Matthew 26:30-46, Tough Guys for Tough Times?

The Shepherd Will Be Struck and the Sheep Will Scatter

Matthew chapter 26 starting in verse 30. Hear the word of the Lord and When they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them you will all fall away because of me this night for it is written I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter answered him though. They all fall away because of you. I will never fall away. Jesus said to him truly I tell you this very night before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.

Peter said to him even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And all the disciples said the same. Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples Sit here while I go over there and pray and taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee.

He began to be sorrowful and troubled and then he said to them. My soul is very sorrowful even to death. Remain here and watch with me and Going a little farther. He fell on his face and prayed saying my father If it be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as you will and he came to the disciples and found them sleeping and he said to Peter I.

So.

Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. Again for the second time he went away and prayed my father if this cannot pass unless I drink it your will be done and Again, he came and found them sleeping for their eyes were heavy.

So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them Sleep and take your rest later on. See the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Rise, let us be going. See My betrayer is at hand. Hey, the Lord has blessings to the reading of his Holy Word.

Self-Confidence and the Illusion of Toughness

So are.

You a tough guy got any tough guys here think you can bear a lot. You can you can take it. You're tough. You can handle anything dished out to you. That your attitude. I Used to think that of myself. I remember distinctly Thinking that of myself.

When I was walking the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia I had a just a few seconds before given two ladies who was sitting on the ground at the root of a tree some coins. They were begging with their hands stretched out for whatever passersby like me might give them.

They had leprosy. I Could tell that they had leprosy because on their outstretched hands They had no fingers. I Gave them a few coins and crossed the road and I thought to myself What an emotionally tough guy I am.

I'm not like another Canadian missionary who had arrived in Ethiopia and was so traumatized by the destitution and suffering that she saw just on the car ride from the airport to the mission compound that she had a Breakdown and would not Come out of her room.

I Could walk through the heart of what was at least at that time Maybe it still is the one of the poorest cities in the world. Give two leprous women coins and go about my own business without a qualm I Can handle it?

I'm tough. I Singapore I was speaking at our church there and talking about our experiences describing the poverty and suffering and how death comes so quickly and easily and I could look out in the audience and see Just by the expressions on people's faces that I was having an emotional impact on people.

They were moved with compassion By the suffering that I was recounting. I was able to elicit in them stir in them feelings. But it was also as if I was standing outside myself watching myself stir their emotions While I was feeling none at all.

Well, that was April that year. By August same year we were in Chicago. And I was taking a class entitled the art of the personal essay and for that class I wrote an essay about our experiences in Ethiopia which ended with the words and There was blood everywhere.

For the final class we were supposed to read our essays out loud to the class. But before I could get to that last phrase I choked up. I broke down.

Sobbing.

And there I was before a bunch of strangers downtown and what bills itself as a tough town right in the loop as they call it as. They say they're in the heart of what they call themselves. The city of big shoulders broken up sobbing for all the dead.

Apparently I'm not such a tough guy after all so what about you? Are you tough? You know, we live in a society that extols just kind of believing in yourself. You can do it. Whatever does it kill you makes you stronger.

It's totally untrue. But when the mind what the mind can conceive the body can achieve. Tough times don't last but tough people do. Our schools in particular are brimming over with inspirational posters and slogans telling the students, you know, believe in yourself.

Follow your own path. You can do whatever you set your mind to. Positive affirming language and so what used to be called a report card is now called a progress report. Assuming that everyone has progress to report so the feeling of many is that they can do anything they set their mind to.

That's what They've been told from the little kids. Nothing is too hard for them. They are tough people and they can overcome anything. They just wanted enough and so they aren't so impressed with people who are really good at something.

Because you know they feel. Maybe they're the kind that sits there on their couch watching the Olympics and thinking, you know after drinking whatever they're drinking. I can do that too. I could do that.

They feel if they only had the time they had the inclination. They can Do whatever they set their minds to. They could be a virtuoso at a musical instrument. It's not so tough. Or be an NBA player. Yeah, you can do that.

