The Gospel

Luke 1:1-4 (A Devotional Commentary)

Intro

No one is like Jesus. The man that lived 2,000 years ago has everything to do with us today. God deserves to be praised by the whole host of angels and the elect for all eternity merely for the fact that He preserved for us the Gospel according to Luke. Here, we see Jesus the Son of God who came for sinners and sufferers. No, Luke is not the only Gospel account but there are those distinct flavors that Luke gives us that leave us in a holy awe. Luke loves to set forth a Jesus who comes for the poor, broken, outcast, and sinner. He loves to highlight biblical-theological themes such as the Sabbath, the Gentiles, and the Holy Spirit. Beale & Gladd, in The Story Retold, say that the purpose of Luke is to show that Jesus is “the Spirit-anointed king, [who] overthrows Satan and his minions that enslave Israel and the nations in bondage of sin” (Beale & Gladd p. 100).

In this devotional commentary, I have decided not to comment on every word or phrase but simply those that seem to stand out and contribute to the main point of the text. The goal is that you might be able to take this and use it for your own devotions. I have tried to provide some exegetical insights but in such a way that is edifying. In other words, I’m trying to ask the question, “Why does it matter that this word is written in this way?” After the commentary, I have written an application section that you can use to apply to your own life.

Commentary

  • (v1) Luke writes with certainty that the things of Jesus happened. It’s almost as if he takes it for granted that they’re historical. There is no sense of questioning whether these things happened or not. It’s a matter of what they mean and what they mean for the world. This word for “have been accomplished” is a perfect passive participle meaning that what has definitely happened in the past has everything to do with us today. In other words, the things of Jesus that happened thirty years prior still have massive consequences for Luke, his audience, and even us today. It’s like he’s saying, “Buckle up because everything that I am about to tell you about what was accomplished back then has everything to do with you right now.”

  • (v2) The fact that Luke mentions that there were eyewitness accounts strengthens what he is trying to say. There is no doubt that these things happened. It’s not a matter of if they happened but rather how will we respond to them? Luke lived in an eyewitness world. That was their main source of documenting historical events. It was a reliable way of telling the truth. These eyewitness accounts were not to be hidden so that no one could back up what Luke was saying. They were to be sought out, as Luke himself sought them out, in order for everyone to see that this really is true. Remember, as Joshua Foer talks about in Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, that the art of memory recall was essentially a virtuous trait back then. It was something people highly valued. “A strong memory was seen as the greatest virtue since it represented the internalization of a universe of external knowledge…Indeed, the single most common theme in the lives of the saints—besides their superhuman goodness—is their often extraordinary memories” (Foer p. 96). In other words, if you had a good memory of true events then you were a very important person.

  • (v2) These “ministers” are more so “servants” of the word. They serve the truth to us like faithful butlers in the master’s house. 

  • (v3) “It seemed good to me also” → This seems to piggyback off of the fact that there were others who “served” the word. Luke is wanting to serve as well. He is not doing this for selfish gain or political power. Indeed, this would most likely only endanger his life. When he says “it seemed good”, he means really that “it seemed best”. What could possibly be better than writing down an account of the most important person who ever lived on this earth? Even more so, what could be better than to write a Gospel account of the only Savior for wretched sinners? It’s so good that we could look over and over and over at Luke’s Gospel account and never get bored. 

  • (v3) Also, notice this. Luke says that he has followed all things closely for some time. What does he mean? The BDAG lexicon says this word has been used in phrases such as: “to pay careful attention to something in a segment of time, to follow a thing, to follow a course of events, to take note of”; “one well acquainted with the affairs from the very beginning”; “I bring my charges as one who has accurate knowledge and has followed everything”; “personal acquaintance as opposed to information secured second-hand”. Isn’t that beautiful? Luke is saying that he is not making this stuff up. This word is a perfect, active, participle which conveys to us, once again, that these are past events that have everything to do with us in the future. This Gospel account is not just a history book in which people may approach it with a “take it or leave it” mentality. You are confronted with its truth. You are compelled to make a decision. You are face to face with the ultimate reality of all things. How awesome must this Jesus be?

  • (v4) Why is Luke writing to Theophilus? He wants him to have “an orderly account...that you may have certainty”. Theophilus seems to have heard some of this already but Luke is giving him more certainty that it’s true. Luke thinks it’s worth all his hard work to compile this account so that Theophilus might have a thorough understanding of Jesus. Luke wants him to grow in his knowledge of Jesus. Isn’t that eternal life (Jn. 17:3)? Our problem is not that we know too much. Our problem is that we know too little about Jesus. We need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus!

