Isaiah 42:1-13, Servant Song #1

We tried to lay out the basic idea of the Servant Songs of Isaiah: the Messiah came according to the will of God and to be the Servant of God.  What do we see of Jesus of Nazareth in this first song?

·       Isa. 42:1 is fulfilled in the opening event of Jesus’ earthly ministry.  At His baptism, the Father proclaimed Jesus to be His “Elect One in whom My soul delights” (“this is My Son in whom I am well pleased), and the Father “put My Spirit upon Him” (John saw the Spirit descend as a dove).

·       Also in 42:1 we see the “long term” effect of the ministry of God’s Servant.  “He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”  God had promised Abraham that through him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).  This was always the loving plan of God.  He chose one nation through whom the Savior would come.  But that Savior was always “the Savior of the world” (Jn. 1:29; 3:17; 4:42; 1 Tim. 4:10; 1 Jn. 4:14).  This emphasis is strong in the Servant Songs.  The frequent references to the “coastlands” (42:4,10-13) are speaking of those nations around the Mediterranean occupied by the Gentiles.

·       In 42:2-4 describe the personality of the Servant, and it fits Christ perfectly.  The Servant will not come to bully or push His way to rule the nations.  Rather, it will be Jesus the “meek and lowly” (Mt. 11:29).  Again, as Phil. 2 says, “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself” (2:8).  Yet, in His meekness He was not weak or ineffective.  “He will not fail nor be discouraged.”  What a great description of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

·       In 42:5-6 that “endurance” is coupled with the fact that “God the LORD,” the Creator who called the Son, will keep Him until He finished the work.  The “work” mentioned in v6 is the New Covenant, made with Israel (“to the people”) and extended to the Gentiles.  Through this covenant, and it’s “circumcision of the heart” promised in Deut. 30:6, blind eyes will be opened, prisoners delivered, and a light turned on for those in darkness (42:7).

·       42:8-9 reminds us that in all this God will be known and glorified.  Even in Isaiah’s day, this prophecy of the Incarnation of the Son was something alluded to in the past (a “former thing”) but will be something new.

Sometimes 42:10-13 is included in the Servant Song.  It seems in v10 He is not telling the Servant to sing (although He could be) but rather all peoples to be singing the new song that has made it to Kedar (fierce, nomadic Ishmaelite tribe in the Arabian desert) and Sela (a “rock” city, perhaps a reference to Petra) and the coastlands.  “Oh for a thousand tongues to sing our great Redeemer’s praise; the glories of our God and King, the triumphs of His grace.”

Isaiah 42:1-4; Phil. 2:5-8, Jesus Served His Father

As we have been working our way through the 24 hours leading to Jesus’ death, an underlying theme has been this line from Mk. 14:21: The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him.  In light of this we take the next few posts to review the “Servant Songs” of Isaiah.  These songs in a very special way reveal the relationship of the Father and Son, and their arrangement involving the Incarnation.

The “mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ” (Col. 2:2) was established in eternity past as we read briefly in Psalm 2:6-9.  But these songs give additional detail to that short passage, and thus are a real centerpiece of what was written of Christ in the OT.

Servant Song #1, Isa. 42:1-9

The Servant is not our servant but God’s Servant.  (The fact that it is Christ and not Israel – both are spoken of as God’s servant in Isaiah – will be noted in the second song.)  In my view we make the story of the cross of Jesus too much about “us.”  It’s as if Christ was our servant.  There’s a line in a gospel song, “when He was on the cross I was on His mind.”  I often hear the argument, that we must be special given the price that Christ paid for our sins. 

You may be wondering, “what is wrong with these things?”  So note that I said: we make it “too much” about us.  Jesus was the Servant of His Father.  His struggle in the Garden was not, “Father, help me to love the sinner.”  It was, “Father, not what I will but what You will.”  I’m sure when you stop and think about it you will agree that the burning passion of Jesus’ life was to do what the Father gave Him to do, to finish the work His Father commanded (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 17:4; Lk. 4:43). 

Let me remind you of the “7 Steps in Christ’s Humiliation” in Phil. 2:5-8.  1) He was God.  2) He emptied Himself (did not give up His deity but rather all the prerogatives of deity).  3) Took on the form of a bond-servant.  4) Came in the likeness of men.  5) He humbled Himself (took on the lifestyle of a humble person.)  6) Became obedient to death.  7) Became obedient to death on a cross.  I know we are talking about the Trinity, One God in Three Persons, all equal in everything that it means to be “God.”  But in that magnificent relationship, Jesus became the bond-servant to the Father.  The Father’s plan was: become a Man, a humble Man, and die the death of a criminal. 

