Drew’s Blog - Drew Boswell

Journey to Dry Land: How Repentance Gets You Back on Track Jonah 1:17-Jonah 2

Journey to Dry Land:

How Repentance Gets You Back on Track

Jonah 1:17-Jonah 2

There are four journeys that Jonah goes on in the book of Jonah. Over the next several few weeks we are going to go on these journeys with Jonah. As a prophet he has to learn to understand, or at least love the world as God does. The first week we looked at Jonah’s Journey to the Inside of a Giant Fish. Today we will look at Jonah’s Journey to Dry Land.

At the end of Jonah 1, the sailors did not want to harm Jonah so they tried to row to shore, but the storm on the sea was too great. The sailors, these lost men, are doing all they can to save Jonah. Jonah does nothing. The sailors prayed for a second time, “they called out to the LORD.” Jonah, still has shown no remorse or repentance for his actions that has put the sailor’s lives in jeopardy.

The sailors made vows, had a sacrifice – they are doing all that they can think of to be right with God, while Jonah won’t even throw himself into the sea, he tries to pull them into trouble with him. Jonah won’t go where is supposed to go, he won’t act when he needs to act, instead he sleeps. He won’t pray when asked to pray, and he won’t even jump into the sea to save the ships and it’s crew – Jonah’s rebellion is one of inaction.

So today we find Jonah, having been thrown overboard, floating on the water and the ship headed to Tarshish disappearing into the horizon.

Prayer –

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The Sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39-41)

Jesus says in Matthew 12:39-41 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

What is the sign of Jonah? This comparison is not meant to be exact. Jesus never sinned, whereas Jonah is far from the presence of the Lord until he repents. Jesus died and was buried, Jonah never died, but was thrown up after three days and nights. Jonah was a prophet, Jesus was the Son of God.

Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection was the only sign that will be given for people to place their trust in Him as their Savior. Jonah would be a picture of what to come in Christ. As we will see, when Jonah marches into Nineveh, the people respond to his message from the Lord with repentance. The sign of Jonah is him miraculous emerging from a giant fish, after three days, with a message for the people of Nineveh.

Imagine you are on the seashore picking up seashells, and a giant fish appears in the water. Then throws up a man, who then says, “I have a message from the Lord for you.” Would you listen to his message? What does God have to do to get your attention?

“the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign . . .”

Is it wrong to want proof that Jesus is who he says he is, or that if you were Nineveh to want proof that Jonah’s message was from the Lord? Why does Jesus call the generation “evil” and “adulterous” for wanting a sign?

There are many miracles surrounding Jesus’ birth, and fulfilled prophecies. The star that led the wise men, God the Father audibly speaking at Jesus’ baptism, miraculous healings, the calming of the storm, casting out of demons, raising of the dead, healing the blind, . . .

Jesus had already given them sign after sign, but here they want more. They simply are choosing not to believe, in light of many given proofs. But, there would be one ultimate sign that would be given for all generations that Jesus was God, the resurrection from the dead.

Luke 16:27 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” If you choose not to believe God’s message, then it’s not because there is not enough evidence.

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The Appointed Fish (Jonah 1:17)

1:17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Another word for “appointed” is “ordained”, “called” or set aside.” God prepared a giant fish. It was able to house Jonah, and provide him with enough air to survive for three days. It’s really not important for us to identify the species of animal, or know it’s anatomy to see if this is a true story or not. But think about two things:

1) “Scientists were startled in 1980 by the discovery of a tremendous diversity of insects in tropical forests. In one study of just 19 trees in Panama, 80% of the 1,200 beetle species discovered were previously unknown to science… Surprisingly, scientists have a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than how many species there are on Earth.” – World Resources Institute (WRI). We are constantly discovering new animals on our planet that we had no idea even existed.

2) “These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year. If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true – i.e. that there are around 2 million different species on our planet** – then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year.”[1] There are many animals going extinct every year.

The Prayer of Jonah (vv. 2-6)

“2 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

Jonah’s Distress vv. 2-6

On two other occasions Jonah was asked to pray, so that perhaps the ship and its’ crew would be saved. Jonah wouldn’t do it, so facing the choice of total destruction of the ship and death of the entire crew or throwing Jonah over board – over Jonah went.