You could be out there playing with a bronze. Sure, I just don't like it. They can publish a good book or be a great speech maker or run a four-minute mile or make great art or even Be a good Christian.

Maybe I don't have the time right now. But none of that is too tough for me. The poster on the wall at school tell me so. Some people believe confidence is like money. You can never have too much. It's true confidence is like money.

If you have too much of it unearned it spoils you. We see in this passage a great demonstration of self-confidence. A man who thinks he's a he's a tough guy. But he hasn't yet met a tough time and how much confidence ourselves really deserve.

We see that here in four parts. First the Shepherd then the self-deception third the sorrow and finally the sleep. How much confidence do we deserve. How much should we believe in ourselves? How tough are we really?

Well, let's test it. Let's take some of the take some of the best men hand-picked by Jesus himself. And take them out of a society that largely strove to to study and to obey the Word of God. Israel at this time is like a it was basically an Old Testament Bible belt.

Let's take some of these men who they are the cream of the crop. They're the best of the best and Then let's train them for three years, you know intensive day in day out. Making them close and connected teaching correcting and encouraging and then let's prepare them perfectly.

They have been alerted to what's coming plenty of warning what's about to happen. They have a last meal together. They have more warnings. They even sing a hymn together then finally after all that. Then we'll put them under some pressure.

Let's let's put them through a tough time. Let's see how tough they really are. See how well they they hold up and hold together. That's not like an easy test, isn't it? Surely we who believe in ourselves so much we could we could do that.

We were there even the average person could pass if he or she just applied themselves, but the best of the best. No should be easy for them. They should be. All right, they're tough enough, aren't they?

How much confidence?

Do we deserve? Well, the Lord Jesus tells them in verse 31 you will all Fall away literally stumble every one of you will like trip and fall. Every one of you will fail some worse than others, but you will all fail tonight.

You aren't tough enough for what's coming. You will fall away because and he says because of me in verse 31 notice that because of me. In other words what I do tonight and Jesus here is implying that he's the active one here, isn't he?

He's not just a victim all that transpires to him. He is because of his choices. But because of what I do tonight Jesus is saying will result in you stumbling now so far for these disciples discipleship has been.

Mostly theory I think. You know Jesus has talked about the kingdom of God his teachings how he must give up his life a ransom for many his. Teaching to them that you must be willing to take up the cross and follow him.

That's that sound good. That sounds great. But they haven't really had to be tested whether they'll do it. He here he first he gives him over warnings about how he is to be betrayed and crucified. And they probably think just hearing about it is enough to make them tough.

They haven't yet been through any really Tough times not yet. People are so often told something. Whatever it is Ethiopia is Poverty stricken. War is brutal. Marriage isn't all sweetness and candlelit dinners.

A baby isn't all fun and games. And yet it makes no impact. They think it's just so many words and so they have a breakdown when they see fingerless beggars. They join the army to play war in Afghanistan.

And then they suffer shock the first time they are shot at they get married and wonder why all why are all my fantasies coming? True they have a baby and wonder why is that they screaming it to in the morning?

Here they've been told. They're put on notice. They're told again and the Lord Jesus even quotes scripture to them. To try to get their attention Back himself up. I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.

Oh We think. They think at least oh, we'll stick together. We'll support our leader. He's our friend. Nothing nothing could tear us away from him. They won't abandon him after three years. There will be what we would now call I guess group cohesion.

Surely they know. Tough times don't last but tough people do. But the shepherd will be struck notice according to this passage who will strike the shepherd. I.

Will.

Quoting the Lord. The Lord strikes the shepherd. Here's the paradox of human evil achieving God's good goals. Now who think about it who literally physically? Struck him. Well the men of Pontius Pilate and Herod and the chief priest was what they did wrong.

Yeah, certainly it was unjust ended up eventually was murder. It was against God's command. God had commanded them. You shall not murder. But it was also God's decree. God ordered it here. God even takes responsibility for it.

I Will strike the shepherd. The Roman soldiers and Herod's men were just God's tools. They held the whip or the hammer but God held them. That evil was not outside the Lord's control. But God didn't do evil.

