Our Great High Priest
Luke 22:39-46
December 6, 2020
This morning we come to the infamous account of
Jesus praying in the garden before He would be arrested.
You are familiar with His infamous prayer that God
Might let this cup pass, yet not My will but Yours be done.
John doesn’t include this event.
• He includes instead the High Priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 and then mentions that Jesus went to the garden, but doesn’t mention this specific moment.
Matthew and Mark show the more drawn out version.
• Where Jesus leaves 8 of the disciples near the gate of the garden
• He takes Peter, James, and John in closer and even leaves them to pray alone
• He tells them to pray
• He goes off to pray and returns to find them sleeping
• He wakes them up and tells them again to pray
• He goes off to pray again
• He then returns and again finds them sleeping, Mark says they didn’t know what to say that time.
• He goes off to pray again.
• He comes back a third time and found them sleeping again.
Luke’s version is a little more condensed.
And Luke seems to show a little more compassion toward the disciples
As only Luke regards why they were sleeping.
He says in verse 45 that they were “sleeping from sorrow”.
They were overcome with the gravity of
What Jesus had just told them was about to happen.
On the other hand Matthew and Mark say nothing
• About the angel coming to strengthen Jesus
• Or about Him sweating drops of blood.
It becomes apparent to us that Luke’s focus for the event is temptation.
• You have Jesus warning the disciples to pray not to enter temptation.
• Jesus then prays that this cup might pass from Him
• He returns to remind the disciples to again pray not to enter temptation.
The point rings our loudly in the text.
And what we will find is that
While the disciples should have prayed to escape temptation,
Jesus had to enter it.
He entered temptation out of NECESSITY.
They will enter temptation out of APATHY.
Jesus had to be tempted, the disciples did not.
Jesus faced it correctly and defeated it,
The disciples faced it wrongly and stumbled badly.
ONE MIGHT ALSO draw parallels to the first and second Adam.
• It was Adam who squared off with Satan in the first garden and who
succumbed to temptation and plunged humanity into sin.
• It is Jesus, the second Adam who again squares of with Satan in the second
garden but who overcomes and delivers humanity from sin.
But our goal is to remain true to Luke’s text and Luke’s point.
So for our time THIS MORNING, I want to show you how
• While the disciples were totally dropping the ball in agony and sorrow,
• Christ was overcoming
• So that He could do for them what they could not and would not do for themselves.
Let’s break this passage down into 4 point this morning.
#1 HIS CUSTOM
Luke 22:39
It is an interesting verse that reminds us yet again of
The steadfast determination of Christ.
We remember when it was time to take the Passover,
• How Jesus kept their location hidden so that Judas couldn’t betray Him there.
• Remember back in 22:10-13 how Peter and John were supposed to enter a city where they would see a man carrying a water pot and they were supposed to follow Him to the upper room.
• Jesus was determined to take that Passover with the disciples and He would not allow Judas to betray Him before it occurred.
But now, Jesus is yielding Himself up so His itinerary is no longer secret.
HE IS INTENTIONALLY PREDICTABLE.
“And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives;”
This is NOT some random place, this is His normal and routine campsite.
All the disciples had been here with Him for several days.
Luke 21:37 “Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet.”
And even more important is what John reveals:
John 18:1-2 “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.”
• He is clearly not hiding.
• He is not running from His destiny.
• His hour has now come and He is here.
His commitment is marvelous.
He is offering Himself up for sinners.
It is also important to note that “the disciples also followed Him.”
For all the mistakes they make and failures they exhibit,
It is still important to note that
What Jesus said of them in the upper room still holds true.
They are still those who stand by Him in His trials.
• They know He announced betrayal…
• They know He announced arrest…
• They know He announced death…
• They know He announced sifting…
• They know He announced be labeled a fugitive…
• They know He announced the need of a sword…
BUT STILL THEY ARE HERE.
That is a good thing.
But the point is that Jesus is not in hiding.
• He IS NOT running from His calling or His mission.
• He IS pitching His tent in plain sight of His enemies.
His Custom
#2 HIS COMMAND
Luke 22:40
So they arrive at the garden.
And as is typically the case, only Jesus is truly aware of the situation.
He knows what is coming, the disciples are not as discerning.
And Jesus knows that the disciples cannot handle what is coming
So He gives them an interesting command.
“Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
That is an interesting command, and one that warrants examination.
• He does NOT say, “Pray that you may endure temptation.”
• He does NOT say, “Pray that you may overcome temptation.”
He says, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Not the first time:
Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]”
The command here is for the disciples to pray
That they are never even tempted.
Jesus is here specifically to be tempted.