“Then Jonah prayed . . .” from the belly of the giant fish. God did what was needed to guide Jonah to repentance and to get Nineveh’s attention. We don’t know how far along into the three days that he prayed. Was it immediately? Was it day two, day three? But at some point, Jonah, cried out to the Lord. T. Kendall has said, “The belly of the fish is not a happy place to live, but it is a good place to learn.”[2]

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me;” From the following verses we see what kind of distress that Jonah would have endured. It would have been disorienting darkness, water would have surrounded him, seaweed wrapped itself around his body, pressure caused by the digestive process and the depths of the ocean.

There is a good possibility there would be acid from the stomach of the giant fish that would have corroded his skin. The constant taking in of water, sea animals, and air would have been exhausting because you don’t know when you will run out of air, and the giant fish will take its next bite from the ocean.

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; you of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

Jonah’s Relationship With God (vv. 7-9)

Why not just get another prophet to do this? I think the answer to this question is found in the description of Jonah’s prayer. Jonah prayed “to the LORD his God” In this distress he called out to the Lord, and his God hears him. Jonah says in verse 8, that if you place your trust in “vain idols” then you forsake a hope of steadfast love.

Those that call the Lord their God, have a hope of steadfast love. The Bible uses the word Hesed to describe this type of love – this is a word that combines love with commitment. This is where one person in the relationship has determined or committed to love the other person (regardless of the other person’s actions or choices).

God loves us with a hesed love because He has chosen to do so. Committed, promised to love us (regardless of our sinful actions). Hebrews 13:5 “. . . I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When we as Christians choose hesed love toward the world – to love them regardless of how they show love toward us, if at all, then we grow in our relationship toward God. Jonah should have a hesed love toward Nineveh as a prophet – but he hates them. How many churches have an us-verse-them toward the world?

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

The book of John discusses how we a followers must remain in Christ, stay close to Him in our relationship. Jesus is talking about his followers, and those that do not bear fruit. A better translation for those that do not bear fruit, instead of “takes away” is to “lift up.”

There is a tendency for new vines to grow toward and along the ground. Down there they get covered in dirt, dust, mildew, and don’t produce much fruit if any at all. But the vinedresser will take some water and a rag, and wash those vines and move them up higher with the other vines, and then tie them off.

Then they begin to produce much fruit. When the vine falls into the dirt, the vinedresser doesn’t throw it away (it’s much too valuable), he lifts it up.[3] God doesn’t want to throw Jonah away because of his rebellion of hardheartedness – He is taking an action that will “lift him up” and get him back where he can begin producing fruit for the Lord.

The belly of the giant fish was a place of discipline not judgement. If you are not producing any spiritual fruit in your life, God will step in a discipline you.

Deuteronomy 8:5 “Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.”

God set aside a giant fish for Jonah. If we run away from God and His presence, isn’t it scary to imagine a God who we know loves us, and is the Creator of the universe and can do whatever and make what He wishes has prepared and set aside for you in your time of rebellion?

Many would see their time of discipline as being awful – it must have been horrible inside the belly of the giant fish. But Jonah sees it as wonderful. He understands that the belly of the whale, being swallowed, and held there for days was the means of him being saved from the depths of the ocean – an ocean grave. The giant fish is not seen as an act of judgment, but how God saved him from himself. He says” But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD.”

“Salvation belongs to the LORD” – being saved is found all throughout the book of Jonah. The sailors and captain are saved in chapter one, Jonah is saved in chapter 2, Nineveh is saved in chapter 3, and chapter 4 focuses on Jonah and God discussing salvation.[4] And in every situation that salvation comes from the Lord alone.

10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.” The word “vomit” was intentionally used to induce revulsion – it was supposed to gross us out. It is a graphic image of Jonah emerging, along with other undigested sea animals, seaweed, and land upon the sand upon the shore, “dry land.”

Some scholars believe that because the sailors tried to row back to shore when they were fighting the store, and that Jonah was later thrown up on dry land that it probably is Joppa – the place where he started. He has a chance to reset, a do over, a second chance.