Because from him he was punishing the Sun for our sins. God Struck the shepherd. Isaiah 53 10 says it was the will of the Lord to crush him. Jesus will be coming up against the will of the Lord again soon.

We might argue that well God does not cause evil. Well, that's true. But he will use it. Here is the most evil deed in history. It's a betrayal a sacrilege a blasphemy to carry out a murder a great injustice really the greatest injustice and each of the people that committed those sins are responsible for them and Yet God worked through it all.

I Will God declares strike the shepherd and the result of God's act is that the sheep are scattered. They won't stay with the shepherd or with each other. Tough times prove That they're not so tough. They're all just sheep.

We can see here that that the enemies of God Satan who prowls around Like a hungry lion looking to devour some sheep or the world trying to conform us mold us into its image. And so hating the ones who stand up.

For what the Word of God says or even our own sinful nature that resists his will it wants to hear how good we are. For our will to be done. Wants to think about ourselves, you know, it's not so tough.

Our pride tells us those enemies will first. Want to strike the shepherd then the sheep scatter then the sheep are easy to pick off. You know one by one without protection. Without a church to keep them together or shepherds to watch over them the shepherds are the ones who stand in the way between the wolves and the lions and the predators and the helpless sheep.

Today many American sheep Think they don't really need shepherds. They're tough enough. They can they can do it without them. Oh, they may like religious entertainers. They'll watch them on TV or maybe they'll even go personally to hear them.

But they think they don't they don't really think they need a shepherd. They can do without that. And so when the wolves attack. They'll scatter. Here it is. God who strikes the shepherd who's the good shepherd and when he does what do the shepherds men do?

Are they tough guys? Well, they say they are. But when it comes to really seeing the Good Shepherd get struck they show What even the best of men are made of? Though the Good Shepherd promises that he will regather the sheep.

He'll bring them back together. He says after I'm raised. He says in verse 32. He will meet them in Galilee. He's consoling them. He's comforting them even ahead of time as the Good Shepherd. He's given them sort of a preemptive Consolation the smitten shepherd and the scattered sheep will be reunited back in their home territory that's the shepherd willing to bear the strikes of the father knowing his sheep will abandon him and That they're not so tough despite all their tough talk.

He consoles them in advance. Then self-deceit speaks up Peter. Well, it won't stand for himself to be doubted. He insists in verse 33, I will not fall away. He's self-confident. He must have been raised a little Simon, you know, you could do anything you set your mind to Simon.

He thinks he's a tough guy. He applied himself. He's given up his life for three years to follow the Good Shepherd. There's no way he thinks that he will abandon him now. He believed he could bear up under anything.

Tough times don't last but tough people like me do. He thinks to himself. Nothing could shake him. Oh, there's my runaway. Oh that John over there. They might he might run away not me. He is brimming over with self-confidence.

But so often self-confidence is self-deception. That's why we need a church not only for singing and preaching and teaching but to keep each other real. To know each other and hold each other to account not to enable each other a flattery.

Sure Peter. Even if all the others stumble, we know that you're you're tough. That's what many people think is for today. No, you need a place to be taught and to use your gifts, but also To be in relationships in which people know you in which you'll be told the truth, you know, you can't bear up under that.

You need to break off that relationship. You need to give more spin less. You need to get real. Here in verse 34 the Lord Jesus tells Peter straight out. You will deny me. Three times. In other words, you're not so tough.

Peter not nearly as tough as you think you are. But Peter is still so self-confident still the tough guy even I must die with you. I will not deny you man. Sounds good done it. Surely he believed it.

He believed it with all his heart because he believed in himself. I've heard people say My wife and I are behind you 100 After a little while you realize they must be behind you so far behind you. You can't even see them anymore.

People love to believe in themselves. We just love to believe in ourselves to believe that when the pressure is on when loyalty is tested. When you we have to choose between right and wrong when the crucial moment comes when tough times are here.

Well, we'll be the tough guy who will last. All others might fall away. Not me. No, I'll be the one. I'll be the loyal one. They think it'll be will be strong and stand up and be bold. That's what Peter thought such people are rare.

