Roads Well Traveled Series
“The Road to Gethsemane”
Introduction
Last week I began a four-part series of sermons entitled “Roads Well Traveled” when we
looked at Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem riding on a colt of a donkey on the first Palm
Sunday. April 3 rd AD 30 would begin the most important week of human history. On the
back of the announcement sheet, I have posted the readings from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and
John of Jesus’ activities during His final week. I encourage you to read through these
Scriptures during this coming week.
Today we are looking at “The Road to Gethsemane” as we discover the depth of agony and
anguish Jesus endured on our behalf. All four of the Gospel writers record that on Thursday
evening of Passion Week Jesus and His disciples gathered in a large, furnished, upper room
to enjoy Passover. As they were reclining at the table Jesus told the disciples that one of
them would betray Him. Jesus knew that Judas had already struck a deal with the chief
priests to betray Him. Judas immediately got up from the table and quickly left the room. It
was then that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as the New Covenant during meal when He
took the bread and said, “This is My body broken for you do this in remembrance of Me” and
then He took the cup and said, “This cup which is poured out for you is thee new covenant in
My blood.” (Lk.22.19-20)
Hear now the Word of God, Mark chapter fourteen verses twenty-six through forty-two:
26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You
will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be
scattered.’ 28 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29 But Peter said to
Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you,
that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.”
31 But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And
they all were saying the same thing also. 32 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He
said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He took with Him Peter and James
and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is
deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35 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 Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You;
remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He came and found
them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one
hour? 38 Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words.
40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did
not know what to answer Him. 41 And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still
sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being
betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is
at hand!”
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The Garden of Gethsemane
After instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus and the eleven disciples sang a hymn and
departed to the Garden of Gethsemane. The garden was in the Mount of Olives and was a
place where Jesus had taken the disciples on several occasions to retreat from the crowds
in Jerusalem and spent time in prayer. The Apostle John tells us that Judas knew the place
because Jesus had taken the disciples there often. (Jn.18.2) This was a private garden
owned by an unknown follower of Christ. The garden was known as “Gethsemane” which
means “olive press” apparently because a press used to crush olives to produce olive oil
was in this garden. Isn’t it ironic that an olive press would be at the place where Jesus
would be crushed beyond our comprehension to secure our forgiveness? Yes, He was
crushed for our iniquities. (Is.53.5b)
As Jesus and the eleven made their way from the upper room to the garden Jesus tells them
that He would be struck down and each of them would scatter. Peter insists that he would
never abandon Jesus and Jesus immediately tells Peter that he will deny Him three times
that very night before the cock crows twice. Jesus alludes to His death and tells them that
after His resurrection He would meet them in Galilee. But as they continue their journey to
the garden in the middle of the night all the disciples were insisting that they would never
deny the Lord.
When they arrived at Gethsemane Jesus told eight of His disciples to “Sit here until I have
prayed.” Then He took Peter, James, and John a little further away from the others. As Jesus
led Peter, James, and John deeper into the garden He began to be very distressed and
troubled. This phrase very distressed and troubled means that Jesus began to be alarmed
and astonished at what He was beginning to experience emotionally, physically, and
spiritually. The great messianic prophecy of Isaiah fifty-three tells us that the Messiah
would be a “man of sorrows” (Is.53.4a) and here in the garden Jesus is beginning to
experience the full impact of human sorrow, pain, and condemnation. Starting on this night
in the garden and continuing through His suffering leading to His death upon the cross
Jesus will experience the full impact of the sin of those for whom He came to die. For every
sinner for whom Jesus died He took the full judgment of that sinner upon Himself starting
here in the garden of Gethsemane. For the myriads and myriads for whom Jesus died He
took the full judgment of those millions upon Himself starting here in the garden of
Gethsemane.
Transcendent Affliction
Pastor John MacArthur calls what Jesus is experiencing as “transcendent affliction.” What
he means is the affliction that comes to Christ starting in the garden of Gethsemane
transcends anything we could ever experience emotionally, physical, or spiritually.
We hear the intensity of Jesus’ emotional suffering when He tells Peter, James, and John,
“My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death.” The emotional grief that Jesus was
experiencing was so deep and so profound that Jesus felt that He was going to die.
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We are told of the intensity of Jesus’ physical suffering when Luke tells us in his Gospel that
Jesus’ sweat became like drops of blood, falling upon the ground. The Scripture reads,
“And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood,
falling down upon the ground.” (Lk.22.44) Luke the physician might be describing the
medical phenomenon known as “hematidrosis” which is a condition that occurs during
times of extreme stress when the blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing
them to exude blood. Regardless, if Jesus was suffering from this condition or not the
evening temperature in Jerusalem during this time of the year can drop down to thirty
degrees which would again describes the extreme physical stress that Jesus was
experiencing by sweating so profusely in such cold weather.
Jesus is not just suffering emotionally and physically we are also told about the spiritual
pressure Jesus was experiencing when He describes the suffering as “this cup.” The term
“cup” is used throughout the Old Testament to identify the divine wrath of God. (Ps.75.8; Is
51.17, 22; Jer.25.15) Jesus referred to “the cup” when He asked James and John, “Are you
able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Mt.20.22) And the book of Revelation uses
the term twice to identify God’s wrath. (Rev.14.10; 16.19) Therefore, Jesus is telling us that
in the garden He begins to suffer the full impact of God’s wrath.