The plan of the Father was borne out of the love of God for sinners.  “For God so loved the world! that He gave His only begotten Son.”  “In this the love of God was manifest, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 Jn. 4:9).  The end result is that, yes, of course, Jesus had a great love for the sinner.  He said, “Greater love has no man but that he lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13).  But Jesus came to be the Servant to carry out the Father’s will.

Mark 15:6-16, Vicarious Atonement

We are still thinking about the silence of Christ.  He disregarded any legal attempts to win His case.  He did not seek to challenge the people to take up His cause.  He did not call twelve legions of angels to deliver Him.  He endured the cross, for the joy that was set before Him!  He submitted to the will of Abba Father!

While Jesus was amazingly silent, He did speak on certain occasions.  Caiaphas asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”  Jesus spoke clearly: I AM!  “Ego eimi!”  Two simple words He used often to declare who He was and why He had come and what He would mean to you if you were to receive Him!  I AM the Bread of Life!  I AM the door!  Before Abraham was, I AM!  Caiaphas knew the question to ask Jesus by which He would have no choice but to “self-incriminate.”

It was the Father’s will.  But Jesus embraced the cross because, THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE!  He was the One and the only One to do the Father’s will.  And what was the Father doing that required such from His Son?  The Father was loving the world!  The world of sin and sinners.  The world ruled by the prince of darkness.  That evil one had to have his hour (Lk. 22:53).  And we had to have Someone who had no sin to become sin for us become the righteousness God IN HIM (2 Cor. 5:21).

What we are talking about is “vicarious atonement.”  “Vicarious” refers to something endured or done by one person substituting for another.  An example is “vicarious punishment” where one person pays the penalty for another.  That is not just an example; it is what Jesus did!

Abraham knew God would provide another to take the place of his son Isaac to Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22).  Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb?”  Dad answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb.”  And God did.  A ram, caught in the bushes, died in the place of Isaac, and Abraham knew he needed a substitute, as did Moses (22:14).

The Suffering Servant was the substitute (Isa. 53): “… wounded for our transgressions … bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed … all we like sheep have gone astray, and the LORD has laid on Him (the silent lamb led to the slaughter) the iniquities of us all.”

Lest we fail to understand, God provided a live example of “vicarious atonement” the day Christ died.  His name was Barabbas, a terrorist we would say, a murderer.  As for Pilate, how pathetic a man.  Everything was a game and everyone a game piece he could arrange.  “So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.”  As evil as these two men were, God used them to show us what He was doing, what required the only begotten Son of God to give His life on the cruel cross.  I am Barabbas.  Christ’s righteous life was given in exchange for mine, bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood!  “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Ac. 4:12).  There is no one to save us from sin but Jesus Christ.  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

John 7:25-31, What time is it?

Why did Jesus maintain His silence?  Because He was committed to the will of His Father.  He had settled this in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He had “assumed” this from before the foundation of the world (Psalm 2:6-9).  His life goal was to fully do the will of His Father.  He knew that His hour had come, and while Gethsemane makes it clear that this was not something He embraced without understanding the difficulty of the cross, He nevertheless embraced the cross! 

John Calvin said it like this: “It is certain that Christ was silent when false witnesses pressed hard upon him, not only because they did not deserve a reply, but because he did not seek to be now acquitted, knowing that his hour was come.”  Jesus didn’t even try to correct the false witnesses by explaining what He had meant about “rebuilding the temple in three days.”  He confidently embraced the cross!

It is not a sin for a servant of the Lord to seek to preserve his life when under attack.  David ran from King Saul for seven years.  I heard a “teacher” criticize David for going over to the Philistines because he feared for his life.  The argument was that David knew God’s promise, that he would be king, and that he should have just trusted God.  The Bible does not paint the situation like that. 

On the other hand, why was David convinced he should stand up to Goliath.  He didn’t have to.  He was taking a potentially fatal approach.  Except that David was convinced that the glory of God required someone to do it and no one else seemed willing.  What’s the difference between these two events in David’s life?

