24 Hours That Changed the World: 2 – The Garden of ...



24 Hours That Changed the World: 2 – The Garden of Gethsemane 11h30-01h30

During Lent I’m working through the events that happened in the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life. The goal of my sermons is to help us imagine the events as if we were there; and also to learn something of their meaning – their significance in the fact that these were 24 hours that ‘changed the world.’

In the last 24 hours of Jesus life; he had supper with his disciples, went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray, was arrested; tried before the high priest; tried before Pilate and Herod, tortured by Roman soldiers – and finally crucified; and buried in a stranger’s tomb.

* * *

This week, we meditate on events that happened in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Passover

Jesus and his disciples shared a special meal together – the Passover meal. It was a long ritualised meal in which the Jews celebrated the way that God set them free from slavery in Egypt.

They were instructed to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood on their doorposts; that night an angel would move through the land and take the firstborn from each household whose doorposts were not marked with the blood.

As a result of this horrific plague – the tenth – after 9 warnings Pharaoh who had stubbornly refused to honour Moses’ request to let the people go; relented; and they were freed.

In celebration of that event the Jews would gather once a year to celebrate and retell the story as a reminder of their freedom – and I think; a caution to preserve it.

* * *

The atmosphere of that meal was probably quite tense; but we learn from Mark 14:26 that at the end the disciples sang ‘They Hymn’ and went to the mount of olives.

The hymn would have been one of the Hallel Psalms – Psalms of praise sung at the Passover – it is likely to have been Psalm 118…

Psalm 118

Listen to some of the words of that Psalm:

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,

“His steadfast love endures forever!”

Let the house of Aaron say,

“His steadfast love endures forever!”

Let those who fear the LORD say,

“His steadfast love endures forever!”

- Psalm 118:1-4

I imagine it as some sort of war cry – but not one about death and destruction; one that proclaims God’s love. A chant.

‘His steadfast love endures forever!’

The Psalm continues:

‘Out of my distress I called on the LORD;

the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.’

* * *

Can you imagine how that Psalm would have encouraged Jesus – knowing what he was about to face; as difficult as it was; knowing that he was doing it with God whose love triumphs.

Whose ‘steadfast love endures forever!’

* * *

Later on in the Psalm:

‘I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,

but the LORD helped me.

The LORD is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.’

- Psalm 118:13-14

And verse 17 & 18:

‘I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the LORD.

The LORD has punished me severely,

but he did not give me over to death.’

- Psalm 118:17-18

* * *

Can you imagine how the words of this ancient prayer encouraged Jesus as he and the disciples made their way through Jerusalem, out into the Kidron Valley and on to the Garden of Gethsemane. A full moon night; the great temple throwing its shadow on their left; the tombs of the ancestors on their right.

‘His steadfast love endures forever!’

As that feeling of fear and tension welled up in Jesus’ heart and mind – wishing to do God’s will – but knowing how difficult it would be. Holding on to those precious words:

‘His steadfast love endures forever!’

Gethsemane

Gethsemane means olive press.

Let us imagine what it was like in that garden as we take a tour of it with Adam Hamilton.

[Video]

Jesus and his disciples went to pray at the Garden of the Olive Press.

It is in this garden that we witness something of the frailty of Jesus; his humanity – his identification with us comes to the front.

As the writer to the Hebrews speaks of him:

‘Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.’

- Hebrews 2:18

In the garden of the olive press – the pressure mounts on Jesus… betrayal, arrest, trial, torture and execution await him.

On top of that – the distress of knowing the consequences of Israel’s disobedience; knowing the consequence of their choice. Remember Jesus journey down the mount of olives – how as he looked over the city of Jerusalem he wept:

‘…if you, even you had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when you enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you…’

- Luke 19:42-43

Jesus taught loving your enemies and turning the other cheek; but Israel didn’t want a Messiah that preached peace – they wanted one that answered fire with fire and would lead them to war.

