Sunday's Message - The Prayer (Luke 22:39-46)

During the season on Lent, the congregation of Sligo Presbyterian Church will move thought a sermon series entitled “His Last Week: The Last Seven Days in the Life of Jesus.” As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the resurrection, we're looking at the following six events in Jesus's last week here on earth and consider how each can shape what we believe and how we live right here and now. 

• March 6 – The Entry (Luke 19:28-40) 
• March 13 – The Cleansing (Luke 19:41-48)
• March 20 – The Meal (Luke 22:7-23)
• March 27 – The Prayer (Luke 22:39-46)
• April 3 – The Trial (Luke 22:66 – 23:12)
• April 10 – The Cross (Luke 23:26-49)

During this fourth message, we used Luke 22:39-46 to discuss the prayer Jesus prayed on the Mount of Olives.

You can stream all our services live by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube channel. If you miss one of these messages, you can find a copy and podcast on the Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community blog (https://thenettransform.blogspot.com/). 

Luke 22:39-46 [Contemporary English Version]

Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives, as he often did, and his disciples went with him. When they got there, he told them, “Pray that you won’t be tested.”

Jesus walked on a little way before he knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you will, please don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.”

Then an angel from heaven came to help him. Jesus was in great pain and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood. 

Jesus got up from praying and went over to his disciples. They were asleep and worn out from being so sad. He said to them, “Why are you asleep? Wake up and pray that you won’t be tested.”

The Prayer

Well, here we are, the last Sunday in the month of March. Next week, we enter April. And back in Norfolk, where I was raised, yesterday, they held the annual Spring Bulbs & Blooms Walk & Talk, over at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. And I’ll tell you, it’s spectacular, with all the daffodils and the tulips and the crocuses in bloom. It’s truly a sight to behold. Well, that’s what they were doing in Norfolk, Virginia yesterday. And in Sligo, Pennsylvania...not so much. 

But be-that-as-it-may, next week, we’ll soon be moving out of March and into April, which means that Easter is almost here. Of course, that also means we’re looking at another event in Jesus’s last seven days as written by the Evangelist Luke. Now, to this point, we’ve already talked about his entry into the Jerusalem and his cleansing of the Temple. And last week, we looked at the last meal he shared with his disciples and at how his words offered them and can offer us hope as we move into the future and forgiveness as we look at the past and peace as we live in the present. Now, that’s what we’ve covered so far.

And today, we’re going to use the Gospel of Luke to consider the prayer that Jesus prayed on the Mount of Olives. And as we’ve seen with the other events, what Luke wrote, well, it’s a little different from what we see in the other gospels; therefore, so is the point he’s making. For example, when you compare it to what happens in John, Luke’s account is really brief, not unlike his description of the Temple cleansing. And when we hold what Luke wrote up to the same story in Mark and Matthew, we don’t have any mention of the disciples falling asleep three times. Now those are some definite differences. And like I said, they can affect both the story’s meaning and application. For instance, with Luke, it’s pretty hard to use this story to indict the disciples for their lack of faith, especially when, again in Luke, Jesus never tells them to stay awake and they don’t fall asleep three times. As a matter of fact, Luke even gives us the reason for the disciples not staying awake. Remember, “they were asleep and worn out from being so sad.” [Luke 22:45b, CEV] No, for Luke, the disciples weren’t the point, not in this passage. Instead, it was about the prayer itself, something that I believe was emphasized when Jesus gave the exact same command before and after he prayed: “Pray that you won’t be tested.” [Luke 22:39b & 46b, CEV]

And I’ll tell you, that’s going to be our focus this morning. And since Jesus talked about praying that you not be tested, we’re going to look at one specific kind of prayer, and I’m talking about the kind of prayers we offer when things aren’t going very well for us, you know what I mean, when it seems as though our faith is being tested and when we feel tempted to seek help and hope from someone or something other than God. In other words, we’re not going to talk about those times  when we’re offering God praise or thanks nor when we’re rattling off our sins and asking him to forgive us. No, this morning, we going to talk about the kind of prayers we make when we see refugees fleeing an invasion or folks trying to rebuild after a natural disaster. It’s the kind of prayers we make when someone we care about gets laid off or becomes really sick. In other words, it’s the kind of prayers we pray when we feel that some aspect of our world or our lives has gotten out of control. You see, we’re going to listen to what Jesus commanded and we’re going to look at the prayer he prayed. And I’ll tell you, when we do, I think we’ll see that Jesus did three things on the Mount of Olives that we can also do whether we’re sitting in a pew or waiting in a hospital room or leaning on a kitchen table. You see, we going to talk about three things we might want to do when we’re praying in situations that tempt and test us. And like I said, I believe all three are in the twenty-five words Jesus lifted up to God.

For example, based on what Luke wrote, first, Jesus prayed with focus. In other words, he knew exactly who was on the other end of the prayer; it was the one he called “Father.” Of course, that really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s read this book, because prayer is really a big deal to the Evangelist Luke, and each time Jesus prayed in this gospel, he addressed his prayer to the Father. I mean, right near the beginning of his ministry, he prayed: My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you. [Luke 10:21b, CEV] And at the end of his life, as he was hanging on the cross, he prayed, “Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing” [Luke 23:34b, CEV] and a little later, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” [Luke 23:46b, CEV] Now, that’s what Jesus said. But addressing God as Father wasn’t just for him. Remember, 

When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his followers to pray.”

So Jesus told them, “Pray in this way:

‘Father, help us

    to honor your name.

Come and set up

    your kingdom.

Give us each day

    the food we need.” [Luke 11:1-3, CEV]

That’s the prayer he taught us to pray. And so, according to Jesus, we can all approach God as Father.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something we need to remember, particularly when we’re lifting up those things that seem to test and to tempt us, and I say that for two reasons. You see, on one hand, when we feel ridden hard and put away wet, we can trust that the one to whom we’re praying is the Lord God, the one whom Jeremiah described like this:

With your wisdom and power

you created the earth

    and spread out the heavens.