Paul, fled Damascus in a basket.  He fled from Antioch to Iconium to Lystra to Derbe.  Paul let local believer talk him out of going before the riotous mob at Ephesus.  Yet, there came a day when he took a legal step to keep himself in prison so he could stand before the emperor.

In Jesus’ case, His life was in danger long before the cross.  “Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand” (Jn. 10:39).  Later, “Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews” but fled to Ephraim for safety (Jn. 11:53-54). Jesus did not intentionally put Himself in a situation where the Father had to bail Him out so to speak: “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God” (Mt. 4:7).  But now, before Caiaphas and Pilate He was unwilling to flee, even though there might have been a way of escape.  Previously “they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not come” (Jn. 7:30).  Something about an encounter with certain Greeks told Him, through the Spirit, that “the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (Jn. 12:23).  It was Passover (Jn. 13:1), He was in Jerusalem (Lk. 13:32f), and there would be no escape!  He knew His Bible.  He was filled with the Spirit.  So He embraced the cross!  That is how we will know what hour it is in which we are living!

Mark 14:53-65, The Silence of Christ (2)

Peter confirmed the silence of Christ, speaking of the Lord Jesus, who when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Pt. 2:23).  But let’s ask why?  Why did Jesus not answer His accusers?  Why was He as a sheep before its shearers is silent?  I want to begin with some negatives.

For example, sometimes in Scripture we are told to be silent as a means to making peace.  A soft answer turns away wrath (Prov. 15:1).  Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles (Prov. 21:23).  Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (Jas. 1:19).  But Jesus was not silent in an attempt to make peace.  It’s not that Jesus was and is not a “peace-maker.”  As prophesied, He is our peace … And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near (Eph. 2:14-18; cf. Isa. 9:6-7; Ps. 85:10; Ac. 10:36).  He blesses the “peacemaker” (Mt. 5:9; James 3:17-18).  But Jesus is not making peace.  He knows that the Jewish leaders are the “workers of iniquity,” the ones who are God’s tools to bring about the cross. 

Furthermore, Jesus’ silence is not His way to file a claim against injustice of the Jewish leadership.  Without a doubt, there were countless miscarriages of justice, as we call them.  Here are a few of the violations of Jewish law committed by the chief priests and scribes:

1.    No trial of the Sanhedrin was to begin at night (v53).

2.    No trial of the Sanhedrin was to convene on a feast day or the eve of a feast day.

3.    No trial before the Sanhedrin was to convene except before a formal meeting.

4.    No trial of the Sanhedrin except at their meeting place (v54).

5.    The Sanhedrin must remain impartial (v55).

6.    A guilty verdict was to be made on the basis of 2-3 witnesses (v56-59).

7.    No guilty verdict could be rendered until the next day (v63-64).

8.    There was to be no prolonged death in capital punishment, and no scourging (v65).

Jesus was denied justice in many ways.  His response to this was not to stay silent, to act as a martyr in the face of men who had already decided His fate and just needed to find a crime to back up their verdict. 

In a similar vein, Jesus’ silence was not about His suffering.  He did not stay silent to bring attention to the severity of His trial.  As Peter said, when reviled, He did not revile in return.  Jesus was insulted as Israel’s Prophet (Mk. 14:65, they blindfolded Him, hit him with their fists, and called on Him to prophesy who did it), King (15:16-20, the Romans clothed Him in purple and placed a crown of thorns on Him) and Priest (15:29-32, the mob ridiculed Him, that He saved others but could not save Himself).  Jesus was silent in all of this, but not because He wanted to call attention to His trial.  There was something else!

Mark 14:55-63, The Silence of Christ (1)

The most well-known prophecy of the “silence of Christ” comes from Isa. 53:7: He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.    I want you to see it in Ps. 38.  Read this “Psalm of David” below and see the “cross of Christ” as you read.  My comments are in ( ).

38 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! ² For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. (The cross is about the wrath of God on sin and sinners, wrath taken by Christ.)

³ There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. ⁴ For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. ⁵ My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. (Jesus was numbered with the transgressors.  He made our iniquities and foolishness His so He might make His righteousness ours.)

⁶ I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. ⁷ For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. ⁸ I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.  (Heb. 5:7!)

⁹ Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. ¹⁰ My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

¹¹ My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off. ¹² Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long.

¹³ But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. ¹⁴ Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response. (The silence of Christ! And why?)