Application

Isn’t this where spiritual warfare from the dark lord can come in? He can tell us that the works of Jesus back then don’t apply to us today. He can say, “That was just for them back then. You’re a different case. You can’t trust what you see in this gospel account.” Doesn’t the world tell us the same thing?

Doesn’t the world say, “How can you know that’s true? You can’t trust that Bible. Our Enlightenment gurus have already shown us that the Bible isn’t accurate.”

Isn’t this also what the flesh tells us? We throw our own doubts and unbelief in the mix as well. “Jesus may have forgiven that woman in Luke 7:36-50 but I don’t know if He will forgive me. I know Jesus told the parable of the Father running after His sinful children in Luke 15 but I don’t know if that applies to me today. I’ve done too much. I’ve used my last straw.”

Don’t you see how important these verses are for us? These things have everything to do with us today. They don’t wait for us in heaven. They apply to this life and this realm. It applies in this world with these people. In other words, by faith, you can claim these. Even more so, by faith, you must claim these! They are yours in Christ! The dark lord knows they are yours and that’s why he wants to keep you thinking that “maybe, just maybe” they don’t apply to you. 

How Should Christians Approach Sports?

After preaching this past Sunday night, I received several questions that had more to do with the particulars. There is a reason why I tried to stay away from particulars. My goal in the sermon was to ask one question: Do you have an idol of sports? The entire goal was to put us before the Law of God (specifically, the first commandment) and to see how we need Christ.

I don’t think it’s helpful to give personal opinions in a cloudy area in a sermon but I do think it’s helpful in other platforms. After all, as Haddon Robinson says, “More heresy is preached in application than in Bible exegesis." That language is pretty strong and I might disagree with some of what he says, but I do understand his point. We need to be careful about how we apply the Bible whenever we preach, “Thus says the LORD.”

This is a more appropriate follow up for some of those particulars. The following are my personal opinions on some of the more popular questions I have been asked over the many years of playing sports.

  1. What about the Sabbath and sports?
    There are tons and tons of questions that fit under that principle. What about professional sports? What about travel sports? What about youth sports on Sunday? That is a totally different blog. All I will say is this. There are many good solid Reformed theologians who take different views of the Sabbath. You will have to embrace your view as well. But, to be sure, do not adopt your view based on what is most convenient for you. What does the Bible say? If the Bible says that, embrace it and apply it to sports.
    The overall rule: If sports are consistently taking you away from worship and the life of the church then you need to rethink the way you approach sports.
    To be sure, we need to be careful when we make hard and fast rules. For instance, think about your view of the Sabbath and how it pertains to professional athletes and coaches. Professional sports do not determine the doctrine but the doctrine should determine the Christian’s approach to sports but make sure you think graciously and wisely about that. But, also think about this: How does that same view apply to our military when they are deployed and away from church for many months?
    Be careful about making this about certain rules and merely getting in line with the rules. Make it about the heart of the Sabbath.

  2. Can I spend money on trainers to help my child improve?
    Yes! Matter of fact, send them to me! (Shameless plug.) I love training athletes. I am constantly trying to train guys and girls. Why? Because I know that’s an opportunity to help them in sports and to apply the gospel to sports.
    I have had many conversations with athletes about their gospel identity while I am training them hard. Plus, I love to have an excuse to yell really loud. If you want to be entertained, come watch me train Wide Receivers.
    In all seriousness, yes, you can spend money on trainers. It is not an ungodly thing to do. The question is: Why? Why are you wanting to do this? Is it because you have to have a child who is successful in sports? Is it because your child has to live in light of your athletic prowess? Why do you want to do this? Is this training taking them away from church?
    Also, how much money are you spending? Is it hindering your tithing? Is it hindering your responsibility to pay bills and support your family?
    Yes, it is totally fine to pay for training but just be wise. Search your heart and your child’s heart for the why question. Matter of fact, that’s really how I will answer a lot of these questions.

  3. Can my child play football or an extreme sport?
    Depends. What condition is your child’s body in? How old are they? What extreme sport is it? This is not a moral or ethical decision but rather a situation-by-situation decision. I played football. My son most likely will play football. Will I force him? No. Will he want to? Maybe. Is he allowed to be a defensive back? Absolutely not! (I say that facetiously. If you know me, you’ll understand my love for “Wideouts”.)
    Think about how big and how fragile your child is before they enter that sport. For my parents, I waited until 6th grade. I broke my collar bone that year. That’s why I hated to play defense. But seriously, I had an injury in an injury-prone game. Was I ready to play football then? I think so. Should I have waited? Maybe? Who knows? Each parent must come to their different conviction. This is not a moral issue. This is a wisdom issue.

