Agony in the Garden
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Introduction
Introduction
The Garden a place of God’s presence and protection, safety amid temptation.
A Prayer Battleground
A Prayer Battleground
Jesus tells the diciples to pray, so that they may not enter into temptation. This is a battle he will fight in prayer and he knows his disciples will fight as well. If they will follow him, they will fight the battle too.
Moments before the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus and his final moments are spent in prayer. While the cross has not come to affect his body yet, it is doubtless already affecting his mind. The cruelty of Roman execution coupled with the infinately more terrorfying wrath of God towards his enemies is brought out in intesity that brings the Son of God to his weakest moment.
So Jesus warns his disciples that temptation is coming. The real danger here is not the soldiers, the priests, the Romans or the rulers. The danger here is temptation. Temptation hits us when we’re down, taking advantage of our weaknest and most vulnerable moments. Just as a soccar player shoots, not at the goalie, but at the part of the goal that is least protected, Satan uses our darkness to bring out his demons to lure our own fleshly desires. Jesus was tempted first while in the wilderness, where his faith, despite being tested severely, was strong. But here is the darkest moment, not only in the written life of Jesus, but in the history of humanity. Here a soul, fully divine and yet fully human, had to deal with the prospect of unimaginable and unpresidented suffering all for the sake of those he loved. You can think about the worst situations and instances of suffering that can last a lifetime and these are only tastes of the results of sin, the majourity of which God holds back from this world in patience and mercy. The full measure is what Christ was facing all at once on the cross and it was only hours away.
So this is by far the greatest temptation ever faced by any human being ever. There is no way that any human, in their own strength, could have the love, the willpower, and the devotion to face this, especially willingly. Jesus, knowing that he and his followers are about to face such intense temptation, points them to prayer as the sole solution. He knows that in our weak human nature we are unable to resist animalistic, self-worshipping tendancy. Knowing the ignorance and spiritual immaturity of the Disciples, this is not surprising. But then Jesus prays, by himself, about his own temptation.
He prays for removal of the the temptation.
He prays for the removal of his suffering if possible, and does not see the urge to avoid suffering as sinful, only the persuit of that desire at all costs.
He leaves it to the will of the Father, not presuming that his fleshly desire is right.
When Jesus fought sin, he fought sinful desires in his own flesh and did not presume to fight them alone. Jesus relies on the grace of the Father, not the strength of the flesh, to endure this temptation.
The angel God’s gracious provision. The prayer is answered helpfully, although not positively. God provides help in the trial, but does not remove it.
The battle does not get easier from here, but harder. Jesus fights the desires of his own flesh, sinlessly navigating thoughts and preparing himself for the wrath of God. This struggle is both victorious and painful as Matthew and Mark elaborate on by using words that emphasise the mental distress of this moment.
A note on the word “agony”.
The Disciples
The Disciples
“sleeping for sorrow” their faith lacking so that they are overcome with sorrow and depression that eventually exhausts them and causes them to fall asleep.
Jesus asks them why they are sleeping? The embarrassing answer is their lack of faith and reliance on the Father, which is what will cause their betrayal after Jesus’ arrest.
Repetition of the original imperrative” Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Fathfulness of Christ on the cross and the work he did there are based on a faith in the Father that manifests in intense war with the flesh in prayer. The Father gives him the grace to accomplish it, but only for the battle to get more intense. Because of his victory over these desires, victory accomplished by faith, he claims victory on the cross.
The victory over temptation finalized here as a victory over sin itself.
The imperative at the cross is to follow in the steps of Christ, here particularily in his reliance on God in prayer and watchfulness for the temptation that he endured.