¹⁵ For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. ¹⁶ For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me, Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.” (Because, as Peter said, He entrusted Himself to the righteous judge, 1 Pt. 2:23).

¹⁷ For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. ¹⁸ For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin. ¹⁹ But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
²⁰ Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

²¹ Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me! ²² Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! (He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.  Not to His accusers.  Because He had already opened His mouth to His Father in Gethsemane.)

Psalm 94

In Acts the gospel preached to the Gentiles mentions the fact that the risen Lord Jesus would be the judge of all men.  Peter preached this to Cornelius and his house (Acts 10:42).  Paul preached it to the crowd on Mars Hill (Acts 17:31).  Keep that in mind as you think of this wonderfully reassuring Psalm. 

This Psalm may have been occasioned by some difficulty experienced by the writer.  But it seems to have more in mind the general pride and seeming triumph of the wicked.  As we look around our society we also may think that the wicked seem to be winning.  But the mystery of God is that His Son will rule over His enemies.  The victory is His: promised by His Father and assured by His death and resurrection.  If we have the same confidence in the same Lord we will, in the multitude of anxieties within us, delight our souls in His comfort (94:19).

·         94:1-3: Calling on the Judge.  There are several things to think about.  In v1 vengeance belongs to God; that is why He is addressed in this situation.  The Judge of the earth is Christ (John 5:22-23).  And in v3 the Psalmist utters the prayer of the saints: how long until You judge the wicked (Rev. 6:9-11).

·         94:4-7: The Problem with the Wicked.  The wicked proclaim arrogant words (v4), make life difficult for God’s people (v5), and make life difficult for the weak (v6).  But then they deny that the Lord sees what they are doing; they are confident they will not be called to account (v7).

·         94:8-11: The Stupidity of the Wicked.  How senseless they are and foolish to think that the God who created ears and eyes and who has all wisdom does not hear, see and know the thoughts of the wicked. Their plans will fail.

·         94:12-15: The Blessing of the Upright.  On the other hand the Psalmist knows the certainty of God’s promises and plans for His people, for those He instructs.  They will experience relief as needed until the wicked fail.  Even in the times when God uses the wicked to chastise His people, He will not cast off His people nor forsake His inheritance (v14).

·         94:16-19: The Confidence of the Upright.  In Whom do the righteous trust?  In the Lord who has been their help (v17) and Who is merciful (v18).

·         94:20-23: The Hope of the Upright.  As he looks forward the Psalmist is sure of a good outcome.  In v20 there is a great description of what was happening that should ring a bell with us today.  The throne of iniquity was devising evil by law.  Christians see this today: laws passed that contradict their Biblical values.  The righteous and innocent are hurt by these (v21).  But judgment will come from the Lord in His time.  He will bring about the law of the harvest (i.e. He will bring on them their own iniquity, v23).  From Deut. 32 there is the important reminder: God is the Rock of Israel; He will be our defense and refuge (cf. Deut. 32:4,15,30-31).

Let us trust in our Rock today, the Rock of our salvation!

Mark 14:66-72, Jesus’ Effective Prayer (4)

Now we return to the Garden of Gethsemane, where the disciples of Jesus are unable to stay awake to pray with and for Him, or even themselves.  Jesus prayed and availed “the good confession.”  What did the “no-praying” disciples avail?

o   14:66-72: Denial.  They did not witness the good confession, none of them.  The story centers on Peter, even though they had all professed loyalty to Jesus with a promise to never deny Him (14:31).

o   Before we talk about Peter we should talk about roosters.  Some are bothered by the Gospel record saying “before the rooster crows twice” (Mk. 14:30 which is fulfilled in 14:68,72) and “before the rooster crows” (Mt. 26:34 which is fulfilled in 26:74). Some cry “an error in the Bible.”  Others of us say, “you (Mark) have not spent much time on the farm.”  What the rooster does can be called “crowing” (singular) though it might involve several “crowings” (plural) before he completes his sometimes obnoxious job of awakening the hens to their duty, of whatever he is doing.  The crowing (singular) is not finished until he completes all the verses (crowings, plural) of his song.  Enough said, from my point of view.