  4. What does it look like to be competitive and work hard as a Christian?
    There is a grand difference between hard work and idolizing. As Mark Brown so wisely said to me yesterday, “You can just smell it when it’s there.” I think he’s right. It’s not always the easiest to tell to the naked eye but when someone is idolizing sports, it just seems to stand out.
    Athletes should work hard in sports. We dishonor God and don’t love our teammates when we slack off. But, there is a difference between being competitive and hard-working versus idolizing sports. You need to search your own heart. You need the gospel continually before you. Here are some probing questions: If sports were taken away from you, would you be really sad or would you be full-on depressed? What makes you most anxious in life? Is it how you perform? What gives you your identity? Is it Christ or your performance?

  5. What if sports is your job? How does that affect time, thoughts, and money?
    We need to be careful whenever we make hard and fast rules about how much time and thoughts we put into sports. Does this apply to coaches or athletes when it’s their job? The real question is: Can you stop thinking about sports and think about the gospel? Can you bring the gospel into your working world? Are you preoccupied more with your performance than you are with the Person and Work of Christ for you? Is corporate worship still prioritized?
    If sports is your job, you should be thinking a lot about sports! It’s honoring to God that you do so. But, like any other job, if it grabs your affections more than anything else then you’re idolizing it. Is God really God to you? Or, is sports? That’s the heart question. What really controls your life? Who do you really answer to?

  6. How do I know when sports is becoming an idol?
    I’ve been answering this in each one. I think there are many indicator lights to answer this. Once again, Mark Brown was spot on when he said to me, “Who do we answer to?” That’s the question. In the end, who do we answer to? Do we rest in our sports performance or in Christ? Do we give ultimate allegiance to Christ or to sports? Who do we obey? Who do we follow? What is our confidence in? When sports is said and done, can you really give it up? Do you live in the past? Are you inseparable from your identity on the court?

  7. What if my child is on a team that is filled with very ungodly people?

    Awesome! What an opportunity! Now, be careful though. Make sure you keep talking to your child. Watch their heart. They still need a godly community. But, what an opportunity! Show them how to live out and speak the gospel to their teammates. Often times, teammates are very vulnerable in the locker room. There are so many opportunities to give someone gospel hope whenever things don’t go right for another athlete. This shouldn’t be their primary community but must be an important one. Take advantage of this! Your child shouldn’t get to the end of a season without their teammates knowing they’re a Christian. That doesn’t mean they’re obnoxious about it. Rather, we need to be winsome. We need to speak the truth in love.

  8. Is it wrong to play multiple sports?
    No. Playing multiple sports is great! They can learn so many different things playing multiple sports. The real questions are: Are the multiple sports keeping them from the church? Why are you playing multiple sports? Is it for self-glory?
    Is it wrong to play multiple sports? No. But, make sure to keep a gauge on your child’s heart. Is this teaching them that sports are the most important thing in life? This differs from child to child. Also, maybe playing multiple sports is actually hurting your family. Maybe it’s not the most practical thing. Maybe for other families, it’s very practical. There are some kids who should be playing sports all year because it’s not very good for them to stay idle.

  9. Is it wrong to be an avid supporter of a sports team?

    Absolutely not! I love Tulane, Troy, Manchester City, and the New England Patriots. The question is: Is your identity in these teams? Here are some questions you can ask yourself: Do I get inordinately angry when my team fails? Am I treating the players and coaches as real people in need of Jesus or are they animals playing a sport for my slavish delight? Is my week more determined by the schedule of my favorite sports team or by the covenant community? Does my love for a sports team cause me to hate supporters of other teams? Am I spending too much money in support of this team?
    Supporting teams is a great thing! Matter of fact, I think it’s a common grace that should teach us about supporting our local church through the highs and lows.

At the end of the day, who is Lord of your life? What is the gospel? Is it that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead? Or is it sports?

If The Bible Is The Word Of God, What Should We Do With It?

This is a star without a speck; a sun without a blot; a light without darkness; a moon without its impaleness; a glory without a dimness. O Bible! it cannot be said of any other book, that it is perfect and pure; but of thee we can declare all wisdom is gathered up in thee, without a particle of folly.

-Charles Spurgeon

The Bible is amazing. I, myself, wish I knew this more. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God. It is sufficient, relevant, and applicable to all of life. The fact that is has withstood thousands of years of the most intense persecution and only multiplies gives forth its supernatural character. Someone is behind the preservation of it.

But, what is our attitude towards it? In an age of increasing biblical illiteracy among solid evangelical churches, what is our relationship with the Bible? If the Bible is God’s Word, what should we do with it?

