“PRAYER OR TEMPTATION?”
LUKE 22:39-46

I. Introduction
I have two recurring dreams. They take place at different times and in different places, but they’re really quite similar. The first one goes something like this: I’m a student – high school, college, or grad school – it doesn’t really matter. I’m about to take a major exam and I haven’t studied for it. It’s too late because the test begins now. This is important. My whole future depends on it, but I’m about to fail. And there’s no hope. Panic!

The second recurring dream I have is very much like the first. I’m an actor. I’m on stage. The theater is full. The overture begins. The curtain rises. The lights come up. And I don’t know my lines. I haven’t memorized them. And there’s no hope. Terror!

I suspect that you can all relate to such dreams. I’ve heard it said that dreams about the fear of being unprepared for something are among the most common dreams that people have on a regular basis. At least responsible people can prepare for such eventualities. So study for that exam and learn those lines. You can easily deal with those kinds of situations because you know they’re coming and you can prepare for them.

But what if you’re blindsided? How do you deal with unforeseen situations? How do you deal with something you can’t prepare for? You can’t study for that test. You don’t know the subject. You can’t commit those lines to memory. You don’t know what part you’re playing. You even know the name of the play.

Here’s an example of such a situation. You know you’re doing a good job at work. When your boss calls you in, you’re expecting a promotion, or at least a nice raise. But he informs you that you’re no longer needed. In fact, you’re being let go. You’re not prepared for that.

Here are two other examples. You’ve had some medical tests. Both you and your doctor expect the results to come back from the lab and say “benign,” but they come back and say “malignant.” You have cancer. You weren’t prepared for that, were you? Or this – it’s 3:00 a.m. when the phone rings and you’re told that a loved one has just been killed in a car accident? What then? How do you prepare for such things?

You know how to prepare for the things you can see coming. But how can you prepare for the things you don’t see coming? How do you keep from being beaten down and defeated by the unexpected trials, troubles, and tribulations of this life? You don’t want to fail. You want to pass the test. But how can you have victory if you haven’t prepared for the battle?

That’s what we’ll talk about this morning. Preparing for victory is what’s going on in the Garden of Gethsemane in the pre-dawn hours before they come for Jesus. Jesus’ suffering doesn’t begin when He is nailed to the cross. It begins here in the garden.
Over the course of the next nine hours Judas is going to complete his betrayal. Jesus is going to be arrested, tried, mocked, beaten, tortured, and nailed to a cross. But His suffering begins now. This suffering isn’t primarily physical; it’s emotional. It’s a battle against temptation. In some ways it may be more intense than the suffering that will come later. So Jesus prepares Himself. How? He falls on His knees, He cries out to God, and He prays.

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus will prepare for what’s coming. And the results of His preparation will be evident. He’ll pass His test. However, His disciples’ lack of preparation is also going to be evident. And they’ll fail their test.

Why? Why will He pass and they fail? “Well,” you say, “Jesus is God. Of course, He’ll pass His test. But the disciples are mere men. It’s no surprise that they’d fail.” But ask yourself this: Are you and I called to emulate the disciples, and follow their lead and their example? Or are you and I called to emulate Jesus, and follow His lead and His example?
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II. Review
Luke has brought his readers to the night before the crucifixion. Jesus has finished His teaching and preached His last sermon. He has celebrated His last Passover and instituted the Lord’s Supper. He has promised His disciples an eternal kingdom, but Jesus has also warned of trials, troubles, tribulations, and persecution before the kingdom would come.

In return the disciples have promised to stand with Jesus no matter where He goes or what happens next. Listen to Matthew’s account of these promises by the disciples.
*Matthew 26:31-35
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’
32 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”
33 But Peter answered and said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a cock crows, you shall deny Me three times.”
35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

But only a few hours later, when they came for Jesus, v. 56 says, “Then all the disciples left Him and fled.” What happened? They weren’t prepared for the unexpected. They weren’t even prepared for what they had been told to expect.
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III. Text
And that brings us to this morning’s text in Luke.
But before we go there I want to take a few minutes to mention some very important events that Luke omits, but that John and Matthew include in their gospels. They should encourage us that even though unexpected trials, troubles, and tribulations may come our way, we can be prepared for them if we learn to pray as Jesus prayed. Turn ahead to John’s gospel.
*John 13:36-38
36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you shall follow later.”
37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.”
38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a cock shall not crow until you deny Me three times.”