o   Now, note the ways of “denial.”  Peter first said, “I know nothing” (v68).  Then, when pursued by the same servant girl, Peter said, “I am not one of them” (denied being part of the group of disciples).  Then, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak,” to which he added “f” and “d” and “s” words.  Forgive me if you are offended at even the veiled mentioning of these words, but you ought to understand this is what the Bible says: “he began to curse and swear.”  That is what we do when we do not have the truth on our side.  We throw in all the words we can think of and raise our voices and make wild gestures.  Peter did all he could to convince people of his lies.  But then …

o   14:72: God spoke through the rooster.  And now look who is crying!  Jesus entered the Garden in sorrow but left in godly confidence.  Peter cried out in fleshly confidence, “I will never deny You.”  Now he is in tears.  You may want to look at Peter and say, “how depraved is this ‘friend’ of Jesus.”  I look at Peter, and sadly see myself, but then see Peter in tears over his sin.  For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of this world produces death (2 Cor. 7:10).  Without question, the one who betrayed Jesus expressed the sorrow of the world when he regretted what he had done and committed suicide (Mt. 27:3-5).  Peter’s tears were uncontrollable, the expression of a soul in shame, of a soul for whom Jesus had prayed (Lk. 22:31-34).  Is my sorrow over sin regret or repentance?

Mark 14:53-65; 15:1-5, Jesus’ Effective Prayer (3)

Again, what was availed through Jesus’ fervent prayer.

·       14:53-65: The Apostle Paul called it “the good confession” (1 Tim. 6:11-16).  The “good” confession is the one where we declare who we are and our lives match with our words.  Paul said that to do this requires that we “pursue” the life we profess, that we “fight the good fight of faith,” “until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing”.  Don’t misunderstand this.  The life we pursue is the life that Jesus lives in us (Gal. 2:20).  The good fight is a fight of faith, not our good works but God’s work as we trust Him.  In Gethsemane, Peter tried to fight with the sword of man.  Jesus fought with the “sword of the Spirit,” the word of God.  The result was that Jesus “witnessed the good confession.”  He glorified His Father by His obedience to death, even death on the cross.  This had been His prayer, as the Apostle John tells us: Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son that Your Son also may glorify You (Jn. 17:1).  What did this good confession look like?

§  14:53-54: The setting for this confession began at the house of Annas, the previous high priest, and then to his son Caiaphas, the current high priest.  As the dawn approached the Sanhedrin gathered there as their meetings were required by law to be during daylight hours.  Eventually Jesus would be handed over to Pilate, perhaps at the Fortress Antonia that overlooked the temple area.

§  14:55-62: The “good profession” was one of a blameless life.  It was blameless in that the Jews could not find any witnesses to declare anything that Jesus had done wrong.  In the end they made up things, such as the misinterpretation of His words about destroying and rebuilding the temple.  Certainly Caiaphas knew they had no offense that would stick against Jesus, which was why he would eventually compel Jesus to indite Himself by His words, the words of His good confession (14:61-62).  Pilate, more than once, declared he could find nothing worthy of death in Jesus.  As Peter tells us (1 Pt. 2:19-22), Jesus set an example for us in that He did not suffer for wrong-doing but suffered for doing good, and He took it patiently. 

§  14:63-65; 15:1-5: Jesus also confessed the good confession in that He was blameless in the courtroom itself.  For the most part He was silent, even as false charges were filed against Him.  Again, to quote Peter, who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed (2:23-24).  He did this for our salvation, but at the same time, set an example for us.  The key was, He did not do this in the flesh but in the strength He received from His Father when, in fervent prayer, He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.  Ah yes!  This Righteous Man availed much through fervent prayer!

Mark 14:43-52, Jesus’ Effective Prayer (2)

Jesus fervent prayer availed a new perspective, from sorrow and trouble to “Rise, let us be going!”  This is not the “positive thinking” but the God’s work in His life. 

·       14:49: Even from before Jesus’ birth, every detail of His incarnation was a fulfillment of Scripture.  (To point out just a few, see Matt. 1:22-23; 2:5-6,14-15,17-18,23).    He knew His rejection by Israel fulfilled Scripture (Jn. 12:38-41).  Jesus knew that the cross was the very reason He had come to earth (Jn. 12:27).  One significant aspect of the Father’s encouragement for His Son was to remind Him that “the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”  Jesus never doubted this.  He never denied this.  The reminder was one of His Father’s answer to His fervent prayer.  When things began to get out of hand in the Garden, Jesus made sense of the entire scene: But the Scriptures must be fulfilled!  The must be fulfilled.