God of second chances – When you come clean with God, you open up and seek forgiveness from your Creator, he is ready, with arms wide open to forgive you. Don’t let discouragement wrap around you like that seaweed around Jonah, and take you down. God is with you, and wants you to get back on track

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Thomas A. Edison was working on a crazy contraption called a “light bulb” and it took a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put just one together. The story goes that when Edison was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You’ve probably guessed what happened by now; the poor young fellow dropped the bulb at the top of the stairs. It took the entire team of men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb carried up the stairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one. That’s true forgiveness.

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[1]https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/biodiversity/biodiversity/#:~:text=These%20experts%20calculate%20that%20between,2%2C000%20extinctions%20occur%20every%20year.

[2] Billy K. Smith, The New American Commentary; Amos, Obadiah, Jonah (Broadman and Holman; Nashville, Tennessee, 1995) 241.

[3] Bruce Wilkerson, Secrets of the Vine (Multnomah Publishers; Sisters, Oregon, 2001) 34.

[4] New American Commentary, 252.

Journey to the Inside of A Giant Fish: How Rebellion Gets You Thrown Overboard, Jonah 1

Journey to the Inside of A Giant Fish:
How Rebellion Gets You Thrown Overboard

Jonah 1

There are four journeys that Jonah goes on in the book of Jonah. Over the next several weeks we are going to go on these journeys with Jonah. As a prophet he has to learn to understand, or at least love the world as God does. The first week we will look at Jonah’s Journey to the Inside of a Giant Fish.

For just about every Christmas when my children were around 6 to 12 we would get them several LEGO playsets. The most elaborate was the millennium falcon from Star Wars. It had over five separate bags that you opened in sequence as you built the ship. It has was about 2.5 feet around and took hours to put together. All LEGO kits have an instruction booklet that shows you where every piece goes in the order you have to place the brick.

But every time we would put a kit together, something would go wrong. The kit just didn’t look right, and we would have to back track step by step to figure out where we missed a block, put it in the wrong place, or just skipped a page all together.

The story of Jonah is known as the Bible character that was swallowed by a giant fish – but the story doesn’t begin there – there are steps that he went through to end up in the belly of a giant fish. Sometimes in life we find ourselves in situations that we don’t like – and its’ our own doing. Today let’s look at Jonah and see how he ended up there and his journey find his way out.

Prayer –

Step One: Run Away From Difficulty (vv. 1-3)

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.”

There are several ways that scholars have looked at the book of Jonah. Some see it as allegory, where the whale represents one thing, Jonah represents, another, the storm, etc. Or was it a parable, where there is a moral that we are to get from the 4 chapters?

Jesus references Jonah in Matthew 12:39-41.“But he [Jesus]answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Jonah is also mentioned as a historical person in 2 Kings 14:25. He would have ministered around 786-746 BC during the reign of Jeroboam II. He would have been well known to the Israelite people.

Jesus makes it clear that there was a literal real man named Jonah, who was swallowed by a real and literal giant fish, and it was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ eventual burial and resurrection.

Nineveh is described as “that great city.” Nineveh is mentioned in Genesis 10:11-12, right after the flood, where the sons of Noah spread out and begin to build cities. In the Genesis passage the city is described as “that great city.” In Jonah’s day it was the capital of the Assyrian empire, and was the most powerful nation on the planet.[1]

So, a well-known and established prophet is commanded to go and preach a message of judgement to a well-known, powerful, and old city, but he arose and went in the exact opposite direction.

Why Did Jonah Run?

Unprecedented Instructions

Jonah is the only prophet that is sent with a message to a foreign country. All other prophets talk about others nations, their future judgment, etc. but they do not actually go there.[2]

God placed his people in Israel at the crossroads of three different cotenants (Asia, Africa, and Europe. The temple was built and the world would go through Israel to conduct its’ business. As the world passed through Israel, they would see God’s people, and watch their worship of the one true God, and many would become followers of our God.

This method of evangelism would continue for many years, until the time of Christ, when Jesus says in Acts 1:8, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

God was doing something unprecedented. How many times have you heard the word unprecedented last year? The pandemic, the protests, civil unrest, the presidential election, extreme climate episodes. It was the 2020 word of the Year.

