Submission

Introduction

I am a city boy. Grew up in Nashville. Lived in Memphis for almost 24 years. My knowledge of farming hardly fills a thimble. But my grandparents were country folk. They live in a small town in Kentucky and now in their 90’s no longer have a garden, but when a boy they planted a garden every year. I was given the opportunity on a couple occasions to help them put in the garden. I’m sure I was more hindrance than help. Planting corn, several varieties of beans, okra, and other vegetables which young boys typically don’t like was to say the least an interesting experience. There is one thing for sure that I can say about a garden—it is a quiet place. It is a place where the telephone doesn’t ring nor does a news bulletin flash on the screen. It is you, the dirt, and the sun.

Perhaps the previous speaker made this observation: the Bible begins and ends with a garden. It begins with the Garden of Eden and ends with the Garden of Life in heaven. I don’t believe that is coincidence but speaks to God’s original intent being fulfilled in an eternity. Sandwiched between these two gardens are two other gardens. The garden of Gethsemane about which I will speak tonight and tomorrow night’s lesson on the garden of burial and resurrection. Both of these gardens highlight the commitment of Jesus to the plan that the Father and the Son devised before the creation of time.

I suppose that all of us know something about suffering. We know something about living up to commitments. We know something about struggling with our resolve to finish a task. Memorial Day weekend, I officiated at a wedding. The couple, like millions before them, exchanged vows of faithfulness and commitment. The next day they left on their honeymoon just south of Cancun, Mexico. By Wednesday of their honeymoon, the husband was being flown here in order to have emergency surgery for a broken hip. Almost $20,000 to fly him home and then new expenses associated with no paycheck for at least six weeks. Visiting with the couple in the hospital following surgery, the new bride said, “I made a commitment, I just didn’t know the ‘sickness’ part would kick in so soon.” Isn’t that the way it is. We struggle to live up to our commitments and what we find is that the struggle is often more difficult than we can ever imagine.

But it is going through the struggle which demonstrates our commitment. The person who doesn’t struggle either is without commitments or does not have the mental capacity to make commitments. For it is in the struggle that we discover who we really are. In the words of Winston Churchill, “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” Going through the struggle without losing our bearings confirms our faith and loyalty.

The Text

Let’s look at Luke 22 with some help from other texts and see the struggle of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Read 22:39-46.) Part of the problem that we have in coming to any text in regards to the night of Jesus’ betrayal is that we have read and heard the story so often that it loses its impact. Notice first that Luke doesn’t mention Gethsemane. We don’t get that fact from Luke, but from other writers. Luke’s job is to synthesize material from a variety of sources into a cohesive unit. He is writing a history. This fits with Luke’s intent. He is less concerned with identifying an exact location than making an overall point. To appreciate the overall point we must go back a little in the text.

In 22:31-38, Luke records the final conversation between Jesus and his disciples. Reclining around the table in that upper room, Jesus tells them that they are going to come under attack. Undoubtedly, the attack will come from those who want to kill Jesus. But Jesus highlights that the real attack is going to come from Satan. To Peter Jesus says that Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Staring Peter and every other disciple in the face is the reality that they are going to fail this night. That is the reason Peter responds so adamantly, “Lord I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Foolish words.

Jesus says the struggle is beginning Peter. The struggle that will pull at the core of your being. A struggle like you have never experienced before. It isn’t just a human struggle. It is a struggle for your very faith. And in one last attempt, Jesus quotes Isaiah 53 to them. They knew Isaiah 53. It is one of the suffering servant texts in Isaiah. They knew this text was about the coming Messiah. God’s chosen one would be numbered with the transgressors. Jesus is preparing them for the struggle. But they are not hearing him and they are not willing to give themselves to him. All the words and bravado are just that—idle chatter. They even hold up two swords. Jesus answers with frustration—“That’s enough.”

Now they enter the Mount of Olives and Luke allows us to see who is in charge. Jesus leads, the disciples follow. So Jesus turns to his disciples and he says “Pray.” Luke doesn’t mention Jesus taking three with him a little further away from the others. That isn’t important for his point. Look at verse 40 and verse 46. This is the parenthesis to the section. Jesus tells his disciples twice to pray. And in between three times Luke tells us that Jesus is praying. But Luke gives us another clue about this event.

