The Gospel According to Mark (Part 45)

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The Gospel According to Mark

(Part 45)

Good morning and welcome to Jesus Church

Everyone on our Mexico team missed all of you last weekend

• Grateful to have a team here so we could go there
  • If u didn’t know where we were… serving an orphanage
  • But honestly going down– Far more blessed than a blessing
• Many of u bought Christmas gifts for these kids… they loved them
  • Also the Smart & Final gift cards meant so much
  • They actually shared that they were down to their last chicken
  • Giftcards we gave will sustain them for a good amount of time
• So even for those who didn’t go – God used you in a powerful way
  • We were also able to be part of their community outreach
  • 23 people gave their lives to the Lord
  • Rich and his crew poured a foundation for new storage pantry

TAG: This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship – Will go back soon

Back to Mark… Last week Rick brought you thru Last Supper (great job)

• Important to note that b4 Jesus died – Wanted to eat with friends
  • That’s how important breaking bread w/ community was to him
  • Tonight – We invite you to break bread with us
  • Our Christmas dinner… totally free
    • At 6:30 and we would love for you to join us (catered)
    • Fun… games… prizes – For the whole family

Nearing the focal point of Jesus Death & Resurrection

Today’s text is just hours before Jesus will be arrested and then killed

Mark 14:27-42

You will all fall away, Jesus told them, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee. Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” Truly I tell you, Jesus answered, today, yes, tonight – before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times. But Peter insisted emphatically, Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you, and all the others aid the same.

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. He took Peter, James and John along with him and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them, stay here and keep watch. Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. Abba, Father, he said, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Simon, he said to Peter, are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning a third time, he said to them, Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!

[PRAY]

Story – It was the summer before my 6^th grade year

We had lived in Washington for 5 years… Both parents teachers

• And some good friends of ours – Principle of the school
  • Had a grand idea to start a Christian school in Palm Springs, CA
  • Honestly idea was exciting… plant a school… move to California
  • So my parents went down with a team on a scouting trip
• And I remember my dad coming back – Started coughing a lot
  • At first it wasn’t much – But it started getting worse
  • Then it wasn’t just a cough… it was hard to breath… weakness
  • After he went to multiple doctors who couldn’t figure it out
  • Finally they to an X-Ray of his lungs… looked like spider webs

We soon after that – Found out my dad had a very deadly lung cancer

• Treatment & chemo didn’t do anything… in fact cancer fed off it
  • Sent our family on a final vacation 2 the happiest place on earth
  • Which didn’t seem super happy
  • Although my dad handled it with grace/faith – still inspires me
• B4 dad was healed… our family dealt with a ton of bad emotions
  • And I don’t mean that in the sense of immoral… just negative
  • Disappointment… fear… anger… anxiety
• Dealing with the fact that…
  • My sister and I might not had a dad
  • My mom that she might not have a husband
  • My dad that he might not get to see his kids/grandkids grow up

TAG: One great questions in spiritual life… or just life in general

How do we navigate negative emotional health well

B/C we all deal with it… when pain & suffering knocks on your door

• How do we handle it when life isn’t going how we want it to
  • When it isn’t trending up and to the right
  • When life isn’t instagramable in any way, shape or form
• And I’m sure with Christmas a week away some of you are great
  • But the truth is some of us aren’t – And that’s ok
  • Because as we will see… Jesus isn’t ok in todays text
  • The goal is figuring out a healthy way to navigate our emotions
• Quote: Being ok is not an adequate foundation for life
  • If your strategy for making everything inside of you ok
  • Is making everything outside of you ok…
  • That is a strategy doomed to fail… b/c it’s never sustainable

TAG: B/C when you can’t make the outside ok anymore… what then

Sociologist believe the primary emotion in American is disappointment

• Some of that is due to the social idea that success = happiness
  • Some is the church ignoring emotions or looking down on them
  • Or idea many buy into that its all just a game of bigger/better
• Problem: We follow Messiah – Life ended not in glory but shame
  • Of course His resurrection brought the ultimate glory
  • But if we forget everything he went through
  • If we lose sight of the struggle…
    • We end up with unreasonable expectations
    • And running from or ignore pain/suffering in our lives

Most have basic idea of what to do with good feelings

But when it comes to to dealing with bad feelings… we deconstruct

• But like always… we find the template of life in Jesus

Mk 14:32 (Look how this plays out in the text)

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray.

• Gethsemane was a garden (park) super close to Jerusalem [PIC]
  • Down this ravine and up to the temple
  • Gethsemane literally means “Olive Press”
  • Which was a tool that would crush the olives to release its oil
• Which is fitting for Jesus who’s hours away from that same process
  • In just hours… Jesus will be crushed on cross
  • His blood poured out for us like olives pouring our their oil
• And in some way… All experience pain of the olive press in our lives

Mk 14:33-34 (Look at what Jesus says to his friends)

He took Peter, James and John along with him and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them, stay here and keep watch.

Notice: When Jesus struggled… He looked 2 his closest friends 4 support

• It says he “BEGAN to be distressed and troubled” (allowed himself)
  • Meaning that he gets to a place with his friends
  • Where he knows he can spend time with God
  • And he begins to process his internal struggle (emotions)
• And what he says in “Stay/Watch” is a very distinct word picture
  • Saying I don’t have enough space to contain what I’m feeling
  • This is just too much for me to hold in
  • I’m overwhelmed… and I need you with me
• And we have to see this: Jesus is overwhelmed with emotion
  • Telling his closest friends: I NEED YOU TO HELP ME
  • Which isn’t the way most of us want to think about Jesus

Mk 14:35-36 (But now everything comes to the surface)

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. Abba, Father, he said, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will but what you will.

