Bible Study - Take This Cup!

Hi, my name is Dave Edgren, and I've called this study Take This Cup. We're going to be looking at the passage Mark 14:32-52 and then zooming in on the 36th verse. So here's the entire passage, Mark 14:32-52. Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, sit here while I pray. He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, "I am deeply grieved, to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake." He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.' Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, 'Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won't enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. And again he came and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him. Then he came a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let's go! See, my betrayer is near." While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the 12, Suddenly arrived with him was a mob with swords and clubs from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had given them a signal. 'The one I kiss,' he said, 'he's the one. Arrest him and take him away under guard.' So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, 'Rabbi,' and kissed him. They took hold of him and arrested him. One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his ear. Jesus said to them, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal, to capture me? Every day I was among you teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." Then they all deserted him and ran away. Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, but he left his linen cloth behind and ran away naked. So the verse we're zooming in on is Mark 14, verse 36, which says, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will. The observation section is this: This verse is the punchline of the entire passage. It says what the time in the Garden of Gethsemane is all about. Jesus is hoping beyond all hopes that his Heavenly Father has discovered another way to bridge the gap between fallen mankind and Holy God. Jesus prays. He asks his power trio to pray. "You pray for my strength while I pray for God's will." The disciples start praying, but fall asleep. Jesus feels the protection of prayer wavering. He heads over to the sleeping prayer circle and says, "Wake up! I feel like I'm dying inside. Stay here and stay awake. Pray for your strength and mine." 3 times Jesus prays for God's will and feels God add weight to his shoulders each time. There is only one way He must bear this weight. The weight of the sins of the world must be lifted and carried to the cross. 3 times he returns to find his team asleep. Finally, he tells them the time has come. This time, rather than stay and pray, he says, "Get up, let's go." And as if introducing Judas for the first time, Jesus says, "The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. And while he is still pleading, Judas arrives. The mob with Judas is carrying clubs and swords. As Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss on the cheek, the mob took hold of Jesus and arrested him. Now we get two cameos, a brief visit from each of the co-authors of Mark. First, a man steps forward, swings a sword to defend Jesus, and cuts off the ear of a man in the mob. You can hear Peter, as Mark's writing the story, "Don't say it was me," and "Keep it short." In the Gospel of John, we're told that Peter was the swordsman and Malchus was the man whose ear was wounded. In Matthew, Jesus tells Peter to put his sword away, and in Luke, the ear is repaired by Jesus. In the second cameo, a man wearing only a linen sheet, which was a common undergarment for the wealthy class, was watching from a distance when he was grabbed by the mob. Now unwittingly part of the story, he wriggled out of the sheet and ran away naked. Now you can hear Mark saying, "I was there too, Peter. I want to record it, but don't worry, I won't put my name on it." Peter and Mark playing bit parts that nobody needed. It gives the reader a clear sense that this This is a true story and an eyewitness account of one of the darkest turning points in any story ever told. Jesus, the Creator and Sustainer of life, hands himself over to become, for his broken, sinful human family, the Re-Creator and eternal life giver. His death was the only way, and he knew that now. The application section. There are times when I wonder about God's plan. Has he forgotten me? Is he done with me? Is there really even a plan at all? This passage helps me to see that these questions are not new. Even Jesus hoped God had discovered a new plan since they had last talked about it. He didn't want to suffer death, torture, or separation from his Father, so he prayed about it. And there is nothing in the text to suggest that there is anything wrong with this kind of prayer. God listened. God feels the pain with the suffering servant. And then God allows the suffering to be brought against Jesus and us. God never wishes for us to suffer. He never causes suffering. But at times he looks beyond the suffering and sees the person we become as we trust in him and rely on his support for our strength. And it is then that he says, we could get through this together. I will be with you the entire time. And the suffering comes, and we break, and we heal, and we know what Jesus went through on the cross. Well, at least in part. Suffering causes strength in time. Suffering also clears away the dross and leaves the gold. We may be told to put our swords away, we may run away naked, and we may even be arrested. But in the end, we will know Jesus better because we have said, "Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will." Pray with me. Dear Lord, I can imagine every time one of your children reads the story of the cross, you relive the highlights. I thank you for all that you went through for me. Thank you for stepping into my shoes and taking my sin on your shoulders. Thank you for allowing the plan you and your Father set to come to fruition and save us from all— save us all from eternal death due to sin. Your gift of eternal life is beyond comprehension, but it is true. Thank you for going through it all for me. And thank you for allowing me to write myself into the story. Amen.