But what is the next thing Jesus tells His disciples? It’s a very familiar passage and it comes in between the Last Supper and Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane.
*John 14:1-6
1 “Let not you heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
4 “And you know the way where I am going.”
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

Then, in the rest of John 14, Jesus speaks to the disciples about the coming the Holy Spirit and the peace of God that will be theirs. In John 15 He tells them that even though the world will hate them, they will be strong and fruitful. In John 16 He tells them that He will return and says, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (16:33b).” And in John 17 Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and us, His church.
*John 18:1
1 When Jesus had spoken these words (John 14-17), He went forth with His disci-ples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden (Gethsemane), into which He Himself entered, and His disciples.

Now with all of that in mind notice that everything we just looked at in John 14-17 takes place in “that little white space” between Luke 22:38-39.
*Luke 22:39-46 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
39 And (Jesus) came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.
40 And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,
42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
45And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,
46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

This is a fascinating passage on a variety of different levels because it presents us with some challenging questions.
• Look at v. 40. Why is praying to be kept from temptation that important?
• Look at v. 42. Since Jesus is God incarnate, why would His will be any different than the Father’s? Or is it?
• Look at v. 43. Since Jesus is God incarnate, why does He need to be “strengthened” by an angel, or for that matter, by anyone or anything else He has created?
• Look at v. 44. Is Jesus really sweating blood or is this only a metaphor for extreme stress?
• Look at v. 45. The disciples were sleeping from sorrow?
• Look at v. 46. Jesus’ repeats the command He gave in v. 40. So I repeat the question. Why is praying to be kept from temptation that important?

Let me begin by going back to what I said earlier. The disciples all thought they could face what was coming. But Matthew 26:56 says they all “left (Jesus) and fled.” Were they all cowards? I don’t think so. I think they were unprepared. And if you’re unprepared for the trouble that’s coming, you’re going to fail. Prepare or fail! Or as Jesus teaches in the text, pray or fall into temptation.
*Luke 22:39-40
39 And (Jesus) came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him.
40 And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

When Satan tempts us we have to struggle against our flesh, our natural attraction to sin. When we are tempted, we have to fight to cling to righteousness and embrace holiness. But Jesus had no natural attraction to sin. So did that mean it was easier for Him to reject sin?
No! On the contrary, since He was absolutely pure and holy, Satan tempted Him to cling to His purity and holiness. You ask, “Why would that be a temptation for Jesus?” It was a staggering temptation for Jesus because His fight was not against committing sin. It was against allowing Himself to not only bear your sin and mine, but to become sin itself.
*2 Corinthians 5:21
21 He (God the Father) made Him (God the Son) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, (so) that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (repeat)

This is the key to understanding our Lord’s suffering. Jesus, being absolutely pure and holy, fought against the idea of becoming sin. Think of it this way. Listen very carefully, please. Where you and I struggle to set aside our flesh and embrace holiness, Jesus struggled to set aside His holiness and embrace sin. He did not do this so that He could commit sin, because He was without sin. Rather, Jesus’ struggle was to set aside His holiness so that He could bear sin, so that he could become sin.

Think of it this way. You and I want to cling to our sinful flesh. So Satan tempts us do so. He tempts us to engage, to indulge, and to cling to our sin. But Jesus wanted to cling to His purity and holiness. So Satan tempted Him to do that. He tempted Jesus to engage, to indulge, and to cling to His purity and holiness. Why would the devil do that? It is simply because if Jesus refused to become sin, He could not accomplish the purpose of His coming.