But the temptation of the disciples is not necessary.
And one would think that after the recent warning that
Satan is gunning for them,
That the disciples would have headed such a warning
And would have been praying like crazy
That his sifting would not present itself.
But if you’ll remember, they weren’t concerned about it.
Their response was “Bring it On!”
We’re ready to go to prison or die if we need to.
BUT JESUS TOLD THEM TO PRAY NOT TO ENTER IT.
Have you ever considered such a command from the Lord?
• A confident man might pray, God give me the strength to endure temptation when it comes.
• But a humble man, a weak man might pray, God spare me from such that is stronger than I.
A man aware of the weakness of his flesh…
A man aware of his past history of failure…
A man aware of his spiritual bankruptcy…
Has no problem praying to never even be entered into temptation.
David Mathis wrote: (Desiring God website)
When we pray not only against our sin, but against temptation to sin, we display a maturing humility. We acknowledge our weakness and the power of sin. And we remember our Father’s heart for holiness and for our good. God “himself tempts no one” (James 1:13). The blame for sin falls squarely on the sinner. “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). And yet God, in his grace and mercy, delights to keep us from many temptations — countless times perhaps even when we fail to ask, and how many precious instances in direct response to our asking?
If we take seriously the depths of sin in us, and the depths of mercy in our Father, we will heed the words of Jesus, and the commentary of John Owen: “Let no man pretend to fear sin that does not fear temptation also! These two are too closely united to be separated. He does not truly hate the fruit who delights in the root.” For the sake of truth and good conscience, we distinguish temptation from sin, and for the sake of holiness and joy, we do not separate them. And so we pray not only against our sins, but our temptations.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/do-you-pray-against-temptation
Jesus understood this, where the disciples did not.
• He knew what was coming, they dismissed it.
• He knew Satan would sift, they had already boasted to let him try.
• He told them to pray to not even be tempted, they would ignore the command.
It is clear that ONLY JESUS
KNEW THE TRUE STRUGGLE of what was about to immerge.
Jesus had come to this garden so that He could be easily found
By Judas and the army he was bringing.
But Judas was not here yet.
Now would be a TIME TO WAIT.
• No doubt the anxiety would grow…
• No doubt the mind would run away with “what if” scenarios…
• No doubt the uncertainty of arrest and torture and death would captivate…
And the waiting might just be the worst part.
For in this waiting Satan would be coming
To do everything he could to turn Jesus away from the cross
And His work to redeem humanity.
IT WAS GOING TO BE A LONG DIFFICULT NIGHT.
Prayer was in order, but only Jesus seemed to know that.
It is a simple encouragement to you and me as well,
Not only to pray in the midst of temptation,
But to also pray that some temptations never even come.
His Custom, His Command
#3 HIS CRY
Luke 22:41-44
Here is the heart of the passage.
Here is the praying of Jesus in the middle of the garden.
But there is something going on here that you may not realize
That is of absolute essential importance.
Some of you are listening to the daily devotions we put out on the church podcast or livestream through the book of Hebrews.
This past week I recorded one that will come active I think on Tuesday.
(I’m going to give you a spoiler this morning)
TURN TO: HEBREWS 5
Now the point is that
1. Having a High Priest is necessary
2. And that there are certain qualifications and requirements that one must meet in order to be a high priest.
Things like:
1. Must be a man, from among men (you want him to be sympathetic and just as desperate as you)
2. Must go to God to negotiate a remission of judgment
3. Must be one that God is willing to deal with.
Think of him as a sort of a negotiator.
• You have sinful man on one side and God on the other
• And sinful man has realized that if this goes to war, God will kill us all.
• So we need to send someone to God to negotiate terms of peace.
THIS IS WHAT A HIGH PRIEST DID.
He took the gifts and offerings to God in order to negotiate appeasement.
Now two very important verses about every high priest are found in Hebrews 5:2-3
(2-3) “he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.”
Those two verses are NOT about Jesus,
They are about every high priest in general.
The point is that
You want to send someone who is in just as much danger as you are.
Why?
• So that he will negotiate like his own life depends upon it.
• So that he won’t take “no” for an answer.
It is not wise to send someone who is not in danger with you,
Or else he might not care enough to make sure you get off.
How much more effective would your defense attorney be if he/she was forced to share in your punishment if you are convicted?
You get the idea.
NOW THAT PRESENTS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM FOR US
When we say that Jesus is now our high priest,
Why?
Because Jesus was perfect, sinless, and was not ignorant or beset with weakness, and did not have sin that needed to be atoned for.
So at the outset Jesus DOESN’T look like a great high priestly candidate
Because there is some question as to whether or not
He will negotiate with the kind of desperation that we need.