  1. Read It!
    It is stunning how many Christians profess that the Bible is God’s Word and yet how few of us know it! If the Bible is God’s Word then we must read it. There is no other application more important than this. At the most basic level, what does every Christian do? They read the Bible. The Bible is how we grow in faith. The Bible is how we come to know God.
    Christians in centuries past who didn’t have access to Bibles were dying that people would read it to them. Men and women died to have the Bible accurately translated into their native tongue. They would commit it to memory if they didn’t have 24/7 access to it. They would study it zealously. But, in the 21st Century, it’s hard enough for us to get off Instagram and Facebook merely to open up the Bible.
    There is no book that contains the beauties and wonders that the Bible contains. No book has the rich spiritual gold that the Bible has. The Bible does not contain the Word of God; the Bible is the Word of God. Read it!
    What other book tells us so much of Jesus? What other book is so pure of the gospel? Other men and women merely write books about the Bible. The books that light our hearts on fire most are books that explain the Bible best.
    Let me give you an explanation of what one of my seminary professors recently told us. What’s the difference between man and dust? The breath of God. God made man from the dust and breathed life into him (Gen. 2:7). The breath of God causes something inanimate to become dynamically animate. The breath of God brings life, purpose, identity, and joy. It brings a relationship with God.
    Now, what is the difference between the Bible and other books? The breath of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” Robert Mounce says, “Scripture is ‘God-breathed.’ The word occurs nowhere else in the Bible. It means that Scripture is the product of God’s creative breath. As God formed man from the dust of the ground and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” so that “man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7) so it is that God’s breath has turned lifeless words on paper into a living utterance. Had God not breathed life into the words of the prophets they would have been no more than the words of men. As it is when we read the prophets we find ourselves confronted with God Himself who speaks to us directly through what was written by chosen men of old.”
    There are no devotional books, no Christian living books, no doctrinal books, and no commentaries that replace the Bible. Authors are only worth their gold if they explain what The Author has said. We are living in an age where anything that remotely smells of pseudo-Christianity is adopted as something inspired. There is a reason why John Kwasny is teaching a Sunday School class on “Bad Books” because it is so rampant even in the best churches.
    Nothing matches the Word of God. If it is God’s Word, read it!

  2. Meditate On It
    That which is most sweet to us stays on our minds. Those experiences that are so meaningful to us are the stories we tell most. If the Bible is the Word of God, we must spend time meditating on it. The Bible is a rich dish of food. It’s not something you shovel into your mouth so that you can get it over with. The Bible is something that should be savored. You should try to point out all the different flavors to it. It’s when you meditate on the Bible that you turn to your neighbor and say, “You’ve got to try this!”
    If the Bible is God’s Word, one of the most important things we can do in life is find times (whatever works for you) to slow down and limit distractions so that we can meditate on God’s Word. Practically, what does this look like? One thing that has often helped people is to take a portion of the Bible and write down 20-30 thoughts on that one portion. Many times, when you get to about 10-15 it gets much harder. This requires you to meditate even more on the truth.
    Ask these questions of the Bible: What is the Bible trying to say? How is the Bible saying it? Why did the author want to say that truth to those people back then? How does that apply to us today? How is the text leading me to the Person and Work of Jesus?

  3. Give It To Others
    If the Bible is God’s Word, give it to other people. Don’t let them just assume what the Bible says. If they have questions, show them what to read. If the Bible is no ordinary book, if the Bible is God’s Word, if the Bible is heavenly dynamite then give it to someone for them to read. Read it with them. Let the Bible speak for itself!
    There are countless of conversions that happen merely because someone has to read the Bible for themselves. Matter of fact, no one is ever converted without the truth of Scripture. Don’t you see this? If everyone is converted by the Bible (in one way or another) then give them a Bible!
    To be sure, not every is converted when they read. It’s not in the mere physical and mental act of reading that converts them. It’s when the Holy Spirit takes the living and active Word of God and causes a spiritually dead person to come alive to the truth is when conversion happens. Dead people read the living Bible and come alive by the infinite power of the eternal Holy Spirit.
    What is one of the best evangelistic activities you can do? Offer to read the Bible with an unbeliever. We worry too much about making sure we know all the answers to apologetics, worldview, and ethics. We want to make sure we can answer questions in a scientifically true way. We are so easily distracted. Knowing apologetics, worldview, and ethics is very important but let the Bible speak. Apologetics never converts someone. Worldview never converts someone. Ethics never convert someone. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation. The Bible tells us of this gospel.

