Giving In
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Giving In
Giving In
Jesus is through teaching. In short, his ministry on earth in human form has come to an end.
Today, we are going to cover quite a few verses.
We will look at the imagery a bit more than usual too.
The topic we are going to look at is contained in our first few verses.
Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
He is going from an upstairs room to a mountain.
Up and up.
We ignore these kind of details, but they are in there for a reason.
This imagery of going up and going down are not always about the geography of the land.
But, what we are interested in is this statement from Jesus...
“Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
Give in: Enter into, go into.
Temptation: Testing
Jesus is saying, “The Test, the Temptation has arrived.”
Pray you won’t fail, Pray you will succeed.
(Lord’s prayer) Keep us from entering temptation, from failing the test.
THREE EXAMPLES of the TEST this morning.
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
Remember, he went from an upper room, up to a mountain
Then down to pray.
We are not going to spend a great deal of time on the your will not mine. I think that has been sufficiently covered. This is Jesus’ choice.
An angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.
NOTE: These last two verses do not appear in ancient manuscripts.
What does he use this strength for?
To pray fervently...
He has asked for the suffering to be removed
God sends an angel to strengthen him to pray more.
Like great drops of blood falling to the ground.
We heard of this the first time when Cain killed Abel
(I hear his blood crying out from the ground)
At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
Okay, remember those two verses about an angel visiting.
How could anyone know that happened if they all were asleep?
In Mark and Matthew this event is expanded, and Jesus wakes them three times until they don’t even know what to answer him when he chastises them to stay awake and pray.
They know something is different.
They know there is a traitor among them.
Jesus has told them he must die.
They are stressed and in grief.
So they sleep instead of pray.
This was the first test, the first temptation of three.
When Jesus was in need, when someone was suffering, they slept.
But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Modern day Christians will twist scripture to justify their wickedness and do it with a kiss.
Many Christians will betray their faith through the week and on Sunday kiss Jesus, as if nothing is wrong.
We don’t want to believe we are Judas, but we are.
When I say that you might feel guilt. That is okay.
Better to be honest than to lie to yourself.
Aside from the personal perspective, the scene has to be paralyzing to the others. Jesus is not phased.
When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.
But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
They really thought the swords were to fight.
The prophecy has come true, he is among a group of transgressors (Psalm 53)
Yet, he is going to bear their sin.
No more of this - This is NOT permitted!!!
Now, WHEN TEMPTED, what are they to do?
Pray!
This is the second test, the second of three
When they came for Jesus, the disciples attacked
Jesus healed
Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”
This is the hinge of the section...
NOTICE:
The LEADING PRIESTS are WITH the TEMPLE GUARD and the ELDERS (PURPOSE ARRANGEMENT)
They are to bring instruction, wisdom, but they BRING SWORDS and CLUBS (just like DISCIPLES)
YOUR MOMENT…POWER OF DARKNESS REIGNS
Reigning through WHO? Humans.
For how long?
the phrase, “is your moment,” is not in the original.
It would be, “But this is your time/hour when darkness will reign.”
So they arrested him and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there. A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”
But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!”
After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!”
“No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted.
About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.”
But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
This is the THIRD OF THREE TESTS
At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.
Somehow, Jesus knew what would happen before it happened.
That is a discussion for another day.
Rather, let’s look at the result of Peter’s denial.
He LEAVES…JUST LIKE WE FEEL LIKE WE WANT TO WHEN WE FAIL PUBLICLY
The guards in charge of Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy to us! Who hit you that time?” And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him.
Jesus does nothing to deserve this and he is not responding to it.
This is the same troop that just saw their BROTHER IN ARMS have HIS EAR HEALED!
I am going to leave this verse up for just a moment…I want you to think about how this makes you feel.
What thoughts come through your mind?
What does it cause you to believe?
Have you been in, or are in, a situation where your faith, perhaps Jesus himself, is UNDER ATTACK?
Jesus said this is the time that Darkness will Reign, for a time.
The temptation, the tests come in darkness
The disciples failed to pray
Jesus prayed through the temptation
The armed disciple failed to sheathe his sword
Jesus healed his enemy
Inner circle disciple Peter failed to stand among the guards
Jesus remains with the guards saying nothing
When being struck, Jesus remains silent.
When Jesus comes under attack…WHAT IS THE RESPONSE.
Yes, I KNOW THERE ARE MANY OT REFERENCES, but we are not looking at those today.
The disciples give in to anguish and sleep
The disciples give in to rage and assault
The disciples give in to fear and flee
Jesus gives in to sorrow and trusts
There is a tremendous difference