Gethsemane Prayer (3)
[Luke 22:39-46]
As we think about the things before and after Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, I hope and pray that we will be convinced that Jesus loved His people to the end. Look at John 13:1 – “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” This word means that Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to return to heaven after coming from heaven, and He loved His people in this world and loved them to the end.
These are the events that took place before Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane (there was Holy Communion before Passover and what happened at this banquet):
- Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.
Look at John 13:8 – “Peter said to Him, ‘Never shall You wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’” Jesus washed the dirtiest feet of His disciples in order to establish and maintain a relationship with them (“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me”). In order to have a relationship with the holy Jesus and His disciples, it was not necessary to have anything dirty (because the relationship that had already been established could be severed), so Jesus washed their feet. The dirtiest thing is sin, and the only one who can wash that sin clean is Jesus. So, Jesus loved His disciples by washing their dirty feet.
- Jesus reorganized and performed the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
Look at Luke 22:19-20: “And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.’” Here, the “bread” symbolizes the body of Jesus and the “cup” symbolizes the blood of Jesus. About this “blood” of Jesus, Matthew 26:28 says: “for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” Jesus loved His disciples to the end, even giving His own body and blood, that is, His own life.
- Jesus gave many lessons.
- Jesus taught us to love one another. Look at John 13:34 – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
- Jesus taught us that the only way to go to Heavenly Father is Jesus. Look at John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”
- Jesus taught us through the parable of the vine. Look at John 15:1, 5: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. … I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
- Jesus taught us about the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. Look at John 16:7-8, 13-14: “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; … But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
- Jesus interceded for his people. Jesus interceded for individuals. Look at Luke 22:31-32: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus prayed for Simon Peter that his faith would not fail. Jesus interceded for all the elects. Jesus began to pray, “lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,’” (Jn. 17:1) and ended His prayer by saying “I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (v. 26).
This happened when Jesus was on His way to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane (all recorded in the Gospels of Matthew/Mark/Luke/John). That is what Jesus said to His disciples (except for Judas Iscariot), “You will all fall away …for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered’” (Mk.14:27). He quoted the prophetic word of Zechariah 13:7 by the prophet Zechariah (a person about 500 years before Jesus came). In a word, this prophecy of Jesus is that if Heavenly Father (“I”) did not spare Jesus Christ, “His own Son” who is “the shepherd” (Zech.13:7) and gave him up on the cross for all of us (Rom. 8:32), then all the disciples, “the sheep” (Zec 13:7), will be scattered. After saying that, Jesus said to His disciples, “I will go before you into Galilee” (Mk. 14:28) when He rose from the dead on the third day after being crucified. At that time, Peter said, “Even if I forsake them all, I will not” (v. 29), and Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, tonight, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times” (v. 30). Then Peter said insistently, “Even if I die with You, I will not deny You!” and all the disciples said the same thing (v. 31). Although the Bible says that if Heavenly Father struck Jesus, the Shepherd, all the sheep will be scattered, His disciples said that they would not deny (forsake) the Lord even if they would die with Him.
This happened when Jesus was arrested after praying in Gethsemane. Look at John 18:8-9: “Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,’ to fulfill the word which He spoke, ‘Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.’” Even as Jesus was being captured, He said to the captors, ‘Let these go their way’ so that none of their people whom Heavenly Father had given Him would be lost. Jesus made all His disciples flee. After fleeing, Peter returned and followed Jesus at a distance as they led Jesus into the house of Caiaphas, the high priest (Lk. 22:54; Jn. 18:13). And while Jesus was being interrogated at the judgment seat of Caiaphas, the high priest, Peter denied Jesus three times in the courtyard of Caiaphas' house (Jn. 18:15). When Peter was talking about denying Jesus for the third time, the rooster immediately crowed (Lk. 22:55-60). At that time, even though Jesus was being interrogated, He turned and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord's words, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times." So, he went outside and wept bitterly (repented) (vv. 61-62).
This happened when Jesus was carrying the cross and was going to Golgotha. Look at Luke 23:27-28: “And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’” Jesus said to the large crowd of weeping women, ‘Stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” The reason is because there will be tribulation in the future.
This happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross. Look at Luke 23:34 – “But Jesus was saying, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ ….” Jesus prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them.” Look at Luke 23:42-43: “And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’” On the cross, when one of the two criminals crucified with Him asked, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!,” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” In this way, Jesus loved His people and loved them to the end even while suffering on the cross.
Our Lord loves us to the end. Our Lord loves us forever. Let us all have confidence in the love of the Lord who loves us to the end and forever.