Who would have guessed that we would be having church over Facebook, that as families, we would huddle around a computer to attend a worship service? My dental hygienist told me, “I like going to church in my pajamas. I think we will do that more often now.”

The message didn’t change, but the method of sharing that message sure did. The churches that embraced these changes managed to survive the crisis a little worn for wear, but those that refused to change just disappeared for a year.

Illustration – Kodak was never in the photo paper, film, and chemical business; they were in the capturing memories business.

I believe that this unwillingness to change is why God allowed the temple to be destroyed in 70AD. If the temple were still there, there would be Jewish Christians who refused to alter how they worshipped and would be trying to merge animal sacrifice with what Jesus did on the cross.

Racial Hatred

In Jonah 4:1-2: “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,1 and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and are relenting from disaster.”

Jonah could not believe that God would shower his grace on the Gentiles (non-Jews), especially those who had been so ruthless with the Jews. According to Jonah, God’s love should not extend to people that he did not deem worthy of forgiveness.

Luke 15:28 – the prodigal son returns home and the brother “became angry and refused to go in”

The Presence of the Lord

Jonah is trying to go “away from the presence of the LORD” because he doesn’t agree with what God is doing.

Where can you go, to flee the presence of the Lord? Psalm 139:7 says, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall blead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” The answer is nowhere. God is omnipresent – everywhere at the same time.

In Genesis the Garden of Eden was a place where Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with God, they “were in His presence.” When they rebelled, they had to leave the garden and could not return. So, they had broken the relationship with God.

When Cain killed his brother Abel, it says in Genesis 4:16 “Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod,6 east of Eden.” He was cast out. So here we have Jonah, running as fast as he can away from God and his presence.

So you have God’s omnipresence where He is everywhere, and you have his manifest presence where we can encounter Him, and interact with our Creator. But Jonah does not want to have anything to do with God, so he runs.

There is an intimacy to be in the Lord’s presence – there is a relational aspect. Jonah was rebelling against God, by not doing what he was clearly told to do. To be in right relationship with God is directly tied to obedience to the Word of God.

Step Two: Don’t Do Anything When Those Around You Are Hurting (vv.4-6)

“4 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Jonah is a story of highs and lows – there is a great fish, exceedingly afraid, great wind, mighty tempest, etc. 13 superlatives points to Jonah’s highs and lows.[3] The author wants us to feel the way Jonah’s life is moving from security and safety to disaster.

4 gives us one of these examples of where the “Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea.” A mighty tempest,

There are eight questions within the book of Jonah, the first one of the eight is where the captain asks Jonah, “What do you mean, you sleeper?” – There are different ways to translate this question, “How can you sleep?’, or “What are you doing sound asleep?”

When you break fellowship with God, you also begin to lose awareness of destruction of the world around you. You could care less that the people around you are perishing, and you stop hearing their cries for help. You go to sleep.

The captain asks this stranger to pray. Imagine the irony, in this situation here was a prophet, from God’s chosen people (his job and calling was to pray and lead the world to God), This pagan captain knows to pray, but the prophet, who should be praying was sleeping instead.

The lost world is begging the believers to do something. The lost men on the ship fumble through praying to their gods (gods made of stone, wood, and metal), but the one who knows the one true God who is alive, has gone to sleep.

The captains words echo “Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” The captain understands some things about God instinctively – He is bigger than us, It would be merciful for God to consider us, and God is the only means of salvation. The one who had the means for them to avoid destruction was sleeping and his heart was far from the Lord.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise vas some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” What is the means for a lost world to avoid perishing? They must have a saving relationship with their Creator. The one who has the message of salvation, the prophet of the Lord, is rebelling and asleep in the storm[4].

Step Three: Don’t Concern Yourself With How Your Actions Affect Others (vv. 7-10)

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because had told them.

Here we see series of more questions – “What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” and for the first time Jonah speaks in the book, and tells them the truth. The lot casting has exposed him as the reason for the storm.