The waters in the heavens roar

    at your command.

You make clouds appear—

you send the winds

    from your storehouse

and make lightning flash

    in the rain. [Jeremiah 10:12-13, CEV]

You see, on one hand, the one who hears us pray is the Lord God. On the other hand, though, he’s also our loving Father, the one whom John had in mind when he wrote, “Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are.” [1 John 3:1a, CEV] You see, we can trust that we’re praying to the one who has the power to act and the compassion to care. And I believe this was something Jesus knew, because he prayed with focus and so can we. And that’s one.

And second, when we think about what he said on the Mount of Olives, I think it’s also pretty clear that Jesus prayed with honesty. In other words, he didn’t hold any punches about what he wanted, and he sure didn’t wrap his request with a bunch of spiritual-sounding words to soften the blow. No, instead he said, “Father, if you will, please don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup.” [Luke 22:42a, CEV] Man, Jesus didn’t want to suffer and die. And I don’t know about y’all, but to me, that’s about as honest as you can get. But if you’re talking about honesty in prayer, man, that didn’t start with Jesus. Just listen to this little prayer from the Psalms:

Do you rulers ever give a just decision?

    Do you judge everyone fairly?

No! You think only of the evil you can do,

    and commit crimes of violence in the land.

Break the teeth of these fierce lions, O God.

May they disappear like water draining away;

    may they be crushed like weeds on a path. 

May they be like snails that dissolve into slime;

    may they be like a baby born dead that never sees the light.

Before they know it, they are cut down like weeds;

    in his fierce anger God will blow them away

    while they are still living. 

The righteous will be glad when they see sinners punished;

    they will wade through the blood of the wicked. [Psalm 58:1-2, 6-10, CEV]

Now, regardless of what you think about his request or assume about his motives, right here, the Psalmist was being honest about what he wanted, right?

And you know that’s something else we can do when pray to our heavenly Father, and I’m talking about when we pray to the one who loves us. You see, I believe God wants us to be honest; what a radical thought! I mean, I think he wants us to tell him the truth about what’s going on. And for that reason, I assume he wants us to be clear and specific when there’s something we’d like him to do. In other words, when someone we love is sick, it’s fine to ask for healing. If we’ve been laid off, it’s right to ask for a job. And if we’re frustrated because it sure seems as though certain people get all the breaks while others seem to get away with breaking all the rules, I mean, if that’s what we think, ...well, even if we don’t feel comfortable asking that they be like snails that dissolve into slime, I don’t think there’s anything thing wrong with asking God to balance the scales. I mean, just because we want something, that doesn’t mean it’ll happen. Still we can ask. And you know, maybe that’s one of the reasons Jesus said, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” [Matthew 6:6, CEV] And remember, according to Paul, “In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is here to help us. For example, when we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. All of our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God’s people.” [Romans 8:26-27, CEV] You see, I think God wants us to tell him what’s on our minds. And I believe this was something else Jesus knew, because he prayed with honesty and so can we. And that’s two.

And third, using his prayer as an example, I think I’m safe in saying that Jesus prayed with faith. You see, even though he prayed, “Father, if you will, please don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup,” [Luke 22:42a, CEV] he also said, “But do what you want, and not what I want.” [Luke 22:43b, CEV] Now, that’s faith. In fact, it’s the same kind of trust I think we can hear when we read the twenty-second Psalm. I mean, just listen to how honestly it starts:

My God, my God, why have you

    deserted me?

    Why are you so far away?

Won’t you listen to my groans

    and come to my rescue?

I cry out day and night,

but you don’t answer,

    and I can never rest. [Psalm 22:1-2, CEV]

Now, that’s pretty honest. Probably more honest than I’d be with God. But then, just like Jesus did when he prayed, there’s a shift to trust in the Psalm.

Yet you are the holy God,

ruling from your throne

    and praised by Israel.

Our ancestors trusted you,

    and you rescued them.

When they cried out for help,

    you saved them,

and you did not let them down

    when they depended on you. [Psalm 22:3-5, CEV]

This, my friends, is faith.

And I’ll tell you, it’s something we can show as we pray. You see, regardless of what we share with God, we can trust that his eternal will is going to be done. And even if our prayers aren’t answered the way we want, we can trust that God is always present with us. And even though life may always seem unfair and bad things continue to happen to good people, we can trust that God is still guiding us into a glorious future. You see, trust is what faith is all about. And I think the Apostle Paul also understood this. I mean, just listen to what he wrote to the Corinthians:

If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.

But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. [1 Corinthians 15:19-22, CEV]

You see, when we go before God with our wants and our needs, we can trust that the Father has already set aside the very best for his children. And I believe this was something else Jesus knew, because he prayed with faith and so can we. And that’s three.

Yesterday, rather than looking at daffodils coming up as folks were doing in the Norfolk Botanical Garden, we were watching the snow and sleet coming down. But even though that made for a cold and wet day, I doubt that many people actually prayed that God would intervene. My goodness, I think we’ve all come to accept this kind of thing, knowing that whatever the weather is today, it’ll probably be different tomorrow. That’s just the way it is. Of course, not everything is as easy to accept. As a matter of fact, I believe in every life things happen that can really test our faith and tempt our dedication. In other words, there are times when we really need to lift our problems and our pain to God. And as we do that, as we pray, let’s claim the example offered by Jesus as he prayed on the Mount of Olives and let’s remember that he prayed with focus and he prayed with honesty and he prayed with faith. And brothers and sisters, so can we. And I’ll tell you, this is something we can do, whether the tulips are blooming or not.