• Will He be desperate?
• Will He negotiate like His life depends on it?
• Will He refuse to take “no” for an answer?
Well, notice the writer of Hebrews has an answer to that dilemma.
(7-8) “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”
We find out that this Jesus “in the days of His flesh…offered up both prayer and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death…”
NOW PAUSE RIGHT THERE FOR A MINUTE,
Keep your finger in Hebrews, and turn back to Luke 22.
(41-44) “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”
So here we have what the writer of Hebrews is talking about.
The day when Jesus cried out to God
Because God could save Him from death.
The specific prayer is “remove this cup from Me”
Now this is important because it helps us understand
What Jesus really hopes to escape.
If you think that Jesus is in the garden grieving over
The coming physical pain of arrest and crucifixion
YOU ARE NOT UNDERSTANDING THE SCENE.
“this cup” is NOT a reference to physical death,
IT IS A REFERENCE TO GOD’S WRATH.
Psalms 11:6 “Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.”
Psalms 75:8 “For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams; It is well mixed, and He pours out of this; Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.”
You can read Isaiah 51, Jeremiah 25, Ezekiel 23, and many others
And see references to this cup of God’s wrath.
It is more than death, it is destruction, it is condemnation,
It is the eternal wrath and fury of God on sinners.
Now, the interesting thing is that here in the garden,
This is the cup that Jesus is facing.
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
SO WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Jesus is here doing exactly what the writer of Hebrews said.
(Flip back over there)
He is crying out “to the One able to save Him from death”.
(that is condemnation)
DO YOU SEE THIS?
JESUS HAS NOW BEGUN IDENTIFYING WITH SINNERS.
Let me ask you,
• Do you remember when you first experienced conviction of your sin?
• Do you remember the horror of the moment when you realized that you were at enmity with God?
• Do you remember the fear the day you realized that God, in His justice, would send you to hell?
It is a horrible feeling; it is an awful moment.
Indeed it is meant to drive you to Jesus for salvation.
But do you remember the horror and fear and dread of hell?
THAT IS WHAT JESUS IS FEELING HERE.
Now, IT IS IMPORTANT for you to realize that
He is NOT feeling that because He sinned and deserves it.
In fact, the writer of Hebrews says that in this prayer, which Jesus prayed, (7) “He was heard because of His piety.”
• That is to say God heard His prayer
• Because He was so righteous and so pious and so devout.
• God, in His holy justice, would have and must have delivered Christ in this
garden when He prayed this prayer.
Where it not for the fact that Jesus also prayed,
“yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
God would have otherwise immediately delivered Him.
BUT HERE IS WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Look at Hebrews 5:8 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”
Saying He learned obedience DOES NOT MEAN that He was rebellious but God taught Him how to obey. No, He always did the Father’s will.
The obedience spoken of here is spoken of in an experiential sense.
He identified with you, He entered your suffering,
He embraced your condemnation so that He would know your struggle.
REMEMBER, when you send a priest before God you want someone who will negotiate for you like His life depends upon it.
Can you see that this is WHAT JESUS IS LEARNING in the garden?
Can you see that this is exactly what He is doing?
In the garden He also is feeling
The fear and horror of the full condemnation of God.
That fear you felt when you realized
That God would crush you in hell for all eternity,
Is what Christ is feeling here.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS
• In your fear you could cry out to Christ to save you from such a fate
• Christ can’t escape it; He must face it if you are to be saved.
Now do you understand His qualification to be your priest?
Now do you understand why His temptation was necessary?
Now do you understand why He is in such turmoil?
He is looking the full wrath of God right in the face
Because He has chosen to identify Himself with our sin.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
WHAT AN AWESOME SAVIOR WE HAVE!
SO NOW, BACK IN LUKE, HE IS IN AGONY.
And a beautiful thing occurs which only Luke mentions.
(43) “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”
What is this?
It is clearly the help and encouragement of God the Father.
While Christ has determined to bear up under the load of our sin,
His sacrifice is not overlooked by the Father.
And while an angel of darkness (Satan)
Would tempt Christ to forsake us and leave the garden,
God would send a holy angel to encourage Him to endure.
Speaking about angels, the writer of Hebrews says:
Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
Well that is clearly what this angel is doing.
• He is render service to Christ on our behalf.
• He is encouraging Christ so that we might be saved.
So not only do you have Christ, the Son, identifying with us
And facing our condemnation and feeling our guilt,
But you also have God the Father at work on our behalf
Encouraging Christ to continue.
John 16:32 “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
It is the Father’s encouragement we see here
In the sending of this angel to minister to Him.