Before we mention one other major fruit of Jesus’ fervent praying, let’s note what was brought about in the disciples who slept instead of praying (14:37-38,40-41).  Jesus had warned them, Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  What they got was temptation that they could not resist, and weakness in their response.

o   14:47: “One of those who stood by” we are told by John (Jn. 18:10) was Peter.  Peter, and the same could be said for the rest we are sure, did not understand that “the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”  They had been consumed by the need for weapons since they left the Upper Room (Lk. 22:38).  It sounds like things happened quickly.  The mob arrived, Judas stepped forward and greeted Jesus with a kiss, and the police put their hands on Jesus.  In the heat of the moment, Peter, who is certain he must do something, whacks off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest.  The flesh is weak.  Peter did not have enough strength to allow Jesus to direct them.  He did his best.  His best was going to get them all killed.  It would not deliver Jesus.  Peter was still setting his mind on the things of men and not on the things of God (Mk. 8:33).  That’s how we are without prevailing prayer.  In a panic, we will strike out in our own strength. 

14:50: When the flesh fails, when our best does not carry the day, when our strength fails, we will run from the problem.  We might even tell the Lord, “Father, I have done the best I can,” perhaps assuming He will be thankful for our effort and will agree with us that the situation is hopeless.  In 14:51-52 we have the interesting note of a “certain young man” who fled, leaving his clothes behind.  Many people think this was Mark, since he mentions it in his account.  That would be the same “John Mark” (John whose surname was Mark, Ac. 12:12), who accompanied Paul and Barnabas on the first journey (13:5), who, when things got “hot” left the team (fled, 13:13; 15:37-38).  Jesus was not alone in the Garden, except that He had His Father.  Paul learned from Jesus when he had the same experience as he faced certain death (2 Tim. 4:16-18).

Mark 14:39-42; Heb. 5:5-11, Jesus’ Effective Prayer (1)

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  Jesus prayed fervently in the Garden of Gethsemane.  His Father did not take away the cup that Jesus asked Him to take away.  So, what did Jesus’ fervent prayer avail?

·       14:42: Jesus came into the Garden “troubled and deeply distressed” (v33).  His soul was “exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (v34).  He had been feeling this all day (Jn. 12:27).  But after a time of fervent prayer, His attitude had completely changed.  To His sleeping disciples He said, Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand.  He is now ready to face all that is involved in the cross.  In fact, His Father had answered prayer, because Jesus did not simply ask “Take this cup away from Me.”  He had also prayed, “nevertheless, not what I will but what You will.”  He submitted Himself to His Father.  So the Father answered, not by removing the cup but by strengthening His Son, to the depths of His soul, that He might be enabled to drink from the cup.

o   The Apostle Paul had a similar experience and explains what Jesus experienced.  In 2 Cor. 12:7-10 Paul asked the Lord to remove a “thorn in the flesh” that he was experiencing.  Like Jesus, Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away.  In other words, he prayed fervently.  The answer was, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  God assured Paul that he would be able to serve Him in spite of the trial.  And more likely, the trial would bring to God greater glory.  That is why Paul went on to say, Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

o   If you are wondering about this, yes, the same thing happened to Jesus.  Heb. 5:5-11 tells us what was happening in Gethsemane.  Christ was becoming our High Priest.  But v5 tells us He did not glorify Himself to accomplish this.  His Father declared Jesus to be His Son and a “priest forever” (v5-6).  One thing about our High Priest is that He was one of us, a fellow Man (Hb. 5:1; 2:9-16).  Since He suffered, He HHe is able to aid those who are tempted (Hb. 2:18; 4:15).  To qualify as our High Priest He had to endure the suffering.  Heb. 5:7 describes His fervent praying in Gethsemane: He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death.  The writer goes on to say, and was heard because of His godly fear.  The Son of God learned obedience, and was perfected.  The term means He came to the conclusion that God had in mind for Him.  Having been perfected He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (5:9).  God made the “captain” (author) of our salvation perfect through suffering (Hb. 2:10).  Truly, the fervent prayer of Jesus availed much! Can you say Amen!?

Mk. 14:39; Jas. 5:16; 1 Ki. 18:41-46, Fervent Prayer

We are still considering Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane.  We have seen that it was both a time of fellowship with His Father and a request from the Father.  There is no conflict between these things.  God wants us to come with our requests (Phil. 4:6-7).