Do you see? To us the devil says, “C’mon, try it, you’ll like it. If it feels good, do it. Why would you deny yourself such pleasure?” To Jesus the devil says, “You’re pure and holy. Why would you put Yourself through all that grief, and sorrow, and pain, and agony, for a lot of people who don’t even like You. Why not just enjoy the pleasures of Your deity and let me have all these sinners?”

This is a temptation that none of us can understand, but it is the heart of the temptation that Jesus would struggle with in Gethsemane. He knows He is going to be separated from His Father and suffer the full wrath of God for sin. And He alone knows what that will mean. It’s beyond our comprehension, but it’s not beyond His. We cannot know how strong the temptation was for Jesus to flee from what He knew was about to come upon Him when He would be crushed under the full force of God’s wrath and hatred for sin.

So Jesus goes to the garden to prepare for what’s coming. How does He prepare? He prays! Do His words in Luke 22:40 “…pray that you may not enter into temptation” begin to make a little more sense now than they did before? And can you see why Jesus’ suffering really begins here, hours before the cross?

At this point Jesus and the eleven remaining disciples have left the city, crossed the Kidron Valley, and have begun their ascent of the Mount of Olives. It is here that Mark gives us some additional details.

Mark 14:32-34
32 And they came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.”
33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very dis-tressed and troubled.
34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.”

“…remain here and keep watch” parallels Jesus statement in Luke 22:40 – “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” There is an important lesson for us here. It has to do with our inability to fully understand the tension that exists between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.

Back in v. 22 Jesus prayed for His disciples. He said, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” In Romans 8:26 Paul tells us the Holy Spirit prays for us because we don’t know how to pray as we should. But does that mean we have no obligation to pray? No!

Listen, if God’s Son would not face temptation without prayer, how much more should you and I be praying in the face of temptation? Do we think that because Jesus prays for us we don’t have to pray for ourselves? Do we think that because the Holy Spirit prays for us we don’t need to pray for ourselves? No! Jesus commands us to pray for ourselves. “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
*Luke 22:41
41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray…

How agonizing and intense is Jesus’ struggle? Matthew 26:39 says, “(He) fell on His face and prayed…” And Hebrews 5:7 says, “He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears.” And what did the Isaiah say? “(He was) a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3b).” Do you see how Jesus’ suffering is well underway even before He is taken?
*Luke 22:42
42 (He is) saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

Didn’t Jesus always do God’s will? In fact, weren’t their wills virtually one and the same? Then why is Jesus questioning His Father’s will? Let me suggest to you that He isn’t ques-tioning the will of God at all. But as Jesus’ struggle against the temptation to flee from the horror of being made sin comes to full fruition, He asks His Father if there is any other way to accomplish His task.

We know that the goal of all prayer is to glorify God’s and see His will being accomplished. We know that from “The Lord’s Prayer.” But we also know it from passages like…
Psalm 40:8a,
8a “I delight to do Your will…”
Psalm 143:10a
10a “Teach me to do Your will…”
1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask any- thing according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if (since) we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

In Luke 22:42 Jesus pleads with God and says, “Father, if You are willing…” At this point let me reiterate what was said earlier. Jesus is about to submit to the Father’s will that He become sin. Both His purity and His holiness are repelled by the very thought of it. Satan tempts Him to flee, but Jesus will submit, obey, and take upon Himself the full fury of God’s wrath. Listen to His plea in the parallel passage in Mark’s gospel.
Mark 14:36a
36a And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me…”

“Abba” is the equivalent of “Daddy.” Jesus is saying, “Daddy, I beg You, please do not do this to Me!” But, of course, there is no other way. The cross is God’s plan. It has been God’s plan since before time began. And Jesus knows it. Therefore, He will obey His Father and He will go to the cross where God will vent His fury upon His innocent and holy Son. Here is the cost; here is the price that was paid for our salvation.