Large Group Sermons on Romans

Meditations on the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42)

Some of the best advice I have ever gotten for preaching preparation has been from Dr. Elias Medeiros and Dr. Guy Waters at Reformed Theological Seminary here in Jackson. Both of them give the suggestion that the beginning and most important part of all preparation must be to meditate on the verses before jumping to any commentary, sermon, or other helps. Dr. Waters specifically has given us assignments that tell us to give five “insights” for each verse that we go through. This is more than just “Jesus tells Peter to do _____.” This is more so thinking more deeply about what the text means, what it tells us about God, us, our sin, our hope, and the person and work of Jesus. This is the format that these meditations take on. Hopefully, this can be a tool for your own devotions and also something, although greatly flawed, of a model on your own devotional and Bible study/preaching preparation practices. In order to prepare for the sermon preached last night, I tried to give 2-3 meditations per verse in bullet format.

v32a

  • Gethsemane is literally “the oil press”. Certainly, many olive trees were in this area. Even without adequate knowledge of how olive oil is made, the meaning of Gethsemane no doubt tells us that olives are “pressed” in order for the juices and oils to come forth. This would be the type of soul anguish Jesus would begin to feel as He would be the one who would be “crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53).

    • How strange this must have felt in that just a day earlier, Jesus was speaking on the Mt. of Olives about how He would be coming with the clouds of heaven with great power and glory (Mark 13). The temptation for Him here would be to take that glory without a cross.

  • It is the first time that Gethsemane is mentioned in the gospel. The Mt. of Olives is mentioned many times prior to this but not Gethsemane. Surely, we can presume somewhat that the gospel writers wanted to keep Gethsemane, “the oil press”, for the opportune time. The Mt. of Olives is a reminder of a fruitful and pleasant place but Gethsemane is a reminder of temptation, darkness, and the cup.

  • Imagine the familiarity that Jesus felt here. Often He came here to pray to the Father. Often the Mt. of Olives was a vivid reminder of the eternal dwelling He had with the Father prior to His incarnation. What tribulation it must have been to Jesus that in the hour when He most wanted His intimacy with the Father to be known that He then felt the foreshadow of the wrath of God that was to come on the cross.

  • It is also worth remembering that Jesus had just instituted the Lord’s Supper here. Earlier, He had just held up the cup which symbolized His blood (14:12-21). What was going on in Jesus’ mind and heart as He held up the cup? As He held it up before His eyes and the disciples’ eyes, what was going on in His mind? Certainly, it must’ve felt like a haunting dream waiting to come true as He uttered the words, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” The cup that we would drink out of joy as a means of grace must first be a cup of wrath for Him on the cross. Gethsemane was the foretasting of this cup. Surely, as Jesus held up that cup, He must have had some inward anxieties and tremblings about that which was to come. It would have been like a prisoner sentenced to death by electric chair seeing a replica of it the day before going. It would have been like a man sentenced to death by guillotine shuddering as he saw someone slicing a vegetable the day before.

v32b

  • We should notice here that Jesus is enacting that of a High Priest in this moment. He comes the Great High Priest with the other future priests. He comes to meet with the Father through prayer, no doubt should be a reminder of the priestly duties, and He tells most of them to wait in the outer parts of Gethsemane. We will see in the next verse that Jesus tells the other three disciples to wait in the inner circle while Jesus alone goes before the Father to pray. The other three disciples are to be praying as He prays.

  • Prayer for Jesus was a private thing says RT France. Jesus did not pray in pomp and showmanship as the Pharisees did. Jesus prayed from the heart. It was an intimate moment for Jesus. No doubt, He did not object to public prayer but He certainly believed in private prayer and the necessity of it.

    • It is also worth noting too that the disciples heard just enough of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden to record the main portion of it. They were no doubt within listening range and yet it is as if they are only allowed to here the beginnings of the prayer before the sleepiness overtakes them. What else did Jesus utter in that prayer? Surely He said more than that during each of the hours that He prayed. We had the prayer of Jesus in John 17 graciously overheard and recorded for us. We know too that the disciples often prayed with Jesus and heard Him pray. They asked Jesus if they could be taught how to pray surely because they heard how He prayed. Yet, we are not giving access into this prayer. This was enough for us. Our sinful minds could not comprehend the battles that the Sinless One had with the temptation to take glory without the cross.

  • It is a good question to ask, “Why does Jesus pray?” Maybe it is the question that we must ask if we understand who He is. He does not pray to Himself but He prays to the Father. It is simply this, He is the dependent one. He is the Submissive Suffering Servant. He is the one that Isaiah prophesied of. This Jesus is the one who fulfilled all righteousness and did what Adam failed to do.

33-34a

  • This just needs to be mentioned that He took the other three with Him a little bit closer. This should remind us of the tabernacle and temple. Only the High Priest was allowed to go into the Most Holy Place. It could only be Jesus who could bring us into the presence of God.

  • This is also a reminder of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-11). There Jesus was showing His Divinity and here He is showing His humanity. There the disciples saw Jesus’ resurrection glory but here they would see His humiliation.

