4.14.19 First UMC Carroll
Holy week has been
described as a roller coaster ride.
Palm Sunday is just approaching the top of the first drop.
For Jesus, it has been a 3-year climb “up” to Jerusalem. The disciples are
along for the ride completely oblivious to what is on the other side of the
hill.
From the top of the roller coaster, the triumphant entry It is
a great day. Maybe the greatest day of all for the disciples seeing their
master hailed as the promised one. Being vindicated in the eyes of those who
thought they were crazy to walk away from their jobs and families to follow
this vagabond, Jesus.
But from here on out, it is all downhill.
The days to come will be a 100 mile an hour plunge into
darkness. They will include OUTRAGE when Jesus turns the tables on the money
changers. ANTAGONISM in the final
arguments with the temple authority. The UNTHINKABLE betrayal of Judas. The
OMINOUS words “This is my body. This is my blood.” Then we pick up even more speed in the last
18 hours of Jesus life, ARREST, DECEPTION, PLOTTING, LYING, BEATING, MOCKING,
CONDEMNATION, CRUCIFIXION, PAIN, SUFFERING…DEATH.
But in the middle of
this most dramatic ride of the Christian story, is a moment of tender intimacy.
It is so different from the rest of the story that it might be overlooked:
Jesus’ moments in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.
After the last supper, Jesus took the 12 disciples to an
olive grove on the mount of Olives. He took his three closest disciples a
little further and asks them to pray. Then he goes on a little further by
himself. What he must do now… and tomorrow on the cross, he must do alone.
“He threw himself on the ground and prayed, “Abba, if it is
possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”
Luke reports that as “he prayed more earnestly, his sweat was
like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Some say that he may have been so
stressed that his capillaries began to burst, a condition called
HE-MAT-O-HI-DRO-SIS, but also notice that Luke’s passage is a simile, “his
sweat was LIKE drops of blood.” Whether he sweat blood or not, this was
absolutely the most difficult thing Jesus has ever done.
He knows what God’s call on his life is. He has told the
disciples several times that he would suffer, and die, and on the third day
rise again. He told them that there is a
cross in his future. He knows full well
what is to come. And he never wavers from that. Even in the next passage in
Matthew which is the arrest, Jesus chastises Peter for trying to defend him
saying “it must happen in this way”
Jesus never wavered in doing God’s will.
If we think Jesus is struggling with whether or not to do
God’s will in the garden of Gethsemane, we are remaking Jesus in our
image. That would be OUR battle, but it was
not the battle Jesus fought that night.
Jesus was fully committed to doing God’s will, he never
faltered on that matter. He knew he must die. He knew God would raise him from
death. He never ever lost that conviction.
Jesus’ struggle was not with faithfulness or temptation, it
was with fear. Does that seem too simple? I don’t think so.
Remember, Jesus was fully human. What human being, when
facing horrendous torture, would not be afraid?
What human being, when faced with a cruel death, would not be afraid?
You might not want to think Jesus was afraid, you might say
he was God how could he be afraid? You
are right, he was 100% God, but he was also 100% human. Any human being would
be afraid in those circumstances. Let’s see how the story supports that.
First, Jesus runs to
his “papa.” I don’t mean that
tritely. When we are small there is
nothing more comforting than the arms of our parents. Now that my dad has died,
there are times when I can’t think of anything that would be more comforting
than hearing his voice. Jesus does not
pray “ALMIGHTY AND HOLY TRANSCENDENT GOD.”
No, he prays ABBA which means “daddy” or “papa.” The curtain is pulled
back for just a peek at a most intimate moment between Jesus and his “papa.”
Second, I think when
Jesus says to the disciples that the “spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”
he is speaking from personal experience. He is after as I said all human. He
not only understood our struggles, but he also lived them. I think Jesus was reflecting on the whole story
when he said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Jesus knew God’s will, he was dedicated to
doing God’s will, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t afraid. In this
case, I think we could say “The spirit is willing but the flesh is afraid.”
Third, both times
Jesus prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will God, your will.” “Papa, I am
terrified. Nevertheless, not my will, your will.” And in the end, do you know
Jesus final prayer in this life… “Into
your hands, I commend my spirit”
We have been talking about God’s call and human response for
6 weeks now. We have seen amazement, excuses, running, asking for proof, trying
to do it our way… and like me, you may see yourself in some of those responses.
But oftentimes we aren’t looking to get out of doing God’s
will… we really, really want to be faithful. We really do want to follow what
God says. We really do want to be obedient. But, like Jesus in today’s story,
we are afraid.
Afraid of what others will think
Afraid of trying something that is way out of your comfort
zone.
Afraid of doing something that might cost you dearly in time,
energy, money, relationship or other ways.
I do it too. I want to be faithful to God’s call but over
and over fear gets a grip on me. It may paralyze me for a while, but
ultimately, I must resign my own fears and weakness to pray … “Nevertheless,
not my will God, your will.”
The whole reason I preached this series is because I know for
a fact that God calls each and every one of us to something. Most of you will
not be called to full-time ministry, though some might. However, everyone is
called to something…Maybe to teach, or serve, or lead, or share a talent, or
give, or take a stand, or reach out, or encourage, or volunteer, or love someone,
or do more of what you are already doing for God’s glory. I am praying that as
we have spent 6 weeks now talking about God calling people in the Bible, that
you have thought about God’s call in your life. I pray that you recognize the
little nudge, hear a little whisper, see an opportunity, have identified a
burning passion for something, or feel a tug toward something. That might be
God’s call on your life.
I have been praying for you to experience God’s call. But I
know how hard it is to take the next step. I know that for many of us fear will
hold us back.
So, we take the first step by praying, “Nevertheless, not my
will, God, your will.”
Praying that prayer,
still seems scary. It is giving up control, handing our free will over to God,
so I suggest the other prayer I mentioned. “Father into your hands I commend my
spirit.” I suggest we pray, “Lord into
your hands I trust my life.
We are no longer in charge of our lives, so we pray, “Lord
into your hands I trust my life.
We are no longer going to let fear hold us back, so we pray
“Lord into your hands I trust my life.”
We are not going to let anything keep us from following God’s
will, so we pray “Lord into your hands I trust my life.
Pray that with me.
Reflect on God’s call as you hear it in your life.
What is holding you back? What resistance do you have?
Feel that resistance in the pit of your stomach. Tense up
your abs and feel the resistance all right there in your belly.
Now pray our two prayers, and let that resistance go little
by little until it is gone.
“Nevertheless, not my
will, God, your will.” … “Lord into your hands I trust my life.”
Pray them out loud with me…
3 times
“Nevertheless, not my will, God, your will.” … “Lord into
your hands I trust my life.” X 3
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