He confesses that he is a prophet of the Lord, and he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Doesn’t this just ring false? The prophet of God who has lost all credibility. You fear God so you rebel against Him? You believe that he is the God of the sea, so you try to escape his presence by going to sea? You are a prophet but during the storm you sleep instead of helping those crying out? You are asked to pray by the captain but you don’t pray.

The men were exceedingly afraid and they said, “What is this that you have done!”

Step Four: Stay the Same, Even When Those Around You Are Growing (vv. 11-16)

“11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard2 to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.”

The Lord will be praised and honored through the life of Jonah – Both in his faithfulness and in his rebellion. At the end of the day, God’s name will be lifted up. We get to choose if we will be on board with God or seeking to work against Him.

Couldn’t Jonah have said, take me back to Joppa, from there I will go to Nineveh? In other words take me back to shore, turn this ship around and return to port. He could have prayed to God a prayer of repentance. But he would rather be tossed into the sea in some vain attempt to continue toward Tarshish, then simply admit that was wrong.

The sailors did want to harm Jonah so they tried to row to shore, but the storm on the sea was too great. The sailors, these lost men, are doing all they can to save Jonah. Jonah does nothing. The sailors prayed for a second time, “they called out to the LORD.” Jonah, still has shown no remorse or repentance for his actions that has put the sailor’s lives in jeopardy.

He just stands there (or sleeps there) while the world around him is splintered and destroyed.

This morning the word around us is being torn apart. Just watch the news. Racial unrest, political divisions, natural disasters, the effects of living in a pandemic for over a year.

With my LEGO kit, I had to back through the steps to see where I went wrong. If you are far from the Lord, I ask you to pray, and ask God to back you through the steps you have taken and seek to be in His presence and ask for forgiveness.

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[1] J. Vernon McGee, Jonah & Micah (Thru The Bible Books; Pasadena, California, 1984) 19.

[2] James Limburg, The Old Testament Library, Jonah (John Knox Press; Louisville, KY, 1993) 22.

[3] Limburg, 27.

[4] Billy Smith & Frank Page, The New American Commentary, Vol. 19B (Broadman and Hollman, Nashville, Tennessee, 1995) 231.

Matthew 28:17-20 Sermon

Matthew 28:1-10

Matthew 26 36-46 Sermon

This is the message I preached in view of a call to Bellevue Baptist, Nashville TN. 3/21/2021

Beyond the Tomb: You Have a Prayer
Matthew 26:36-46
Introduction
My junior year of High School I ran for student body president. I got up the morning of the elections, put on a suit (I even had a handkerchief stuffed in my pocket.) I put some product in my hair, and I shined my shoes. The time came for me to give my speech; I walked to the podium and looked out over the hundreds of faces. I would like to say that I rocked the house, that I had them cheering, that I even won the election but — the bright lights of the auditorium were hot, and my mind went completely blank. I have no idea what to say. You see, I was supposed to prepare a speech, but I thought I could wing it. I looked good on the outside, but when the pressure came, I crumbled like a solo cup.
We know Christ rose from the dead, it is the foundation of Christianity – but what does it mean for our lives? How are our lives different beyond the tomb, beyond the resurrection? Christ has left us with a life mission, and it is only in following His example and in His strength that we can accomplish it, and hold up when the pressure comes.

I. Beyond the Tomb, We Can Be With Christ (vv. 36-37)
“36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.”

The setting is midnight on Thursday of the last week of Jesus’s life. His few years of his ministry are complete. It is now the Passover in Jerusalem in the year A.D. 33. On Saturday He arrived in Bethany to stay with His friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. On Sunday crowds came to Bethany to hear Him teach. On Monday He rode into the city of Jerusalem to the hosannas and praises of the people, who proclaimed Him as their Messiah.

On Tuesday He cleansed the Temple. On Wednesday He entered the Temple and both taught the people and rebuked the religious leaders. On Wednesday evening He ascended the Mount of Olives and taught the disciples about His Second Coming. On Thursday Peter and John made preparations for the Passover, and that evening Christ and His disciples ate the Passover meal.

The time is now near midnight. Christ and the disciples had finished the meal, sung the final hymn, and left the upper room. They passed through the city of Jerusalem and out the Eastern gate just north of the Temple, descended the slope of the Temple mount, crossed the Kidron brook, and ascended the Mount of Olives.