  • Jesus begins to feel greatly troubled, terrified, distressed. This word for  “greatly distressed” is used for seeing something remarkable that has suddenly come upon you. This is a shuddering fear. This is not too unlike a panic attack. If something it is more than that. For surely His suffering is beyond anything any man has ever felt. It is His response to something that is utterly overwhelming. Fear pulses through His body. His heart rate would no doubt have sped up. His mind flooded with thoughts and the temptation to run from the moment. “Just forget about it. Just go back to heaven. Take the glory without the cross. Take the crown without the thorns.” Satan is coming back to tempt Him at the opportune time. Jesus was said to come under extreme anguish, mental and spiritual turmoil. Jesus was so sorrowful that He could’ve died. Literally, “my heart is ready to break with grief.”

  • What a stunning scene. Here is the God of Glory in fear. Here is the one who never blinked in the face of evil and persecution nor flinched before His enemies and yet now here, in a familiar garden going before the One who is most familiar to Him, He is totally turned upside down. Yet, He is sinless, perfect, and obedient.

34b

  • He asks Peter, James, and John to remain there and watch. This watching certainly involved praying. Jesus had just told the disciples earlier, on the same Mt., to stay awake for the Lord’s return (Mark 13). How much harder would it be to stay awake for the Lord’s return if they could not stay awake amidst the Lord’s presence? Oh, how they would need more than physical strength to stay awake but they needed the Spirit of Christ to come and abide in them to enable them to stay awake.

  • Why would Jesus ask for this? What would they add to Him? Once again, I think we see more of Jesus’ desire for company. We see here His desire for close friends to intercede for Him. But, why would they need to watch if Jesus was determined to give Himself over to the Pharisees and to Judas? It is most difficult to stay alert and to watch in the middle of the night. It had been a busy week for them and it was getting late. Jesus asks His closest friends to stay alert and to be like the watchmen in the night. Certainly, their actions were a great contrast to what Jesus was about to do. The disciples, especially the three who said that they would suffer alongside of Jesus (Mark 14:29-31), fail to do that which He does. It is only Jesus who is capable of doing the work of the High Priest. What a moment here where we see the ultimate failure of all other priests before Jesus! There is no one who fears God. There is no one who does good. No not one. All have sinned and turned aside (Romans 3:10-18).

35

  • Here goes our Great High Priest before the presence of the Father. Here goes the One who will intercede for us by giving Himself up for us. Here goes the Lamb who is also the Priest. Here goes the Temple embodied who is also the sacrifice. Here goes Jesus by Himself for it must be only Him who goes.

  • It is interesting that Jesus here falls to the ground. He does not graciously kneel before His Father. There is a weight upon His shoulders. It is as the one who tries to lift too much weight who then collapses underneath. It is a picture of what happened when He would carry the physical cross on the way to Golgotha. It is also interesting to note that Jesus here falls on the ground in distress of the cup and in just a moment the soldiers would fall to the ground as He would utter, “I am He.”

  • Here we see Jesus praying. Here is the one who is like the concubine in Judges 19 that falls before the door for help. She begs for help after being abused all night in the square by worthless men. Here, Jesus is awaiting being abused by worthless men. Here, Jesus is awaiting an even greater wrath--the wrath that was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah and yet even more.

  • Jesus prays that the hour might pass from Him. This hour is the hour of the cup. It is the hour of the crushing the serpent but it is also the hour of the serpent striking His heel (as prophesied in Gen 3:15). Jesus sees here the cross in vivid colors. The Spirit gives Him a vision of the weight of the cross. And what happened on the cross? The wrath of God is poured out on Him. The wrath of God is that righteous and just separation of sinful man from the all-glorious God for eternity. It is a just repayment of what they desire and deserve. Jesus, who only knew eternal communion and infinite pleasure at the Father’s side for eternity is here tasting what He has never tasted before. He is feeling the wrath from His Father. He is feeling the enmity and separation. Yet, there is no one but Jesus who has such a desire to be with His Father and to worship His Father. He longs to give honor and glory to His Father and yet He gets a foreshadow of the wrath to come instead. Imagine this, what father among you, you who are evil, will give him a serpent when he asked for a loaf of bread (Luke 11:11-13)? Will not your Heavenly Father give you much more? The Heavenly Father gives much more to us than our best earthly fathers and we are sinful! Why then does the Heavenly Father here give His perfect Son a serpent (The Serpent!) rather than a loaf of manna from heaven? There is no injustice in the Father here and no rebellion in the Son. This is why the Father sent the Son and this is why the Son obeyed the Father. The mission, should He accept it, was to crush the serpent in order to redeem His elect. What love!

