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“Live From Jerusalem: The Garden of Gethsemane” Matthew 26:36-56 *Click for Audio* Pastor Kevin Vogts Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas Lent Service III—March 3, 2021 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The theme of the meditations for our Lent services this year is “Live from Jerusalem,” looking at the events of Holy Week. Imagine watching all these dramatic scenes on a high definition, big screen TV, with each day’s events being like a chapter index on a DVD. We began on Ash Wednesday by looking at the first scene of Holy Week, “The Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Last week we continued with chapters two and three, Jesus teaching the people and confronting his enemies on Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week in “The Temple Courts.” As I mentioned last week, the middle day of Holy Week is traditionally called “Spy Wednesday” because that is the day Judas agreed to betray Jesus. It seems Jesus spent this day resting in nearby Bethany at the home of his close friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. One final day of peace before embarking on the epic, terrible final scenes of Holy Week, with which we are most familiar, on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We are skipping right now the Last Supper in “The Upper Room” because will consider that scene on Maundy Thursday. So, tonight we hit the fast-forward button and move ahead to the events that took place after the Last Supper, later on the evening of Maundy Thursday in “The Garden of Gethsemane.” “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane.” Most major cities in the ancient world were situated on high ground, because that made them more defensible. Jerusalem is located on Mt. Zion, a steep hill surrounded by ravines. I’ve walked these hills and valleys in my visits there and it’s quite a hike up to the top. The ravine on the eastern side of Jerusalem is called the Kidron Valley. Across this valley rises another steep hill, which is called the Mount of Olives, because in both ancient times and still today its terraced slopes are covered with olive trees. Located about halfway up the slope of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane. You can still visit it today, and this is one location of events from the Bible that we are quite certain about. There is a lot of archaeological and historical evidence to confirm that this is indeed the same Garden of Gethsemane spoken of in the Gospels. The word “Gethsemane” means “oil press.” Apparently, the Garden of Gethsemane was where a large stone press was located in ancient times to crush the olives and extract their oil. Recently, new archaeological evidence has been discovered probably of the very ancient oil press from which the Garden of Gethsemane was given its name. There is an interesting symbolism to the word Gethsemane meaning literally to “crush” or “press.” “He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” That night in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was not olives, but our Lord himself who was “crushed” and “pressed” excruciatingly, as the sins of the whole world weighed down upon him. “He fell with his face to the ground and prayed.” Jesus shows us by his example how to cope when we are overwhelmed with trouble and sorrow. As James says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” “He returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter.” This scene is depicted in the woodcut on the cover of this evening’s bulletin, Jesus earnestly praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, while his disciples sleep. Jesus himself explains the symbolism for us: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The sleep of the disciples symbolizes the weakness of our flesh, to which we so often yield. Throughout Scripture sleep also symbolizes death, which is the punishment we deserve for falling into temptation. “He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup be taken from me.” Imagine drinking from a cup of deadly acid which you know will sear your throat and kill you. The “cup” Jesus speaks of was far more terrifying than that. The “cup” Jesus speaks of was symbolic of the torture he was about to endure. The physical torture, flogged, beaten, crucified; and especially the spiritual torture, the sinless Son of God taking upon himself the sins of the world, suffering on the cross the damnation we deserve. As Peter says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” When Jesus prays, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup be taken from me,” he is saying, “If it is possible to redeem the world some other way, without me drinking this horrible cup of death and wrath and damnation, then let this cup be taken from me.” Isaiah says, “It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.” Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection was not a mistake, or a plot of the devil, but “the Lord’s will,” God’s eternal plan for the salvation of the world. For, there was no other way to save us from our sins except for God’s own Son to give himself as an atoning sacrifice. As Hebrews says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus willingly sacrificed himself for you. “I am the Good Shepherd,” he says, “. . . and I lay down my life for the sheep. . . No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” John says, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.” That is what Jesus did for you, by his suffering, by his death on the cross, by his resurrection. On account of his sacrifice, you are forgiven, you are cleansed in God’s sight of every sin. “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Perhaps you have seen news stories about famous actors and politicians, who chastise typical Americans like you and me about our so-called “carbon footprint,” but it turns out that they themselves live in huge mansions, and travel in limousines and private jets. Jesus had told his disciples, “This is how you should pray . . . Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and Jesus was not a hypocrite like those actors and politicians. For, at this most critical time in his own life, Jesus followed his own teaching: “This is how you should pray . . . Thy will be done.” He yielded even his very life to the Father’s will: “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” In your life you will face your own “Gethsemanes,” times when you are overwhelmed with sorrow and facing your own bitter cup. Learn from Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane how much he suffered for your salvation, and how to cope with pressures and sorrows in your own life. Martin Luther says: “How does Christ himself pray in the Garden of Gethsemane? This is a practical and indispensable example which we ought to follow gladly and not forget. Our Lord Jesus Christ adds these words to his prayer: ‘Yet not my will but yours be done.’ You should do likewise. If you are in tribulation and suffering, turn to God as a child turns to his father, cry to him for help and say: ‘O heavenly Father, see what things are happening to me! For the sake of your dear Son Jesus Christ help me!’ But since God alone knows what is good and useful for us, we should place his will first and our will second.” That is the key to peace of mind when you face your own “Gethsemanes”: Trusting in your heavenly Father’s loving care and putting it all into his hands, as Christ himself did in, “The Garden of Gethsemane.” Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

“Live From Jerusalem:
The Garden of Gethsemane”
Matthew 26:36-56

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Lent Service III—March 3, 2021

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The theme of the meditations for our Lent services this year is “Live from Jerusalem,” looking at the events of Holy Week. Imagine watching all these dramatic scenes on a high definition, big screen TV, with each day’s events being like a chapter index on a DVD.