They stopped for a brief time on a slope of the Mount of Olives where the Lord warned the disciples about their impending defection. Finally they had arrived at the garden of Gethsemane. Here, in a short time, Jesus would be taken prisoner. But before that, Christ interceded with the Father. The Lord used that time of prayer to instruct His disciples and us how to deal with severe temptation.

The garden of Gethsemane was a familiar place to Christ and the disciples. John 18:2 tells us they often went there. It was private–secluded from the bustle of the crowds in the city. Christ could go there to spend the night in prayer to His Father or instruct His disciples.

When they reached the garden, somewhere near the top on the gentle slopes of the Mount of Olives, Christ told His disciples, ” Sit here while I go over there and pray ” (v. 37). Most likely, the garden was fenced or walled in, and Christ probably positioned the disciples just inside the entrance.

The disciples knew what was about to happen. Previously Jesus had told them it was time for Him to die: “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” (Matt. 26:2). In verse 31 He tells them, “Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “’I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

With such a significant crisis before them, they should have taken the opportunity to pray. When Christ said He was going to pray, the disciples should have followed His lead.

Christ had a good reason for asking the disciples to stay at the entrance of the garden–He needed some seclusion. With the disciples guarding the entrance, He could be assured His time with the Father would not be interrupted. So He set the disciples like a watch to guard Him, but also to pray.

II. Beyond the Tomb, We Can Pray With Christ (vv. 38-41)
38Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41″Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

There is no indication that they even uttered a breath of prayer. They had heard Christ’s prediction, but they existed in an arena of smug self-confidence. They perceived themselves as invincible, confusing their good intentions for power. That was foolish. As a result, they didn’t pray as the Lord went on.

Jesus told them He was going to pray. The Greek word Matthew used is proseuchomai, an intense word always used of praying to God, as opposed to euchomai, which can refer to begging or requesting something from someone. Christ was going to pour out His heart to God.

The three disciples were sleeping at the moment of the greatest spiritual conflict in the history of the world. Jesus left some disciples to guard the gate, and he chose three to be “within a stone’s throw from where He was praying.”

Jesus chose Peter, James, and John to be with him, to be close to Him when, other than the cross, he was under the most anguish. He wanted friends close by, Jesus needed to talk to His Father – but they slept.

Christ’s anticipation of the cross brought terror, pain, and sorrow. The Greek word translated “sorrowful” means “deep sadness” in this context. According to one commentator the word translated “very depressed” (ad[ma]emone[ma]o) probably means by derivation “to be away from home” Home is where comfortable things are. Home is where you belong, where your family is, where love is, where you’re at ease and feel accepted. Jesus was away from home.

He was isolated in conflict with hell. Such a conflict was deeply depressing. Psalm 42:7 is a Messianic psalm that contains a description of this experience: “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” Desolate loneliness and sorrow caused Christ to be deeply depressed.

The Greek word translated “exceedingly sorrowful” is perilupos, which means “to be surrounded by sorrow.” He was engulfed in sadness. Jesus said His soul–His inner being–was drowning in sorrow to the point of death. His sorrow was enough to kill Him.

It is possible for a man to die from sheer anguish. The capillaries can burst, and that happened to Christ. As He began to sweat in His agony, His perspiration mingled with the blood escaping through His sweat glands (Luke 22:44), a condition known as hematidrosis.

Christ could have died from His anguish right there in the garden if God had not sent an angel to strengthen Him (v. 43). When He was crucified, Christ died very fast, so fast the soldiers didn’t have to break His legs. His anguish was so severe that death was imminent.

Christ’s anguish on the cross cannot be isolated–His entire life was full of sorrow. So He retreated to the Father, saying to the disciples, “Stay here and keep watch with me ” (Matt. 26:38). Obviously, Christ wanted them to pray with Him. They should have because He warned them about what was coming.

“he asked Peter. 41″Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” It would be Peter in a few moments who would grab a two-handed sword and cut off an ear of a soldier who was trying to arrest Christ. Why? Because he slept when he should have been praying. It was Peter who would deny Jesus three times – even though he had said “not me, never.” Why? Because he slept when he should have been praying.