36

  • Jesus is never said to have uttered “Abba” until here. Surely, He did at earlier points in His life but not in the recordings of Mark. This is nowhere else in the gospels but only in the writings of Paul in Romans and Galatians. “Abba” is a very familiar term used only for a very familiar and intimate relationship with a father. It is an informal, yet not irreverent (as is often communicated in the Church today it seems), term that only a child would have the privilege of using. This is almost the picture of an orphaned child walking around a city market amongst all the men searching frantically for his daddy. In a way, there is no “Abba” here. It is only the Judge of sinful men. Jesus cries a familiar title to a familiar person in a familiar place and yet is met with only a foreshadowing of what it means to be disowned by God and abandoned by Him on the cross. Here is Jesus taking on Himself the punishment that was due to the children of Israel who abandoned God. Here is the deportation of Israel to Babylon beginning to happen to the Son. He is about to be thrust into the hands of unclean Gentiles rather than taken up into the hands of a loving Father. The gore must happen before the glory. The cross must happen before the crown. The blood must be spilt before the body is risen from the dead.

  • All things are indeed possible with the Father but not all things are permissible. It is possible surely for Jesus to remove the cup from Himself, for the Spirit to remove it from Him, and for the Father to remove it from Him but this was the eternal plan of God. The Son voluntarily decided and was determined to take the cup even amidst the height of this temptation. Now, some say that He asked for the cup to be delayed here until the cross for remember He told His disciples that He was sorrowful “unto death”. Maybe Jesus was worried that His frame would not enable Him to make it to the cross and that He would die in the Garden.

  • This is what the culmination of world history has boiled down to. This is exactly where God has sovereignly brought all things. This is the moment of all moments and all three persons of the Trinity have agreed passionately upon this plan as a perfect union. Yet, here is the Sinless One feeling the weight upon His humanity to take the cup.

  • Jesus does not ask the Father to take away the cup. He uses an imperative. Peter obviously hears Jesus say not only “if it is possible please take it away” but he also hears Jesus pleading with the Father in the imperative tone. What anguish Jesus must feel here! He is praying according to the attributes of God. Jesus understands that He must be the One to take away the wrath of God. He knew from reading the Scriptures that He was the Messiah and that He has come to drink the cup and to take away the sins of the world. So, what is this statement here that Jesus makes? Here is the height of all temptation. Here is the apex of every strategy of Satan culminating here in the face of Jesus asking Him to take the glory without the cross. The temptation is to be the King without being the Suffering Servant. Here, in the height of this temptation, is Jesus fulfilling all righteousness. This prayer is not a weak point of Jesus’ obedience but rather is exactly what He must have gone through in order to give us His perfect righteousness. What wonder this is!

  • Derek Thomas has us imagine the utter silence of all creation after Jesus utters this sentence: Remove this cup…All eyes turn to the Father. What would He do? Would He say, “Come Home Son! These wretched vile sinners aren’t worth it. They are only our enemies (Rom 5:6-11). They add nothing to our glory! Retreat from the moment. Let my just wrath come upon them for rejecting me.” God would remain God and gloriously God if He did so. He would still retain His infinite beauty and goodness if He called His Son away from the moment but this is not an arbitrary decision that the Triune God came up with in the moment but rather this was a covenant made. God bound Himself by His Word that He would redeem worthless men and women. The moment could not be denied. It must be fulfilled. What did all of heaven do during the pause between this sentence and the next? Had Satan won? Had God relented? Had Jesus given up? Did God really love us enough to die for us?

  • Yet…. Oh, what a wonderful word! How all of heaven must have gained so much adrenaline and the hearing of that word. “Yet”! Amidst all the temptation Jesus was facing to walk away from the wrath that He did not deserve… “yet”. What faith He had in His Father even amidst the Father’s silence. What gracious courage the Spirit gave Him to pursue the eternal plan of salvation. This is the epitome of faith. Against all logic, all feelings, all temptations, all persecutions, all sufferings, all evil assaults, Jesus here gives His life into the hands of His Father out of love for us. Love moves Him. Love for His Father and love for us moves Him. It’s “go time” now. It’s time to move from the locker room and to the playing field. Pre-game warm ups are over and the moment has indeed come. Here is the Lamb led to the slaughter now approaching the cross like a Lion. His soul is distressed and troubled beyond we can ever imagine yet here is faith. Here, we see His body come up off the ground. Here, we see the drops of blood that He sweat be wiped from His face. Here, we see Jesus glorifying His Father. What a Savior!

37

  • What a disheartening feeling this must have been. How much this added to the distress. He had gotten some courage back to face the cup and then it seems to go away from Him as He sees His disciples sleeping for “again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.” These were His closest friends. These were the ones who said that they would never leave Him nor forsake Him. These were the three who said they would suffer alongside Him yet the two who surrounded Him on the cross were thieves not disciples. Jesus had asked them to work and stay alert but they had decided to rest. They had acted like the first Adam in the garden when Jesus was acting the way the first Adam should’ve acted in the garden.