Is there a father in this room who would love vile and sinful people so much that, in order to save them, he would do such a thing to his own child? And do so all the while knowing that many of those He saved would go on to treat their salvation casually and all but ignore the Son who died for them? (back to the text)

As the reality of what Jesus is facing overshadows Him, His agony intensifies.
*Luke 22:43-44
43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

In v. 43 we get a glimpse of God’s love, mercy, and compassion for His dear Son. He sends an angel, a messenger to minister to Jesus and to comfort Him. What did the angel do? No one knows, but God sent the angel. If all he did was remind Jesus that God had not forsaken Him that would certainly have been both strengthening and comforting.

But even now Jesus’ agony is extreme. In v. 44 the English word “agony” is transliterated from the Greek “agōnia.”
It speaks of the anguish, pain, and labor associated with a desperate battle. Even with the comforting presence of an angel, Jesus is stretched to the breaking point. Thus the physical manifestation of blood is seen in His sweat. This is not merely a metaphor. The actual physical condition is known as “hematidrosis” and is caused by extreme emotional stress.
It causes the capillaries that are near the surface of the skin to burst so that blood does in fact mingle with sweat.

Look once again at v. 42. Jesus, after pleading with His Father to remove the cup He was about to drink, gave Himself over to humility and obedience, and said, “…yet not My will, but Yours be done.” He has suffered; He will suffer more, but He has been strengthened, and now He will go on.
*Luke 22:45-46
45And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow,
46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Does sleeping from sorrow seem a little strange to you? It did to me until I put in in context and understood the meaning of the word in the original language. The Greek translated “sorrow” is “lupē.” It literally means “grieved.” These guys had thought they were about to receive a kingdom and rule with Jesus, but now He has said that He is going to die, they are going to deny Him and flee, and persecution was coming. They’re grieved, they’re in despair, and yes, they are filled with sorrow. This whole thing just isn’t working out the way they expected.

So are they preparing for the worst? No, they’re discouraged and they’re sleeping. You can relate to that, can’t you? At least it doesn’t hurt when you’re asleep. But while you can pray as you fall asleep, and you can pray as you awake, you cannot while you’re sleeping. So Jesus says, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” What is wrong with them? It’s the same thing that is wrong with us, isn’t it? Mark tells us.
Mark 14:38b (Jesus speaking)
38b “…the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

And so, in Luke 22:46, Jesus says again, “…pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Trials, troubles, tribulations, and persecution are coming, and you need to be prepared. In v. 46, when Jesus finishes praying and stands up, He is ready.
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IV. Conclusion
Next time we will begin at v. 47. The Lord Jesus will be betrayed, arrested, taken to the home of the high priest, and it will all begin. But He will not fall into temptation because He has prepared Himself. Sadly, the same will not be said for the disciples. Jesus’ disciples will fail because they have not prepared themselves.
Could the lesson be any clearer? Think of it. Jesus had defeated the temptation to cling to His purity and holiness and flee from the cross. Now He would be triumphant over those who hated Him. He would provide for our salvation by bearing our sins in His body. He would defeat Satan at the cross. And when rose from the dead He would have conquered death itself.

So what can we learn from all of this? How does it all apply to us?
• The trials, troubles, and tribulations we all face can either strengthen us or manifest themselves in temptations that weaken our resolve to what is right and honorable before God and man.
• The single greatest thing we can do when trials come – whether we know they’re coming or not – is to turn to God in prayer.

If we do not pray, if we do not prepare ourselves, we will fail. Could there be a greater example of this truth than Jesus’ own disciples? On the night before the crucifixion they were tired so they slept. They did this even though Jesus warned them that they needed to be praying. They thought they could handle whatever came upon them. They were wrong!

Peter was a tough guy. He could deal with it. Back in Luke 22:33, at the Passover meal, where Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he said, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” Really? Before that night was out he would deny that he even knew Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times. Neither he nor the other eleven disciples were prepared for what came upon them. And now we know why.

Are you prepared for your next test, your next exam, your next challenge, the next hurdle you need to clear? Are you ready for the trial, the trouble, the tribulation that lurks around the next corner? You can be. Preparation or failure! Prayer or temptation!

~ Pray ~