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). That is a prayer of resolution and resignation to the will of God. When Christ says, “If it be possible,” He was not asking God if He had the power to let the cup pass from Him, but He was asking if it were possible within the plan of God. Was it morally possible–was it consistent with God’s plan to save sinners–to let Christ redeem sinners in another way?

Christ did not try to avoid God’s redemptive work, but the degree of such agony led Him to ask if there were another way to accomplish it. Christ would endure the fury of God over sin, Satan, the power of death, and the guilt of iniquity. Our Lord desired to avoid that part of God’s plan if there were another way.

The natural thing for the disciples to do after midnight was sleep. After all, they were weary from a busy week of activity. Additionally, they recently had eaten a huge meal – all eleven had consumed an entire sacrificial lamb and everything that went with it, including unleavened bread and four cups of wine.

Then they had just completed a long walk and a hard hike up the Mount of Olives. I’m sure they felt weary just from that. Luke adds that they also were sleepy because of sorrow (Luke 22:45). Jesus is asking them to do the difficult thing – to walk the extra mile with him (Matthew 5:41).

III. Beyond the Tomb, We Can Serve With Christ (vv. 42-46)
42He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

The intensity of Jesus’ struggle brought out the best in Him because He approached it correctly. But it brought out the worst in the disciples because they approached it incorrectly, even though their trial was infinitely less severe than His.

“Are you still sleeping and resting?” Jesus comes back and asks them, even though I have told you that I am going to be crucified, even though you know that I am in great anguish, even though you know that a great spiritual battle is going on all around you – you still sleep and rest?

Indifferent to the needs of Christ and the power of the enemy, the disciples were about to be totally overwhelmed by the circumstances and forsake Christ (v. 56). They would never pass the temptation. They would fall into sin and reject Christ. At the moment of crisis, they would run away.

They weren’t ready. Our Lord’s last lesson is clear: victory belongs to those who are alert in all spiritual battles–those who have recognized their weaknesses. The disciples were foolish, believing they would never be rejected because of Christ, and claiming they were prepared to go to prison or die before denying Him. Victory isn’t won by those who sleep when the battle is immanent, but to those who are vigilant.

“Rise, let us go!” Christ was not encouraging the disciples to flee with Him. The Greek word translated “going” is a military term meaning “to go forward,” as in going to meet an advancing enemy. Jesus was strengthened. He was victorious. Now He was ready to confront His captors – they didn’t have to find Him. He was going to them.

After His first session of prayer, Jesus said to Peter, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” (v. 40). Then He gave the principle I believe He was intending to teach them.

Solid Principles for Staying Awake
1. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” They were not to let their self-confidence lull them to sleep. The way to avoid temptation is to stay alert to it – to be aware of Satan’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11) – and then to go to the Father in prayer.

2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” You go to God for deliverance. The scout for the army doesn’t engage in battle with the enemy once he finds them; that would be foolish. Instead, he returns to tell the commander what he’s learned, and then the commander leads the troops into battle. No Christian can be victorious in fighting Satan by himself; he must report to the Commander. Jesus Himself sought out our heavenly Father for divine strength.

2. “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” Christians love God and desire to do what is right. No doubt, Peter, James, and John loved the Savior and wanted to do what was right. I’m sure the other eight disciples also wanted to do what was right, but they were weak.

I’m sure Peter suffered greatly over his denial because that was the last thing he wanted to do (Matt. 26:33, 35). In 1 Peter 5:8 he says, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Peter learned that lesson right in the garden of Gethsemane. He could teach that with conviction because Satan devoured all the disciples on the night the Lord needed them the most. They didn’t want to abandon the Lord, but they did.

Conclusion
Whereas the disciples’ confidence led to sleep, Christ’s humility led to prayer. But after the temptation came Christ’s obedience to the will of God. And that was followed by victory.

You have a choice. You can either be self-confident and end up in disaster, or you can be humble, fall on your knees before God in prayer for strength, and then commit yourself to God’s will in the midst of temptation. The latter is the only way to victory.