Really they're very rare. I don't know if you all realize how rare those people are. Because I think some of you are those rare kinds of people. It is self-deceit to believe in ourselves. God will strike the Shepherd the self-deceived will will scatter.

They'll scatter precisely because they believe in themselves because their confidence is in themselves and their own perceived Toughness and not in the Lord. Then comes the sorrow the sorrow. Surely the Peter and the rest are so so basically so full of themselves.

So self-confident just adds To the sorrow after all this time all this teaching. They're just so out of touch with themselves. That's got to be sorrowful. With that weighing on him. He comes into an olive orchard.

Jesus doesn't into a garden called Gethsemane to pray. He took Peter and James and John's or the inner core with him a little further into that garden. And he revealed that he was sorrowful in trouble.

He said in verse 38. My soul is very sorrowful even to death. He's admitting that he felt so weighed down. With sorrow, you know just after that Passover and that dinner and the singing psalms of praise so weighed down.

He felt the sorrow would crush him. He could see what was coming he knew there was for the cross that he had come. He was he he was not. Unable to feel it the cost of it the the agony he could feel it to the full.

He's already begun to feel the agony here. It starts here with this heavy sorrow. Heavy enough to crush him. He felt then later every punch every slap every thorn every nail and worst of all. He felt the gloomy darkening clouds of estrangement of abandonment of Loneliness of being separated from his friends and disciples and most of all from his father.

He is here now.

Already.

The Father’s Will, the Cup, and the Necessity of the Cross

The man of sorrows Acquainted with grief. Then he prays prostrate on the ground. My father In verse 39. Here's the most most intimate Prayer, he is the son to the father from eternity past in perfect union.

Then if it is possible in verse 39, he conditions his request.

If.

It is possible. You know just a few chapters earlier the same gospel Matthew chapter 21 verse 22 The Lord Jesus said. And whatever you ask in prayer You will receive if you have faith. It's one of those promises some prosperity people like to take and think you would I mean you can get a car and healing you.

Live forever basically until you just fade away 100 years old whatever it is. They take that Jesus said that. And so yeah, if someone has faith they have a trust in the Lord they will receive whatever they asked for.

Certainly, we can be assured that Jesus had perfect faith. And so he is going to receive his prayer. In Hebrews chapter 5 or 7 referring to this prayer here. It says that Jesus offered up prayers with loud cries and tears To him to that is to God who was able to save him from death and It says there God heard him God saved him from death Because of this prayer.

So we have the promise that if we ask anything it will be granted and The end the fact that Jesus prayed with loud cries and tears and was heard. Therefore we conclude most certainly that Jesus's prayer was answered.

God granted it. That if it was at all possible He would be spared the cross. So the only way that he goes to the cross is if there is no other way.

Possible.

Well, there was perhaps one way for it to be possible for Jesus to avoid the cross. That was simply That God choose to save no one. If no one saved there would be no need for a sacrifice. No need for the Sun to come in the flesh and to live as a man for 30 plus years suffer thirst fatigue sorrow and Often not even have a suitable place to lay his head many nights.

He wouldn't have to be scorned and rejected. He could simply hug his shoulders. He could simply not care. He could tell us, you know tough luck you fell. I gave you a guard perfect guard. You fell and descend you're done for he could damn us all to hell just by leaving us be.

Like a callous man lending a child Drown in the icy lake that they fallen into, you know, but you could think well He should have known better. Why should I risk my life or my comfort by rescuing him?

That's the way Jesus could have been spared the cup if God would only have chosen just To let us go to leave us be. But God is love. So because of that who God is God is love. Amazingly God will not just let us go.

God is also just he's holy and so he would not have allowed sin to slide. So being love he chose to save some being holy and just he had to pay the penalty. For the sins of those that he would save because he is love.

So we see it was not possible. There is no other way it was necessary.

And that added.

To his sorrow We are in such a condition that we cannot save ourselves that we are helpless by ourselves. That we can't do it. No matter how motivated how psyched up we get we have failed and we will fail.

The only way out then is for someone perfect. To bear our failures for us, you know, if there was any other way If we could if we could be saved. If we could make it out of judgment by by just maybe just by trying harder.