  • Notice that Jesus looks to Peter and calls him Simon. Why? It is because this sleeping man is not acting like a sturdy rock but more like his old self. Jesus had given Peter his new name which meant rock and yet here he is looking more like a sloth. It is also significant because here is Peter acting more like his old sinful self than the one who mightily confesses that Jesus is the Christ.

  • For one hour they could not watch. This means that Jesus prayed for at least one hour. One hour is not a long time to watch but it certainly can be when it is late at night. The disciples couldn’t endure one hour and yet Jesus was about to suffer for the next 10-20 hours. Once again, Jesus is the only one who can perform the atonement for us. He alone is the substitute. He alone is the submissive one to the Father.

38

  • What is the temptation that they would enter into? Would it be to betray Him? Certainly this has got to be the closest to it. The temptation that they were facing might have been very similar to the temptation that He was facing--take the glory and not the suffering. This after all is what they wanted. They had asked Jesus to sit at His right hand in heaven (Mark 10:35-45). They had desired Jesus to take the kingdom in an earthly way. They wanted glory but not the suffering. Surely, this temptation had it’s similar root with them as well. Again we see that all others will fail. Only Jesus can withstand the devil’s temptations.

  • Surely, Jesus knew first hand about the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak. He was experiencing it in the moment. His sinless soul greatly desired to glorify the Father in redeeming His people and yet the human flesh felt all of the temptation to flee from the wrath of God to come.

39

  • Again, Jesus went to the Father no doubt wrestling again as Jacob had wrestled with the Angel of the LORD in Genesis. Again He goes and asks about the cup. Again He pleads according to who God is. Again He submits and says, “Yet.” Again, He sets His face towards Jerusalem and to Golgotha.

40

  • Again Jesus found His best friends failing as disciples, failing as friends, failing as worshipers of God. Again, His soul is no doubt filled with anguish. There is no one to help Him. It must be Him alone. This is not like the movies where there is always another person who is eager to stand by someone’s side or to go instead of someone else. No one else wants this job. No one else wants this position. There is only One who is capable of doing this. There is only One who can take in an eternity’s worth of wrath in a matter of hours. There is only One who can reconcile God and man. There is only One who can love sinful man like this.

  • Oh, how sin leaves us in a position where we are unable to give an excuse to what we have done. How our own sin leaves us in a position unanswerable to God! All those who do not trust in Jesus will not be speaking back to Jesus on that Great Day. No one will have an answer back to Him. All will be silent as He opens the books. All will be silenced in hell. Jesus is the only one who answers for us in our place before the Father if we trust in Him.

41

  • Again, the third time He found them sleeping but this time it was enough. The hour had indeed come. No matter how much we try to delay the time, it inevitably comes our way. The moment is so fixed before His eyes. There is nothing but a Cross ahead for our Lord. It is time to wake up the disciples for the last time. It is time to give Himself over to His enemies. The hour would not be passing away. It was there in that moment. This is the moment why He came. This is why that precious baby, the gift to the virgin and the gift to the world, came. He came to die. He came to give His life up for us. He came to extinguish the wrath of God upon Himself rather than to let His loved ones die. It is for these sleepy ones that He would die. Ironically, it is for these sleepy ones that the Lord of the Sabbath would experience eternal unrest so that they might enter into into His eternal rest.

  • The Son of Man has gone willingly but His will was that He be betrayed by yet another close friend. He had chosen Judas to be His friend and disciple and yet Judas here is a picture of all of us. God chose to create us. He chose to have fellowship with us and every day we rejected such fellowship. Every day we sold the infinitely worthy one for the price of a slave. Here goes Jesus into the hands of sinners and of the unclean ones.

42

  • A moment ago, Jesus fell before the Father but now it is time to rise and go to the cross. They cannot stay in the Garden forever. They must be thrust out from the Garden in order to enter into the New Garden. He came not to be served but to serve.

The Gospel and Sports (RYM Youth Leader Podcast)

Last week, I was able to record a series of podcasts with John Perritt on the issue of sports and youth culture. We discussed my testimony in the sports world, the good aspects and blessings of sports, the bad aspects of sports, how the prosperity gospel has affected the sports world, and finally about some tips for parents who have children who play sports. Each podcast is around 15 minutes on average that is a good resource to listen to in the car. To listen to the podcasts, download the “Podcast” app from the App Store on your iPhone, search “The Local Youth Worker Podcast”, and look for the podcast label that has the RYM logo on it. There are five episodes, one for each day of the week, and they are episodes 231-235. If you prefer to listen to them online, click here to listen to them.