Cup was a 1^st century saying for you allotment of pain/suffering in life

• In secular language it would be “The hand you’ve been dealt”
  • Or for us maybe “The burden you have to bare”
• And Jesus is referring to the cross…
  • Jesus didn’t want to die – He didn’t want to be tortured
  • He didn’t want to leave his friends and family
  • And although knew it’s what had to be… it wasn’t easy

Mk 14:37-39

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Simon, he said to Peter, are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.

• Matthew gives a little more detail on this second prayer
  • “If its not possible for this cup to be taken may ur will be done.”
  • Notice this 2^nd time Jesus changes his language
    • From at first “Take this cup” (I don’t want to)
    • To “If this is the only way” (I trust you)
    • And its not that Jesus didn’t already trust the Father
    • But it’s the process of dealing w/ overwhelming emotions

Mk 14:40-42

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him. Returning the third time (so he goes and prays the same thing again) he said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!

• Now by this 3^rd prayer is done – You can hear a change in his voice
  • He’s now ready for whatever is about to happen
  • He sounds strong and in anticipation b/c time is up
  • And he’s ready to take this CUP head on

We can learn a ton from Jesus 4 our own Gethsemane

And of course most of us will never face anything close to Jesus

• But again… we all face a moment (major/minor) that’s is ours cup
  • Where things don’t work out
  • Where the outcome isn’t what we want
  • Where we have to process pain & disappointment

TAG: But b4 we analyze Jesus response – 3 other responses we relate to

1. Peter – Next story we’ll see the soldiers come to arrest Jesus

• What does Peter do… cuts off the ear of the high priests servant
  • He starts frantically fighting against the cup
  • Trying to force the outcome that he wants
  • Rejecting the way things are playing out before him
• And if this is the way we respond – Frantically fight our way out
  • We will inevitably destroy not reality… but our own heart
  • Wildly swinging swords & making others collateral damage
• Now don’t get me wrong… all for changing what we can change
  • If there is something bad you can fix or get out of… DO IT
  • Problem: Some things can’t be changed…
  • And those have to be accepted… grieved… forgiven…
    • So we can get to a place of peace

2. Judas – Who completely turns away from following Jesus

• Instead of processing well… looks 4 security in another source
  • He turns away from his Messiah… looks to money
  • He finds an answer that fits him so he doesn’t have to deal
• Jesus even warned of this in his parable about the 4 soils
  • When persecution comes because of His Word
  • They quickly fall away
  • Think of how many quickly fall away when things gets hard
• Judas stopped following when he didn’t get the life he wanted
  • Judas didn’t agree with him
  • Judas didn’t like the path Jesus had him on
  • It leads to looking for another truth… solution… source of life

3. Thomas – Thomas has this epic line when Jesus predicts his death

• “Let us go to Jerusalem that we might die too”
  • Thomas throughout the gospel is the “Stoic” of the group
  • Whether it was his pessimism or doubting or a bit dooms day
  • Stoics lower expectations and expect the worse
• Happiness = Reality – Expectations (not all bad) but…
  • Here’s the trap: Jesus’ resurrection DEMANDS expectations
  • When Jesus defeated death it brought hope for more
  • And we have to live… not in a stoics worldview
    • In a Post-Resurrection world where God does miracles

Now lets contrast these with the way of Jesus

What does Jesus say… Watch & pray that you won’t fall into temptation

1. Watch… to stay alert and to know what is going on

• In the early church – Leaders were called “Wakeful Fathers”
  • It was in the job discerption – looking into the darkness
  • Searching for any kind of threat from the enemy
• To watch is 2 guard ur heart… but also the hearts of those u protect
  • Jesus knows that when we are weary and hard pressed
  • We are especially vulnerable to the enemies attacks

2. Pray… Look at what Jesus does in prayer (3 Things)

• 1^st – He gives God his feelings… this is beginning of true prayer
  • To be honest and real before God
    • If prayer is boring for you – ur probably not really praying
    • B/C God doesn’t want proper prayers… but honest prayers
    • Just look at the Psalms (some awfully honest stuff)
  • Because: Prayer isn’t where we should be good but honest
    • Ever sense Adam/Eve with fig leaves we hide how we feel
    • But prayer is the safe place to give everything to God
• 2 – Jesus gave God his desires… and remember this is the cross
  • Let that just sink in for a second
    • Jesus is asking God not to go to the cross
    • The entire reason for him coming to earth
    • And he’s saying – Can we pull an audible
  • In doing this… Jesus shows us to bring ALL our desires to God
    • Not just the good ones… bad ones too
    • Too often we edit out bad emotions.. does no good
    • Jesus gives God ALL his desires
• 3 – He gives God his trust… not my will but yours be done
  • Truth was Jesus had different layers of desire
    • He had his strongest desire – To live and no suffering
    • He also knew his deepest desire – Follow God’s plan
  • And if you follow Jesus… you have a deepest desire for God
    • Handling emotions well – Is learning how to identify
    • What is a strong desire… what is a deep desire
    • And learning to trust in what is deep not what is strong

This is how we learn from Jesus when our cup is set before us

• When u feel the pressure of the grape press on your life we say…