The point is that Jesus in the garden is facing something completely foreign to Him. Jesus
had never known sin but now He is bearing our sins in His body. (IPt.2.24a) Jesus had
never known alienation from the Father but now He is forsaken and abandoned. Jesus had
only experienced love from the Father but now He is experiencing His wrath. The One who
is holy, innocent, undefiled, and separated from sinners is now experiencing the full impact of
sin, condemnation, defilement, and separation from God.
As a result of the anguish of His soul, the Father saw it and was satisfied; By His knowledge
the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. (Is.53.11)
The Father made the One who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become
the righteousness of God. (2Cor.5.21) Christ redeemed us . . . by becoming a curse for us.
(Gal.3.13a) Brothers and sisters, we look forward to the day when we will dwell in God’s
eternal kingdom where there will be no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain.
(Rev.21.4) But how can Jesus establish a kingdom that does not have any sorrow, or pain,
or suffering if He did not take the full impact of our sorrow, our pain, and our suffering
upon Himself as we see here in the garden of Gethsemane. Only Christ Jesus can wipe every
tear from our eyes because only Christ has endured the full extent of the suffering that was
due to us upon Himself.
The suffering Jesus was experiencing in the garden was so intense that He thought He was
going to die. Prior to this dark evening Jesus had told the disciples that in Jerusalem He
would be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death
and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him
and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again. (Mk.10.33-34) But now Jesus thought
He might not leave the garden alive.
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Jesus’ Persistent Passionate Prayer
So, He prayed “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not
what I will, but what You will.” (Mk.14.36) Jesus prayed to the Father for deliverance from
death in the garden so that He might go to Calvary; but He was willing to die in the garden if
that was the Father’s will. Notice that Jesus would check on Peter, James, and John three
times and each time He went away again and prayed, saying the same words. (14.39) Even
through His soul was troubled to the point of death He prayed for the Father’s will. The cup
that the Father had given Him to drink He will drink to the last drop! (Jn.18.11)
Jesus is persistent in His passionate plea for the Father’s will to be done. It is easy to say
“Thy will be done” on Sunday morning when we recite the Lord’s Prayer, but it is often
difficult to embrace the petition “Thy will be done” in our daily lives. We must ask God, by
His grace, that He would make us able to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things as
the angels do in heaven. (WSC#103) Often, we act like impatient children who pout and cry
when parents don’t immediately answer their request. Instead of being impatient children
we should follow the example of our Lord who sought to know the Father’s will three
times. After the third time Jesus could confidently say, “It is enough; the hour has come;
behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going;
behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” (14.43-44) The Father had answered Jesus’s
persistent petitions by revealing to Him that the hour had come and the one who would
betray Him was at hand.
Perhaps by this time the lanterns and the torches of Judas, the chief priests, and Pharisees,
along with hundreds of Roman soldiers could be seen in the distance. Jesus would not ask
the Father to save Him from the hour for it was for this purpose that He came. (Jn.12.27)
Jesus would not flee or run away and hide. He would confront His betrayer and would be
obedient to the point of death, even death upon the cross.
Jesus’ Heart
Before I conclude this morning, I want you to see Jesus’ heart in a very personal element of
our text. As Jesus is experiencing a cosmic supernatural struggle of epic proportions,
incomprehensible to us He breaks away from His prayer three times and goes to check on
His friends, His disciples. As Jesus Himself is experiencing overwhelming suffering in every
part of His body and soul He is constantly concerned about the spiritual vulnerability of His
friends, Peter, James, and John.
Each time Jesus returns to His friends He find them sleeping. Luke’s Gospel tells us that
they were “sleeping from sorrow.” (Lk.22.45) What that means that they too were suffering.
Not with the intensity that Jesus was suffering but they were sorrowful because of Jesus’
teaching that He was going to die, their longtime companion Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ warning
that they were going to scatter like sheep, and Jesus’ overwhelming anguish in the garden.
Each time Jesus would wake them from their slumber they could see His sweat soaked
garments and the anguish on His face and in His eyes.
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You see things weren’t going the way the disciples had hoped or planned. And things were
about to be going from bad to worst in the next few minutes and hours. What can we gather
from these personal encounters of Jesus coming to His disciples in the garden? One, nothing
is going to stop Jesus from caring for His children. Secondly, He knows our spiritual
drowsiness and He constantly comes speaking words of encouragement and hope. Third,
the disciples failed to pray and fell into temptation but after they suffered for a little while,
the God of all grace, perfected, confirmed, strengthened, and established them and use
them for His glory.
Brothers and sisters, if the last two years have taught us anything it should be that no one
knows what the future holds. Things often don’t go the way we had hoped or planned. So,
what do we do in times of emotional, physical, or spiritual suffering? We have confidence
that the Lord will come to us, speak His word to us, and strengthen us for future use in His
kingdom. We pray, “Not my will but Thy will be done.”