About forty years after Jesus had come Israel would choose to throw off Roman rule through the use of force – as a result – as Jesus predicted in Luke 21; the temple and all of Jerusalem would be destroyed.

Some say more than a million Jews were killed in the battles that ensued.

* * *

As Jesus kneels in the garden; preparing to go to calvary he knows the fate that awaits him – but also the fate that awaits a world that continues to reject his teaching.

‘Out of my distress I called on the LORD;’

- Psalm 118:5a

Temptation

Gethsemane was a place of extreme pressure, it was also a place of Trial or Temptation; as a garden it reminds us of another garden at another time – the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve made their first big decision.

They chose to listen to their own desires.

In Gethsemane – Jesus; fully human and fully God – faces a trial of his own.

I imagine the devil whispering in his ear:

“Run Jesus… The people you’re doing this for don’t even appreciate you – look, even your hand picked disciples are sleeping while you are praying and one of them, one you just shared your bread with is busy selling you out for 30 silver coins…”

So Jesus, grieved to the point of death by all of this; throws himself on a rock in the Garden of Gethsemane and cries out in prayer:

“Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”

- Matthew 26:39

* * *

I think we’ve all had our moments of doubt. When we have doubted ourselves, doubted those around us – and even doubted the Lord’s wisdom.

Moments of severe temptation – when we’ve thought more seriously than ever about giving up and going our own way rather than the way God is leading us.

I love that the gospel writers are honest enough with us to show that that struggle is a part of our humanity…

Jesus faces it.

The disciples – leaders and heroes of the earliest church – submit to temptation and sleep even when Jesus needs them most.

Scripture makes our frailty so clear.

Yet Jesus overcomes his temptation.

He overcomes it with the help of Holy Spirit within; but also I’m sure as he looks over his disciples.

‘The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’

He comments as he looks at them; knowing that they desire with all their hearts to support him in this hour of need. But knowing that in their flesh they are too weak.

‘For he knows how we were made;

he remembers that we are dust.’

- Psalm 103:14

Jesus’ recognizes the support of his disciples.

I’m sure the words of they hymn the disciples sang on their way from supper:

‘His love endures forever…’

Encourages him; as he remembers the cloud of saints who believe and sing that song.

And so – enduring the trial; preparing for his arrest and earthly trial – Jesus surrenders himself again to God:

‘My father,’ he prays ‘if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’

- Matthew 26:42

* * *

Jesus chooses obedience; ‘Thy will be done;’ when Adam chose disobedience in suiting his own desires; later on Paul will write to a church struggling to understand what Jesus has done:

‘As all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.’

- 2 Corinthians 15:22

Adam’s disobedience brought death, Christ’s obedience – brings life.

Jesus’ obedience changes the world.

Us

I think we’ve often used Jesus’ words for the disciples:

‘The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak…’

But I worry that we’ve had weak Spirits and weak Flesh. Our intentions have not been what they should be – and so our flesh hasn’t really had the opportunity to let us down.

Will you go the next step?

The time of trial is not the temptation to do something bad; rather – it is the temptation to not do what God has called us to do.

When God lays it on our hearts to share his love and grace with someone by offering to help or offering to share –

Yet we don’t because we come up with some excuse.

When God lays it on our hearts to offer our time and energy in his service; but we think of so many better things to do…

We come through the time of trial wanting.

* * *

Jesus understands our time of trial; he understands the weakness of our flesh – but he chooses obedience to show us the way of obedience. He goes through the Olive Press to show us that we too can get through.

I pray that in our own times of trial we would come through victorious.

Knowing our friends are praying for us – as Jesus knew.

Knowing our God is steadfast – as Jesus knew – with the words of the Psalm echoing through his mind on that day.

With that knowledge and courage – we can follow Jesus as we also pray:

‘Thy will be done.’

3 – Condemned by the Righteous

Having resolved to be obedient to the Father’s will – Jesus was arrested by a band of soldiers and taken to the house of the High Priest. Jesus – in obedience to the Father, chose to go willingly – even though; as he testified – he could have called 12 legions of angels to set him free.

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