We began on Ash Wednesday by looking at the first scene of Holy Week, “The Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Last week we continued with chapters two and three, Jesus teaching the people and confronting his enemies on Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week in “The Temple Courts.”

As I mentioned last week, the middle day of Holy Week is traditionally called “Spy Wednesday” because that is the day Judas agreed to betray Jesus. It seems Jesus spent this day resting in nearby Bethany at the home of his close friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. One final day of peace before embarking on the epic, terrible final scenes of Holy Week, with which we are most familiar, on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

We are skipping right now the Last Supper in “The Upper Room” because will consider that scene on Maundy Thursday. So, tonight we hit the fast-forward button and move ahead to the events that took place after the Last Supper, later on the evening of Maundy Thursday in “The Garden of Gethsemane.”

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane.” Most major cities in the ancient world were situated on high ground, because that made them more defensible. Jerusalem is located on Mt. Zion, a steep hill surrounded by ravines. I’ve walked these hills and valleys in my visits there and it’s quite a hike up to the top.

The ravine on the eastern side of Jerusalem is called the Kidron Valley. Across this valley rises another steep hill, which is called the Mount of Olives, because in both ancient times and still today its terraced slopes are covered with olive trees. Located about halfway up the slope of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane. You can still visit it today, and this is one location of events from the Bible that we are quite certain about. There is a lot of archaeological and historical evidence to confirm that this is indeed the same Garden of Gethsemane spoken of in the Gospels.

The word “Gethsemane” means “oil press.” Apparently, the Garden of Gethsemane was where a large stone press was located in ancient times to crush the olives and extract their oil. Recently, new archaeological evidence has been discovered probably of the very ancient oil press from which the Garden of Gethsemane was given its name.

There is an interesting symbolism to the word Gethsemane meaning literally to “crush” or “press.” “He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” That night in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was not olives, but our Lord himself who was “crushed” and “pressed” excruciatingly, as the sins of the whole world weighed down upon him.

“He fell with his face to the ground and prayed.” Jesus shows us by his example how to cope when we are overwhelmed with trouble and sorrow. As James says, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”

“He returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter.” This scene is depicted in the woodcut on the cover of this evening’s bulletin, Jesus earnestly praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, while his disciples sleep.

Jesus himself explains the symbolism for us: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The sleep of the disciples symbolizes the weakness of our flesh, to which we so often yield. Throughout Scripture sleep also symbolizes death, which is the punishment we deserve for falling into temptation.

“He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup be taken from me.” Imagine drinking from a cup of deadly acid which you know will sear your throat and kill you. The “cup” Jesus speaks of was far more terrifying than that. The “cup” Jesus speaks of was symbolic of the torture he was about to endure. The physical torture, flogged, beaten, crucified; and especially the spiritual torture, the sinless Son of God taking upon himself the sins of the world, suffering on the cross the damnation we deserve. As Peter says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” When Jesus prays, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup be taken from me,” he is saying, “If it is possible to redeem the world some other way, without me drinking this horrible cup of death and wrath and damnation, then let this cup be taken from me.”

Isaiah says, “It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.” Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection was not a mistake, or a plot of the devil, but “the Lord’s will,” God’s eternal plan for the salvation of the world. For, there was no other way to save us from our sins except for God’s own Son to give himself as an atoning sacrifice. As Hebrews says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

“Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus willingly sacrificed himself for you. “I am the Good Shepherd,” he says, “. . . and I lay down my life for the sheep. . . No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” John says, “The blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.” That is what Jesus did for you, by his suffering, by his death on the cross, by his resurrection. On account of his sacrifice, you are forgiven, you are cleansed in God’s sight of every sin.

“Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Perhaps you have seen news stories about famous actors and politicians, who chastise typical Americans like you and me about our so-called “carbon footprint,” but it turns out that they themselves live in huge mansions, and travel in limousines and private jets. Jesus had told his disciples, “This is how you should pray . . . Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and Jesus was not a hypocrite like those actors and politicians. For, at this most critical time in his own life, Jesus followed his own teaching: “This is how you should pray . . . Thy will be done.” He yielded even his very life to the Father’s will: “Yet not my will, but yours be done.”

In your life you will face your own “Gethsemanes,” times when you are overwhelmed with sorrow and facing your own bitter cup. Learn from Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane how much he suffered for your salvation, and how to cope with pressures and sorrows in your own life.

Martin Luther says: “How does Christ himself pray in the Garden of Gethsemane? This is a practical and indispensable example which we ought to follow gladly and not forget. Our Lord Jesus Christ adds these words to his prayer: ‘Yet not my will but yours be done.’ You should do likewise. If you are in tribulation and suffering, turn to God as a child turns to his father, cry to him for help and say: ‘O heavenly Father, see what things are happening to me! For the sake of your dear Son Jesus Christ help me!’ But since God alone knows what is good and useful for us, we should place his will first and our will second.”

That is the key to peace of mind when you face your own “Gethsemanes”: Trusting in your heavenly Father’s loving care and putting it all into his hands, as Christ himself did in, “The Garden of Gethsemane.”

Amen.

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