Matthew 26 – Gethsemane – Prepare for Battle Through Prayer

Introduction –

My kids have a daily schedule printed out and hanging on their door. It starts off with, “Wake up, make bed, brush teeth, eat breakfast…” After preparing this sermon, I realized their daily schedule should read, “Wake up, make bed, prepare for battle, brush teeth, eat breakfast.” Prepare for battle. Are you prepared for battle? Do you have battle on your daily schedule? No matter how young or old you are, you will face a battle everyday. You will face a battle against temptation. You will face a battle between your spirit, which wants to serve God and your flesh. In today’s passage we will see Jesus as He faced a similar battle in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of his death. We will see Jesus in His humanity as He faced perhaps the biggest test of His life. And we will see the model Jesus gives us for victory. Finally we will also see how the disciples responded when they faced their own battle against temptation.

Let’s read Matthew 26:36-56. ESV

Jesus faced a battle in Gethsemane –

In verse 37 we learn that Jesus “began to be sorrowful and troubled.” And in verse 38, He directly told the disciples that “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.” In this passage we get a clear glimpse of Jesus’ humanity. Many cults have a distorted view of Jesus. Some of them minimize Jesus’ humanity, claiming Jesus was only spirit and His body was merely a shell or not even real at all. But look at Jesus. He is extremely troubled. See Luke 22:44 (And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ).

He is troubled to the point that He sweat blood. This is a very rare condition called hematidrosis and has been observed by doctors on occasion when people face extreme distress. So why was Jesus so troubled? He knows the sheer amount of pain and suffering He is going to face. In the Garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus facing the consequences of choosing to become a human. In Philippians 2 it describes how Jesus gave up His divine rights and willingly became a human, even when He knew it would lead to death on a cross. Jesus becoming a human was always leading to this very point in time when He would take on the suffering of the world. He knew this very clearly. But this knowledge did not make it easier. This knowledge made it more difficult. Ignorance may not be bliss as the saying goes, but it is easier sometimes.. If Jesus did not know in detail what was going to happen to Him, He would not have been so troubled. But He knew. Every scourge of the whip, every hit with the rod, every prick of the crown of thorns, every hateful insult, every hammer of the nails, every bruise, every cut, and worse of all, the weight of the world’s sin on His shoulders, Jesus knew exactly what He was going to experience.

If I asked you if you would be willing to die for your faith, many or all of you would probably say, “yes.” Saying “yes” and making that decision now in the nice comfort of the Hilton is easy. But if Christians started being persecuted and we actually faced torture and death right in front of us, that decision would be much harder to keep. Would we finish the fight? Would we keep the faith? At that moment doing it is harder than saying “yes”.

That is the decision Jesus faced now. From eternity past He could see in crystal clear detail exactly what He would face. Imagine again if you could view a large high definition screen of your own suffering and death ahead of time. That’s terrible! To Jesus His own death and suffering were seen and understood even more clearly than watching it hear on this LED screen.

I believe it is important for us to see Jesus’ humanity here. And the reason is this: Jesus’ victory as a person gives us hope. Jesus was not an alien. Neither was He a robot or a kind of unfeeling, impersonal superman. He had feelings as we do. He experienced pain as we do. And He experienced temptation as we do. Matthew 16:22-23. “And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter,“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” We see this temptation in these verses. Peter tells Jesus that He doesn’t need to die. The literal words in Greek mean “God have mercy on you!” Surely the Messiah, the Christ, would not need to suffer! Surely God would not punish His own Son! Here in the garden he was also tempted. He was tempted to give in to despair and fear. He was tempted to give up His calling and escape. He faced the same exact battle that we do. Seeing His victory gives us hope. Seeing His example gives us a model. See Hebrews 4:15. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (HE WAS TEMPTED IN ALL WAYS AS WE ARE YET WITHOUT SIN.) We also know that He understands us. He knows the battle that you are going through. He knows the temptations you face. He knows the inner struggles that you have that no one knows about. He understands the doubts and fears and worries that swirl through your mind. He sympathizes with you. And He wants to help you if you will turn to Him.

When Facing This Battle Jesus Prayed

  • Jesus’ prayer is a model. His life is a message from God to us. Here He shows us how to respond to stress. He responded by praying. In John 1:1 we learn that Jesus is the Word. One thing that means is that Jesus is the living manifestation of what obedience to God’s Word looks like in action. Let me say that again… Have you memorized Philippians 4:6? Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Recite. Jesus showed us what this verse looks like in action. He was distressed. He prayed. And after His prayer, He was able to face the most horrific suffering ever known with complete calmness and serenity.

    • Application: When you face stress or worry what do you do? Do you pace back and forth? Do you lay in bed awake at night tossing and turning? Do you turn to chocolate or other comfort foods? Do you just continue to worry on and on and on? Next time you are worried go to a quiet place. Put aside distractions. Quiet your heart. And spend time in prayer. Keep praying until your worry is replaced with peace.

  • Jesus’ prayer was relational – He said, “My, Father!” (In Mark 14, it says He said “Abba,” which means “Daddy.” His relationship with the Father was close and intimate. He had access to the throne room at any time. We too can call God our Father and have the same access.

  • Jesus’ prayer was intentional – We see that Jesus was focused and clear in His request. He makes a very clear request seen in verse 39, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus told His disciples that their prayers should not be overly wordy. And here He gives us an example of that. He makes a clear, simple request of the Father. He does not try to hide the fact that He is distressed and would prefer another way if any other way is possible. He simply tells God what is in His heart.

    • Application: God is not more likely to hear just because you talk for a long time. He knows your heart already. When you pray be clear. If you don’t know what to pray, simply tell God what is in your heart.

  • Jesus’ prayer was persistent – In verse 42 we see that He prays the same prayer again and in verse 44 again the third time. He didn’t give up after the first time. He kept praying until He received a clear answer. Jesus practiced what He preached. He told His disciples the parable of the persistent widow and now it is His turn to be persistent. And Jesus needed an answer. He needed that peace that passes understanding. How could He go through the next day facing all that He would if there was any doubt? And how He could He get through all of the suffering without that calm inner peace? And that brings us to our next and very important point.

  • Prayer prepares us for the battles we have to face – What is the purpose of prayer? Have any of you ever asked that question? Does prayer change God’s mind? Is prayer a tool to get something we want? Prayer is often misunderstood to be this, a way to get something that we want. I want something really bad, so I pray really hard and God will give it to me, right? No. People who understand prayer as a means to getting what they want, will also likely become bitter and angry when they don’t get it. I would like to call your attention back to the passage. Did Jesus get what He wanted? Did His prayer change God’s plans? The answer is “No.” It did not. Let me make something very clear to you. Jesus, the Son of God, 100% God Himself, did not get what He asked for in prayer. God said, “No” to Him. And if God said “No” to Jesus, He may very well say, “No” to you sometimes. This does not mean He loves you less. This does not mean He cares for you less. It does also not mean that your prayer is worthless. So Jesus made a request and the Father said, “No.” You ask, “How is that prayer not worthless?” “How is that prayer of any use at all?” I am glad you asked :) This prayer did not change the plan, but it did change the person.

Imagine that you are on a boat. You toss your anchor to shore and start pulling. You get closer and closer to the shore. What is moving? From your vantage point, it may appear that the shore is moving to you. In reality you are moving to the shore. Prayer is like that. Prayer draws us closer to God.

Jesus walked away from His prayer differently. He was no longer distressed and troubled. He walked away as a man on a mission. He was resolved. He was assured. He was confident. He