Luke doesn’t tell us about coming back to the disciples and finding them sleeping two more times. For Luke it is one event. It is only Luke who tells us that an angel comes to strengthen Jesus. And it is only Luke who tells us that he is sweating profusely. Jesus is not sweating blood. Luke is using a simile to make the point. Huge drops of sweat are falling from Jesus’ brow. Why? He is in anguish. Luke tells us Jesus’ prayer: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” We should understand this is the gist of the prayer rather than Jesus repeating this over and over again.

Lessons

What Jesus demonstrates for us is the importance of the struggle in our journey of faith. And he tells us how to survive the struggle. If we are going to survive the struggles in our journey of faith we must learn to pray. The difficulty we face so often is the difficulty that Peter faced. So sure of self and confident of abilities that prayer is pushed aside. We will not endure in our journey of faith without prayer. But it isn’t just any prayer that will do. It is a prayer of submission. It is a prayer of weakness. It is a prayer that gives up your will in order for God’s will to be seen.

Some of us are like the little boy that James Dobson speaks of. The parents were having a hard time getting their son to sleep. He kept stalling, yelling downstairs, “Daddy, can I have a drink of water?” Dad said, “No, go on to sleep.” This went on and on. “Daddy, please bring me a drink of water.” “No. Go to sleep.” Finally the exasperated father said, “If you holler for water one more time, I’m going to come up there and give you a spanking.” Dead silence for about a minute. Then, “Hey Daddy, when you come up to spank me, could you bring me a drink of water?” That is too often the way we pray. We know what we want so we keep pestering God. Even if we have to get a “spanking” we know what we want.

But this is not how Jesus prayed. He prayed in submission. He prayed so that God could be seen. He quoted from Isaiah 53 before entering the garden. Jesus knew what was coming. In fact, he knew it from the beginning of his ministry. And with great probability, he knew it when he was 12 standing in the temple asking questions of educated men. “Father, if you are willing.” Mark’s gospel reads a bit different. “Father, everything is possible for you.” That’s the idea. Notice that Jesus’ prayer is in full confidence of what God can do but what is he willing to do is the question.

Jesus prays as one who is willing to obey the will of God—no matter what. This is the prayer that Jesus invites his disciples to pray as well. It is the prayer of submission. It is the prayer that is able to say “Whatever you want, I am willing to live it out for you.” Can you pray that prayer? Some prayers are offered because we don’t understand. Jesus understood what was happening. He who was sinless was going to take on the sins of all human beings. Being nailed to a cross was nothing compared to absorbing sin into a sinless body.

Mark gives some insight into this prayer which helps us to understand how it is possible to pray this prayer of submission. Mark tells us that the prayer Jesus offers begins with “Abba, Father.” We may not appreciate the word Abba. It means dad or father—an intimate, familial term. “Dad, take this cup from me. Don’t let me go through this. If it’s possible, let me do something else. But I want what you want.” The prayer of submission comes from one whose heart understands that God is Father. God is like the dad who wants what is best for you but refuses to take away the pain because it is in the pain that lessons are learned. This is going to be Jesus’ final lesson. The Hebrew writer tells us that Jesus had to learn obedience through death. Not that he was deficient. He solidified it. He confirmed it. He revealed that he is completely obedient to God.

God came and helped Jesus finish the race. It was in the garden that Jesus made his decision. I am not ignoring the physical suffering of the beating and crucifixion. But the decision to submit to God was made in the garden and when the decision to submit was made, the physical suffering was part of the decision. Can you pray the prayer of submission? I like the way Matthew and Mark reveal the decision. Rise! Here comes the betrayer! In other words, the decision is made. Jesus goes to his death knowing that God’s decision has been made. He will suffer in silence. He will not cry out in pity. He will take our stripes and he will suffer for our transgressions and God’s glory will be seen.

It is in the garden where it is just you and your surroundings. It is in the garden where the prayer of submission can be prayed. And it is in the garden that we leave to reveal God’s glory. Prayer.

---

Follow Jesus

If you’d like to respond to this message or learn more about following Jesus, please reach out.