Applying ourselves to keep God's law better working more. Being inspired maybe by good examples being motivated by nice slogans that you can do it anything you set your mind to or deterred by threats.

If you break that law, you're gonna be hurt punished or Reasoned to salvation. With philosophy with theology with sound arguments or even if God could just you know, just basically just wink at sin. And decide, you know, let it slide don't take it seriously anymore.

If we could get out any other way. If he would just maybe just make himself no longer a God of justice of being holy and pure if that was possible. Then the father would have gone that route. Jesus asked in faith with loud cries and tears and he was heard he asked if there was any other way out let's take that other way and If there was any other way the father would have gone that other way, but there wasn't.

He conditioned his request. If It'd be possible because of our sins our sinfulness. It was not possible. Then he prays for what what is really the heart of.

Prayer.

In verse 39 for anyone who truly believes in the true God, this is the heart of Prayer when you come to God, this must be at the heart of why you're doing it how you're doing it. Nevertheless He's given his request if it'd be possible that this cup pass.

Nevertheless, never mind what I want not as I will But as you will.

Nevertheless.

Disregard this prayer if it contradicts your will even if it means my my brutal agonizing death nevertheless.

And.

Here we see really crystallized what it means to be a disciple even to be a son or daughter of God. Yes, we have our desires. We have our needs our cravings things we desperately Want maybe we'll pray for hours on end.

God give us Whatever we hope the most most of the time. Those desires are are in the will of God. And we can glorify God by enjoying his gifts and maybe in other people in nature maybe in food and a husband or a wife and children and our property our money and leisure or in health and youth or an old age.

But sometimes God wills things that we desperately wish he wouldn't to take someone we love. To allow some sickness or loss in our family in our lives. The trial then is Whether we will accept What he can do that he can do so he can do as he wills that we can pray.

Please spare. Please heal or protect or give. But then we can say nevertheless. Not as I will. But as you will. Can we in our own Gethsemane accept the will of God and allow ourselves to taste a little of what it means to be a man or woman of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Can we. Or here's an example for us of really of the perfect child of God. But to reduce this to it is an example, but to reduce it to only an example for us a model for us to follow. We can do this too because we're tough enough, but we just motivate ourselves.

No, we that's the way you think you missed the big picture. We cannot first we cannot just follow first follow his example. That's why him avoiding the cross is not possible. We need much more than just a good example to follow.

We need a sacrifice. We need the guilt of our sins. To be dealt with a just God is not simply going to pretend those sins where we're never committed. Just let's just forget about it start over and call that forgiveness.

Our guilt has to be dealt with and here the Lord Jesus sees that he is the one to take our guilt. And to bear the anger of God at us for our sins and that most of all Makes him sorrowful. So we ask for yes for any other way, but there is no other way.

It's not possible for the for the cup of that Torture and that death and that betrayal and that alienation is to pass to pass from him. It's not possible because of the impossibility of Our nature. The impossibility of our nature is shown in the sleep.

The Weak Flesh, the Sleeping Disciples, and the Impossibility of Self-Salvation

He admits his sorrow in verse 38 and tells the disciples. To remain awake stay awake and pray with me. Lest you follow fall into temptations stay awake or you'll fall away. You'll be tempted if you can't stay awake.

Now you would think after having been told over and over again that he's about to be betrayed that they would all fall away. And so on that they would even they would be even more diligent. If they'd be so much on their toes, they'd be so wary that they wouldn't have to be told to stay awake.

When you when you think that all that's been going on that they that they couldn't sleep. They would just be up. Hyped up by everything that's happening. But they're too impossibly Self-confident. In verse 40 he catches them the first time sleeping and I'm unable to take him seriously.

After all those warnings, he says the spirit your spirit indeed is willing. But the flesh is weak. Even among the best of the best. Yes. There may there may be desires in the heart to do what is right.

But they find it impossible To put it into practice their bodies and their egos and self-confidence make them sluggish and As they pray that intensity wanes away they feel the dinner in their stomachs and the wine in their system and the late hour and they just can't Remember anymore.