And all this, while the disciples are sleeping.
• Tell me again how it is you worked so hard for your salvation?
• Tell me again how it is that you are saved because of something you did.
Here is the battle.
Here is the war.
And the disciples are contributing nothing.
Salvation is by grace alone
Do not insult the agony of Christ or the sovereignty of the Father
By asserting that anything you did contributed to your salvation.
Sinners are saved because of the work of God and God alone.
Can you see that here?
AND THAT IS NOT ALL.
Luke wants you to understand the extreme agony that Christ is under.
• He is facing the full fury of the wrath of God…
• He is facing total condemnation…
• He is facing that bitter cup…
And because He is keenly aware of what that means,
His response is fitting.
Luke captures it in a way that only a physician could.
(44) “And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”
• Now certainly, as with everything, there is debate as to whether Jesus actually
sweat blood or if His sweating was just compared to blood falling.
• The obvious point here is that one might compare sweating to a lot of things,
but comparing it to blood is bizarre unless the actual medical condition is in
view.
The condition is called HEMATIDROSIS which is rare,
But is caused by extreme mental and emotional strain, causing subcutaneous capillaries to dilate and burst, releasing blood mingled with sweat.
(MacArthur, John [MacArthur New Testament Commentary; Luke 18-24; Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 2014] pg. 306)
And that seems to be precisely what Luke, the physician, is describing.
• Jesus was in “agony”
• Jesus was “praying very fervently”
• And that agony was seen in the very blood mingled sweat that was falling off
His face.
Jesus, for the first time, was facing what a sinner feels
When He comes under the condemnation of God.
• He was identifying with you.
• He was beginning to bear your sin.
• He was understanding the full effect of “being sin on our behalf”
And so you understand His cry.
Do you see what a tremendous Savior He is?
Do you see what a qualified Savior He is?
Do you see how He loves us?
Do you see the price of your atonement?
Do you see the weight of the guilt of your sin?
We enjoy “no condemnation” because Jesus faced condemnation for us.
We enjoy “peace with God” because Jesus was put at enmity with God.
We enjoy “eternal life” because Jesus drank the cup of death from God.
And the horror of that price is shown to us so clearly in the garden.
When you look at the garden,
• Don’t walk away talking about the power of prayer.
• Don’t walk away talking about practical steps of intercession.
• Don’t walk away talking about the importance of staying awake.
TALK ABOUT THIS.
• That Christ identified with sinners
• That He felt the full weight of the condemnation of God
• That He learned the fear of hell and judgment
• And that it caused Him such grief that He sweat drops of blood.
And let the warning echo in your ear:
“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Jesus did.
And He did it for you.
And as the writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 5:9 “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”
WHAT A SAVIOR!
His Custom, His Command, His Cry
#4 HIS CONCERN
Luke 22:45-46
As we noted, Luke doesn’t go into the long diatribe
Of all the times Jesus came back and found them sleeping.
But Luke doesn’t totally omit it either.
But Luke also reveals why they slept.
(45) “When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,”
What do you mean?
John 16:5-6 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”
The disciples were now contemplating life without Jesus
And they were grieved.
And in their pity, instead of praying,
They tried to escape their pain through sleep.
Jesus specifically told them to do otherwise, but they ignored Him.
(46) “and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
So Jesus returns to the warning He gave them at the beginning.
What do we make of this?
• Do you see the concern of the Savior?
• The conflict of His soul extends beyond His own suffering.
Even while facing God’s wrath and the condemnation that is coming,
Jesus has still maintained His concern for the disciples
And their coming sifting.
Can you see that He is in fact a merciful and faithful high priest?
• They should have been consoling Jesus…
• They should have been praying for escape from temptation…
• They should have been doing something…
• Instead, wrapped in self-pity and disillusionment they did nothing.
• They didn’t pray…
• They didn’t comfort…
• They slept…
HERE IS THE GLORIOUS PICTURE AGAIN.
Christ was doing for them
What they could not and would not do for themselves.
THAT IS A GREAT HIGH PRIEST!
He never wrote them off…
• He endured
• He prayed
• He interceded
• He encouraged
• He warned
ALL THE WAY TO THE END.
• His concern is evident.
• He is a great and awesome Savior.
• He is fighting for them when they don’t even fight for themselves.
And passages come to mind like:
Hebrews 2:16-18 “For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
• He bore the terrible wrath of God on your behalf…
• He felt the terror and the sting of condemnation…
• And now, He negotiates before God like His life depends on it,
• For He knows the horror of God’s judgment.
He did that for you.
What a Savior!
Praise Him, adore Him, submit to Him, trust Him!