Let me remind you of another well-known statement about prayer in the Bible: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).  This is an interesting passage if you delve into the original language.  Young’s Literal Trans. puts it this way: very strong is a working supplication of a righteous man.  “Effectual, fervent” prayer is one word, meaning a very energized prayer.  When a righteous man prays that kind of prayer it accomplishes many strong things. 

The illustration in James is Elijah (1 Ki. 18:41-46).  Elijah, after the amazing experience on Mt. Carmel, God sending fire from heaven, and the killing of all the prophets of Baal, then got down on his knees and began to pray.  There was no answer, and again no answer.  He sent his servant seven times to look for a cloud before he finally saw something small that became a torrential downpour.  Elijah’s prayer was fellowship with God, but it wasn’t like enjoying a coffee together.  He was pleading with God.  His was a strong prayer, highly energized.  He would not let go of the LORD.  And it accomplished much.

This kind of praying is seen often in Scripture.  Jacob wrestled with a Man, the Angel of the LORD, all night at Mahanaim (Gen. 32:22-32).  Epaphras knew how to wrestle or labor fervently in prayer (Eph. 4:12).  In Gethsemane we see the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth praying a simple prayer: “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”  He prayed this prayer for a time.  Then He went to check on the disciples and returned to pray the same prayer again.  He had three sessions with His Father.  We are all familiar with the short prayers, spur-of-the-moment pleas to the Lord.  Nehemiah prayed one of those in Neh. 2:4, a quick dart in the middle of his conversation with the king.  But Nehemiah had previously spent “many days” weeping and fasting and praying over the issue.  I must have more of these times!

So, we come back to Jesus in the Garden.  This is a righteous Man, without question.  We could go to the many scriptures that tell us He was without sin.  But let me remind you of the pivotal point in Mark’s Gospel, in 8:34.  It was here He told His disciples and the crowd how to be righteous, and what He told them to do was what He was doing: let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  The prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane is based in His submission to His Father.  He had denied Himself and had taken up the cross.  We will see in the next couple of posts what great things were availed by His praying, the praying of a righteous Man!

Ex. 33:11-18; Psa. 84:1-2, Jesus at Prayer (3)

Jesus was doing what God always desired people to do!

·       Ex. 24:12-16: Consider Moses.  Conversing with God began at a burning bush.  I believe the “Exodus” was as much about the training and perfecting of Moses as the deliverance of Israel.  The people were afraid to be in God’s presence, but Moses was invited into God’s presence.  So Moses went up into the mountain, and a cloud covered the mountain.  Now the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai.  But note: it was six days before the LORD welcomed Moses into His presence in the midst of the mountain.  This was not necessarily a “garden” situation.

·       Ex. 33:11a,13,17-18: But before long we read, So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.  And then, … show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.  And then, Please, show me your glory.  The more one is in fellowship with God the Father through Christ the more that one longs for more and deeper fellowship with Him!

·       Ex. 25:8: In the midst of all this time with Moses, the LORD has said something amazing concerning all the people of Israel: Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.  God is not satisfied with people who are too scared to contemplate fellowship with God.  God’s answer is a place and a system by which there will be the possibility of fellowship.

·       Psalm 84:1-2: You can imagine that Psalms is full of this topic of a relationship with God that satisfies the soul and by which we can receive what God longs to give us.  Here is one of those.  How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!  My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD, my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  When I read that, I also remember the end of Ps. 73 (25-26): Whom have I in heave but You?  The there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  He had a relationship.  And God was his portion.

We could find similar longings in the prophets (e.g. Jonah 2; Hab. 3:17-19).  But I want to briefly be sure we understand that this is also the promise we have in Christ.

·       John 14:23: The Trinity dwells in the one who love God and keeps His word.

·       Eph. 3:17: The key to a deep walk with God is being strengthened by the Spirit so that Christ might dwell in your hearts by faith.

·       Phil. 3:10: Paul longed to know Christ.  Read 3:7-16.  The longing was deep!

·       1 John 1:3-4: The purpose of John’s epistle was that we might have the fellowship with fellow-Christians, the fellowship that was with the Father and with His Son.

·       1 John 5:14-15: AND this fellowship comes with a confidence, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Conversing with God!  Getting things from God!