We forgot what it was. What was it that Jesus was been warning them about? What did he say as they fade off? And then are fast asleep. Then he prays again the same my father. If this cannot pass. Unless I drink it.

Your will be done. Can this pass him by? Is there any other way? The disciples sleeping again for the second time tell him the answer here. Here they are on one of the most momentous nights and in all of history.

They've been fully warned ahead of time. But what is coming? They still can't stay awake. The impossibility of human nature. Then he returns to prayer. If it is at all possible. Let there be another way.

Then he returns for the third time to the disciples sleeping again proving how weak even the best of us are. Proving why it's not possible for there to be any other way than the cross. We can't save ourselves.

It's not time to sleep now. The hour is at hand the time that he warned them about the Son of Man as the one who brings in the kingdom of God on earth. He is betrayed now. It is clear. There is no other way the flesh is too weak even the best sleep when they should be alert and One even betrays him.

That's human nature at its best at its best.

Willing.

But weak and often not even willing.

Our.

Salvation is not possible in any other way than to the sacrifice of Christ. Some people believe that they can please God if they only get around it to trying harder. When they decide to be willing it is this possible.

They just haven't applied themselves yet. Maybe they will when they get older. And they get a little older and they have a little less to do. I'll go back to church. They'll read their Bibles. Then they'll pray then.

They'll get everything in order maybe when they have kids or or maybe when they retire. They're confident then they can do it. They just really haven't tried yet. There are plenty of preachers who flatter such people telling them telling their audience and they can do anything if they just try harder.

They can do it. They can please God. Their problem is they're just not committed enough yet. Just muster up that commitment that'll take care of it. One local preacher even wrote in the castle messenger that the gospel is the ability to become more Christlike by more Bible reading and praying and church attendance and so even most people who aren't doing those things yet.

Well, they think confidently about themselves. Yeah, okay, that's not so tough. I Can do that. I can do it when I when I get a mind to it. When my spirit is willing right now, of course, I have a life, you know, I got things I got to do.

I can't do it now, but I appreciate this preacher for telling me that I can do it when I feel like it. But that's not the gospel. The good news starts with the bad news that you can't to bring you to your own time of.

Praying with tears when you realize it is impossible For you to save yourself. That someone perfect had to take the cup of God's wrath that you have so abundantly earned and that offends the self-confident.

That that.

Offends those. Who think they're so tough that they can do it themselves. The person full of self-confidence. The person who thinks that he just too busy right now. That he has a family as a career. Yes.

Oh, yes. Things to think about. But he'll be able to get around to God. Eventually, you know, he'll be able to please him when the time comes. He has a willing spirit. Those kinds of people are offended by being told that they're they're too sinful.

They're too weak. They're really not so tough. If they can't save themselves that someone else. Someone perfect had to go through the agony for them here. We see what the best of the best can do. When they're supposed to be awake and alert.

What do they do?

They sleep and. So we see why it's not possible that we could be saved any other way. Even if our spirit is willing. Which is a rare miracle. Our flesh is Weak if after you profess to believe in this Christ Said that he is Lord.

You've committed yourself to follow him said your will be done. But when it comes time to actually obeying. You don't have. If you're honest with yourself, you don't have just a weak flesh. We all have that.

That's what Jesus Paid for beginning here this here begins his suffering. He's sorrowful and to death that suffering for our sins has now begun. But if your problem is You know if you're honest with yourself.

Not just not just weakness but an unwilling spirit. You don't want deep down.

Really.

His will to be done. Then your problem was not that you need to try harder. That you can do it. You just exert yourself more. No, they proved here that our problem is far deeper than that. If your spirit is not willing then your problem.

Is that you have it yet? Accepted what Christ did for you on the cross. Have you yet been to Gethsemane with him? Understood his sorrow his longing for any other way.

But this.

Have you felt? the agony and. Have you yet seen that your sin made it impossible for there to be any other way?

Than this.

Have you yet seen that this God who would serve you by doing for you what you could not do for yourself? Then he is worth you saying to him Not my will but yours be done is your spirit.

Your heart.

Crying that.