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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
It was said of Jesus in the book of Hebrews, “who for the joy, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross and scorning its shame.” And yet, in this evening’s text, we see not so much joy at all. Can the two coexist inside of our God-man Jesus? And the answer is absolutely they can. They did. But what your Lord Jesus reveals to you is the great pain and sorrow and suffering of obeying the will of the Father.
This is the first time recorded in Scripture. So taking it from that, this is the first time these disciples have ever seen Jesus greatly troubled and distressed. Never before, throughout all of their years with Him, did they ever see His face with such consternation. This is the first time they had ever heard come from Jesus’ lips words that expressed what they saw in His countenance. Words that mirrored exactly what they perceived in looking at Him. His words were, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.” He is not referring to the pain and the suffering involved physically with what He is going to endure. He is talking about pain that you know and I know as human beings. In the sinful way, you can’t put a band-aid on a broken heart. You can’t bind up something that is inside of you, which is where He is struggling deeply for you.
They had seen Jesus pray many times, but they had never seen Him fall on the ground prostrate and pray. This is a very important scene for us to hear and to see in our mind’s eye because there’s no other scene like this in all of Scripture. When He is on the cross, He speaks words that are from Scripture, but these are not words from Scripture. “My soul is very sorrowful even to death.” The writer to the Hebrews said He was with joy went to the cross, and yet you and I do not see joy there. All we know is His severe humanity struggling. Not like you and I struggle. We struggle with sin. Our Lord does not, but He was tempted and sifted. Tempted and sifted. And does not shirk His obedience.
He’s disciplined. For 33 years, He’s been disciplined by the Lord. Now when you and I struggle, we do all we can to avoid the struggle. There are all kinds of back ways or ways to skirt the issue in order to accomplish what we want and not struggle. It’s too hard. And when we do, we usually have someone with us, someone who justifies us and our actions as well. Not your Lord Jesus. He is alone in the garden. Oh, He’s surrounded by His friends, but He has to suffer this alone. You will never have to suffer death alone. You will always have the Father’s face pointing toward you with joy and acceptance. Only your Lord faced death truly alone and obeyed, willingly giving Himself up for you that you would never face that.
He entrusted Himself into the Father’s hands just as that psalm was written. The Father rescues Him because He loves Him and He trusts in Him. But there’s something that you have to remember. When Jesus comes back the second time, He talks to Peter and says, “Peter, watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation.” Peter wasn’t going to get tempted for hours later. He’s telling him, watch and pray now. He did not tell him how this was all going to play out, but he’s warning him. Your Lord warns you, watch and pray, lest you too fall into temptation.
And then the Lord says something very interesting. He makes this interesting dichotomy between the spirit and the flesh. He says, “The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.” And we’re tempted to look at that statement and say, “Okay, we give up.” Do not give up because Jesus makes a promise to you at the very beginning as He made a promise to Peter.
The Spirit is willing. Who is within your bosom that you received at your baptism but His clean and holy Spirit? Who is it by whom you call out, “Father, Abba,” and He hears but that same Spirit who dwells within you that is willing to call upon Him? Why are you even here tonight, having fought the traffic after a day of work? Is the same Spirit who moves you to do so? Who is it that you are unable to walk with the Father? And by whom is it also that He’s able to work within you? That which is well-pleasing in Him.
The same Spirit that is willing, that is willing… Who is it by whom Peter and you can watch and pray, but by that same Spirit that’s willing to watch and willing to pray? And who is the Spirit that tells you, do not trust your flesh, it will always lead you astray? That same Spirit. He gives you the power to say yes to what God is proclaiming because you are His child and it’s willing within you. Jesus’ promise. And He’s also the one, that Spirit, enabling you to say no to the flesh.
The hour has come for us to repent. Repent for our disobedience in doubting that the Spirit in us is really willing. Giving up and saying, “No, I’m not willing” is really what we’re saying. The Spirit is, but I’m not willing. So who’s saying “I’m not willing”? It has to only be the flesh. And for that, we must repent. But it is that willing spirit that enables you to be disciplined by the Father, as it disciplined the Son perfectly for us and our lack of obedience.
If the Spirit is willing, as Jesus promised and proclaimed, then you too can say yes to the Spirit and no to the flesh. Interesting, isn’t it? At the very end, Jesus says, “The hour has come. Rise, let’s be going.” And so His words to you also. “Rise, let’s be going.” The hour has come for us to repent, to renew our obedience because the Spirit is willing within us.
In the name of Jesus, Amen. We rise. The peace of God which passes all understanding. Keep your hearts and your minds on Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.
