your will by his be done.” 
This was Jesus’ altar rail. This is the Rock
in the church of all nations located in the garden of Gethsemane. This is the rock upon which Jesus poured out
his heart on that last night of his life. “Father if it be possible let this
cup pass from me. However, not my will but thine be done.”
Last week we left Jesus in the upper
room. At the end of the Passover supper, they sang a hymn and went out to the
Mount of Olives.
It is about a 20-minute walk from the Upper
Room to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus must have must have still been thinking
of Judas, who at that very moment was betraying him. He walked past the huge
stones of the temple wall, and through the Kidron valley, to an olive grove
named Gethsemane, which means “olive press.” From that olive grove, he could
see the temple mount to the west. 
Today the garden looks something like this. It
probably did not look much different in Jesus’ day because they say that some
of the trees still growing today had already been growing for 1000 years by
time Jesus came to pray that night.
Jesus Picked Peter, James, and John to
go with him into the garden. There are just some moments in life when a person
wants to be surrounded by his closest friends in the whole world.
Then he told them, “Wait here and pray
while I go just over there.” He went to his favorite spot to pray.
I grew up with this picture of Jesus praying
in the garden. He looks quite dignified, calm, and divine. The Bible paints a
different picture. It says he “threw”
himself on the ground. He prayed as hard as he had ever prayed before, “Abba,
Father.” (Just like the Lord’s Prayer.) “Abba, Father, for you all things are
possible. Remove this cup from me.” Luke says he was so troubled that he sweat
drops of blood. That can really happen under extreme stress. Doctors call that
Hema-ti-drosis.
I imagine Jesus weeping, perhaps even wailing.
In my mind, I see Jesus begging, and pleading with God. Jesus was praying as
hard as any person has ever prayed before. “Please God don’t make me do this. I
don’t want to die… at least not this way.”
He knew what lie ahead. He had seen
plenty of crucifixions because the Romans always crucified in a public place
with lots of traffic so everyone could see the horrible consequences of
disobeying the all-powerful and ruthless Roman Empire. Kind of a “scared
straight” philosophy.
After an hour, Jesus got up and found
his best friends asleep. He shook his head in disappointment and said, “You
couldn’t stay awake with me even one hour?
This scene repeated two more times
before Jesus came to the disciples and said, “Get up, let’s go, my betrayer is
here.”
The story of Jesus praying in the
Garden of Gethsemane, troubles many people. Some think that Jesus is just a
little too human here. After all, it is not dignified for God to throw himself
on the ground and plead for mercy. It is not distinguished for Jesus to be
laying in the dirt, crying, sweating blood, and begging for his life. Some
think it is an embarrassment, but the gospel writers speak with one clear voice
that these are the facts.
Others wonder why this was such a struggle for
Jesus. He had already predicted his death and resurrection to the disciples. He
knew what was about to happen, and this is what he came for.
If you are one of those people who are
at least a little uncomfortable with the details of this story, I think it
might be because you understand the point of the story a little better than
most people do.
It might make you uncomfortable
because, in this story, we see Jesus’ humanity laid bare for all the world to
see.
There is no getting around Jesus’
humanity. There is no getting around the fact that Jesus did NOT want to die on
a cross. There is no denying that Jesus experienced every emotion we
experience. There is no denying that Jesus felt every pain we feel. There is no
denying that Jesus fought every battle that we hope we never have to fight. But
if we do, we can be confident that Jesus understands.
If your life is just smooth sailing,
bless you, but most of us are not so lucky.
• If
you have ever had a decision, so overwhelming that you felt paralyzed…
• If
you have ever battled the voices in your head telling you that you aren’t
loved, aren’t good enough, can’t be forgiven, will never make any difference,
you’ll never reach your goals, your life if not worth living…
• If
you have ever had s serious illness, or watched a loved one die, or thought the
most important person in your life was going to leave you, or watched your
child wheeled off into surgery, or worried about how you would feed your
family, or battled an addiction, or felt abandoned, or betrayed, or experienced
a miscarriage or the death of a child, or lost a loved one to suicide, or
received an eviction or foreclosure notice,
• If
you have ever fought a big battle in your life… you know that you can’t do it
alone.
This story of Jesus agony in the Garden
of Gethsemane reminds us that we have a savior who has faced every challenge,
experienced every struggle, felt every pain, and fought every battle. There is
no struggle in our lives that our savior hasn’t already faced. There is no
battle we face that hasn’t been won by our Lord. There is no pain we can
experience that is as great as Jesus’ pain in the garden or on the cross.
I have discovered that my years
employed outside the church are one of the most valuable tools in my pastoral
tool bag. It makes a difference when people find out that I know what it is
like to be unexpectedly laid off, or spend all day doing a mind numbing factory
work. People are at first surprised, but when they find out that I used to be
among the “dechurched” or “unchurched” they begin to relax just a little. When
I admit to my own struggles with depression and anxiety, or share about my
grief over my father’s death, people begin to think that I might understand
their problem too. Having a pastor who understands our problems is great. But
having a savior who has won victory over our problems is better.
Hebrews 4 proclaims, “We do not have a
high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one
who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore
approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.”
Having a savior who has faced every
trouble and won makes all the difference in the world.
The other reason this story might make
you uncomfortable is Jesus mighty struggle against sin. Jesus is clearly
fighting temptation and sin. It is not accident that there are three times that
Jesus prayed and found the disciples sleeping. It is clearly to remind us of
the three temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness at the beginning of his
ministry.
This is not a show for our benefit.
Jesus knew he could snap his fingers and disappear into an obscure village and
never be seen again. He knew he strike down his accusers. He knew that he could
stare down the entire Roman Empire. There is no doubt that there is real
temptation here.
We face big or small temptations every
day too. You might be tempted to forget about that extra money you made on the
side this year when you do your taxes, or maybe you are tempted to “borrow”
something from your employer, or cheat on your spouse, or lie to your parents,
or cheat on the test, or fatten up that resume, or whatever.
In the garden of Eden Adam and Eve
stared temptation in the eye and caved in, bringing sin into the world. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus stared
temptation in the eye and claimed victory over sin by rejecting temptation and
following God’s way.
How did he do it? How did he face all
of the world’s pain and win? How did he face all the world’s temptation and
win?
When he taught the disciples to pray he
taught them to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Then we see
that when the chips are really down… when his life is on the line… he prays
exactly the same way, “NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.”
He poured out his heart to God, and asked God
to mold it according to his will. “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE.”
He laid out every hurt and hope he had, and
trusted God to accept him even in his brokenness. “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE
DONE.”
He laid his fears before the Lord and trusted
God when he said, “will never leave you nor forsake you.” “NOT MY WILL, BUT
THINE BE DONE.”
He laid his humanity before God, and
trusted that the God who sent him to save humanity would accept the brokenness,
fear, and powerlessness that comes with being human. “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE
DONE.”
He laid his temptations squarely at the
foot of the throne of grace and prayed for the ability to resist the temptation
that grew out of the most basic human instinct for survival. “NOT MY WILL, BUT
THINE BE DONE.”
He laid his petition before God, “If it
be possible, let this cup pass from me.” “Please don’t make me go to the
cross.” But then he prayed, “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE.”
Not, “I did it my way”… but let’s do it
your way. “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE.”
We call this sermon series 24 hours that
changed the world. But these are seven words that can change your life, if you
let them. “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE.”
Let’s pray them together. . “NOT MY
WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE.”
PRAY THEM EVERY DAY, AND I PROMISE
THOSE SEVEN WORDS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE.”
AMEN
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