Trusting God in times of Crisis: Mark 14:32-42- Jason Hoet

Trusting God in times of Crisis
Speaker: Jason Hoet
Date: 4 April
Passage: Mark 14:32-42
Series: Consuming Passions

Intro to the series
Each of the 4 historical accounts about Jesus slow down the week before Jesus dies, crucified as a criminal on a roman cross.
This was because in the minds of the early church- the center of the good news that Jesus brings was to be found here, in this event.

Introduction

The Archetype of Martyrs
Foxes book of Martyrs: Polycarp: p12

A serene suffering saint. Picture of absence of fear, confidence in God, pillar of strength
A romantic vision: in times of crisis- how does this help us?
We want heroes who are above our circumstances.
People who are mostly like us except they seem to access a little more than we can.
Help us to believe it is possible to rise above our sufferings.

Is that what we get here in Jesus?

Mk 14:32-42
Our passage picks up Jesus and his disciples, having finished their Passover meal, heading up the Mount of Olives to the garden of gethsemane for prayer. This appeared to be their regular practice, the disciples would have known it, and importantly so to Judas Iscariot- the betrayer. The Passover meal has been a strange one, Jesus has changed the ritual in ways that they struggled to understand and he has done things they struggled to comprehend- like washing their feet. But this is hardly unlike Jesus- he is always doing strange, but important things.

The group makes its way into the garden. Jesus leaves the main body- with instructions to pray- then with his 3 closest disciples goes a little further. It is then things start falling apart: he begins to be distressed, he hints that he is feeling like he is dying, to the 3 “stay here and keep watch.” A little further- he collapses, like the whole world rests on his shoulders, he groans “God – please no.”

Did I get it wrong? Is this overstated?

What do we see here in Jesus?
No romantic vision here. No serene saint.

Here we see a weak man, who needs for companionship, of God’s reassurance that this is the best way.
Who actually says
“soul overwhelmed to the point of death”
“take this cup from me”

Reshaping the passage- our theological editorials:
[insert]
- we dare not believe Jesus may be human like us.

If we came to this passage without our assumptions (that Jesus is superhuman): took it at face value- what would you see?

- a fearful, lonely, man in need of support from friends. Who prays to God to release him from his fate. And one who demonstrates extraordinary courage: “yet not my will, but yours”

And the thing is- we have never seen Jesus like this before.

We have seen Jesus
face the devil, pharisees, teachers of the day
Calm storms, wild man with over 100 demons, and walk on water
Heal lepers, paralytics bring the dead to life again
We have even seen him 3 times predict the manner in which he would die

Mk 10: 33-34 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

and in all this time we have never seen Jesus- be overwhelmed even to the point of death

We have seen Jesus be
Hungry, tired, angry, thirsty, mourn,
BUT we have never seen Jesus- be overwhelmed even to the point of death

If the man who can look the devil in the eye
OR face a mighty storm and with a word command it “be still”
Who up to this point NOTHING has overwhelmed.

If this man is overwhelmed.
If this man is wrestling with something that he says is literally killing him.
Then there is something MASSIVE going on here.

What is going on here: “take this cup from me”
Lately, there has been some effort made in us understanding the massive physical agony in Jesus’ torture and crucifixion. Is this what strikes at the heart of Jesus? No, there are some things worse than physical pain.

Jesus has 3 times foretold the nature of his own death. It is not the nature of his own death that overwhelms him. Jesus is not surprised by this. The text makes it clear God is in control here. What will happen happens because God the Father makes it so.

No, it is the nature of this “cup”: “take this cup from me.” This is our cup of our judgement and godforsakenness. Jesus is about to drink from our cup and take the punishment only the godless deserve. There are some things worse than physical pain, and one of those things is loneliness.

Scene from Patriot: killing of his family. Losing the people he loves most- his life is not worth living.
It is this that overwhelms Jesus. The Father and the Son are about to lose family.

The Son- who from eternity has never known a moment away from the Father. The Father- who from eternity has never known a moment away from the Son. This will be broken at the cross. The Father will give up his Son and forsake him for us. The Son will drink our cup and become forsaken for us.

All this will culminate with Jesus’ cry on the cross of absolute and utter loneliness: “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” And this will be a question they will both know the answer to. Why? For the love of their world.

But that battle, begins now- in the garden. With Jesus face in the dirt- knowing exactly what all this means. Knowing in the depths of his soul how much it will cost. Knowing that He does not want to do it. In the garden, in prayer.

Jesus’ response: ‘Abba’: not my will but yours be done”
Abba Father. Jesus prays. No other prayed like that. ‘Abba’ was a informal and intimate Aramaic word for father. Some Rabbi’s referred to God as our Father. but none prayed with such informality and intimacy, this is God we are talking to! Jesus did, this was his Father, Abba, he was talking to.

It is here- in the midst of Jesus seeking to do God’s will, in the midst of him wanting another way- Jesus prays Abba. The last word we would probably use. Wouldn’t GOD have been better, easier.

The conflict between what Jesus feels and what God wills doesn’t do what it does with us- drive a wedge between them.
[example: when we don’t get our own way- we want distance not closeness]

It draws Jesus close. He declares he is a Son by naming God Father. He shows he is the Son by praying “yet not my will but yours”.

content of prayer
Jesus reminds his disciples to be prayerful so as to not to fall into temptation.
The temptation of choosing our desires over God’s plans: not to do God’s will but what I will.

Loving God doesn’t mean you always want to face what God calls you to, but it does mean you choose to face it anyway.

There is something MASSIVE going on here.
AND the disciples sleep.

“this is the hour”
A few weeks before. James and John had voiced what was in the heart of all the disciples.
ask.
Mk 10:
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

When your hour comes, when all that stuff about you being ruler and king happens- can we sit one on the left the other on your right? These men hoped that when Jesus time came- so to would theirs.

They ate their way through the Passover meal, they wound their way up the mount of olives, they slept their way through the lonely agony of their teacher and master, they failed in obeying his final words to them: not realising the time they were living in. Not realising THIS is THAT hour. All their messianic hopes and expectations are about to be realised.

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” Jesus says.

And they sleep to rest. Their better rest would have been found in staying awake and praying.

Intentions cannot protect you in severe testing unless you have learned to seek God in prayer.

Conclusion
How do we respond to the inevitable in suffering?
- is God sovereign??
- what about praying for the sick??

"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

3 times Jesus prayed this prayer.
He has entered the garden in a way we have never seen him do before. Overwhelmed, even to the point of death.

But he doesn’t leave this way. Jesus rises to meet his destiny. He releases his future to the Father.

Jesus has fought the main battle- from now on there is this relentless, inevitable, drive to the cross. But it almost as if they are just playing out the game. The game here is won. The Son and the Father are united in will. Not even death and forsakenness will break it.

Listen to the determination. We are not going around this- we are going on.

Mk 14:41-42
Returning the third time, he said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"