Not My Will, But Yours Be Done (Luke 22b)*

Luke 22:39-61

Key verse 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

God ordained death for all men for their sins. So death is the time when the full due for sin must be paid off. This is a time that is packed with suffering, pain and the dissipation of life. Just before he was arrested, Jesus prayed to God the Father, that he might take away the cup of suffering. Like any man of flesh, he wanted to escape from the great pain, sorrow, and burden of suffering of dying for sin. He asked God the Father if this due for sin can be paid in some other way besides suffering and death. But God had planned this long before he even took upon himself to take on the flesh of man. Also, Jesus taught about his suffering and death to his disciples repeatedly. But at the final moment when he faced the full reality of the full cost of sin, filled with pain, sorrow, and the dissipation of life, he wished not for this cup of suffering. It was totally in conflict with the will of his Father. So he prayed. After prayer, Jesus resolved himself to take the will of God over his own desire and decided to bear the cost for all sins of man. This prayer bears enormous importance for this is the exact struggle that we face and must go through as we accept the will of God. What did Jesus’ prayer entail? As we go through this passage, we may get to know the nature and degree of his struggles in prayer so that we may also battle to retract our will and accept the will of God that leads to life.

1.    Looming arrest and death (39-41)

At the Passover meal, in a secret place, Jesus expressed his desire to offer his blood and his body for the sake of his disciples. It was his affirmation of his will to sacrifice his life as a ransom for many. Immediately after this, Judas went out into the darkness of the night (John 13:30). Soon, an argument arose among the disciples on who was the greatest among them. Jesus taught the disciples that the one who serves is great. Interestingly at the end of this teaching Jesus picked on Peter and said this to him;

Luke 22:31 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:31 NIV)

It is significant that Jesus addressed this personally to Peter, though this message was for all the disciples. Jesus considered Peter as the top leader among the twelve. Jesus not only treated him as such but also, among the disciples, Peter showed the most courageous and decisive will to follow Jesus. In addition, we must note that those who were involved in this competition were the ones who were very much convinced of Jesus’ kingship and his coming glory, despite the overwhelming warning of Jesus' suffering and death. They were the ones that were not subdued by the fear of suffering and death. I believe that they were those three disciples who saw Jesus’ transfiguration. (see Mark 8:33-34; 10:35-41) Among them, Peter was so confident of Jesus’ glory that he was ready to follow him even to death. Considering Peter as the most loyal, committed, faithful, and courageous disciple, Jesus’ warning to him was very mind boggling to him as well as to the rest of the disciples. There came an intense anxiety and fear for ‘Satan would sift them all’ through this time of Jesus arrest and death. Jesus did not stop here in giving out his warning. He said that Peter would deny Jesus three time before the rooster crows.

In addition, Jesus further told them to prepare things such as a purse, bag, and sword. They were the things that one would need to fight and to escape from the on-coming threat to their lives.  Their mind and will seemed to be well set to challenge any attacks when they said “See Lord, here are two swords.” 

In such mindset and spirit, they went to the Mount of Olives as usual. Jesus and his disciples had been praying in the morning at this place since Jesus came to Jerusalem. So that day was not different from the previous days. They all came to this place to pray. But one thing was different on this day. Judas left in the middle of the Passover meal and was not with Jesus and the rest of the disciples. Jesus knew that this was the time that Judas would come to betray him. So Jesus said this to them; 

"Pray that you will not fall into temptation." 41 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,

What would be the temptation in facing arrest? The first and foremost temptation is to save their lives regardless of its cost - to escape and run away, or fight back, even using various means including swords. The threat is coming and imminent. It would be a matter of minutes. In such time, if one’s mind is still hanging with indecision, or one's mind is unsettled, then it would be a great problem. The struggle was intense; how to overcome the power of death. Here we see Jesus’ anxiety and concern for his disciples and for himself; he wanted to seek God’s will and needed a time to do so before Judas would come. He could not be unprepared for this moment! So he went a further stone-throw distance from the disciples where he not only could hear what would happen to the disciples but, also, the disciples could see what would happen to Jesus. Simply, in anticipation of His arrest, an intense anxiety overwhelmed Jesus. His anxiety was also the cause of the anxiety of his disciples as well. They were one body but they would not know what to do with the coming enemy force. The main cause of the fear and anxiety of Jesus was that he was not ready to take on the cup of suffering. For him, it was too unbearable to bear the suffering of death. So, in seeking God’s help, Jesus prayed;

42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Jesus knew what should be done to save people. He knew the will of God. He told this to his disciples a few times so that they might accept and be prepared for his suffering and death. Nevertheless, as the moment came, he was overwhelmed by the power of death and wished the cup be taken from him. Matthew and Mark described that Jesus asked God three times to relieve him from the cup of suffering. Jesus said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38) His body must go through it and the spirit must bear with it. The disciples noted the intensity of Jesus’ struggle;

44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Luke only used the word ‘anguish’ to describe Jesus’ situation at this time. Out of this word comes ‘agony’. There is a term ‘agonal sign’ that is the laborious effort of breathing just before death. So when one shows an agonal sign, their death is imminent. Like this, Jesus was in anguish in his mind and spirit. With all his strength, he was fighting against the power of death that came upon him so hard.

Matthew described this situation of Jesus like this; 26:38 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. The word “overwhelmed with sorrow” is one word “ Περίλυπος” (perilypos). It means that the peril or pain or calamity was so great to the extent that he was about to be swallowed up by this perilous evil.

Jesus was keenly aware of the extent of this suffering when he said that it is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’ (v37). The transgressor of the Law is ‘being stoned to death’ and further assigned to the eternal judgment, of which he was all to well aware of. What about the transgressor of the Roman law? By this time, Roman Empire crucified many people for rebellion. After all, it would be a judgment and rejection from God. How can one fight against such devastation? Or how can one give oneself willingly to such pain and sorrow?

In order to understand fully what “overwhelmed with sorrow” entails, I like to look at two passages; one from Isaiah 8 about the suffering God prescribed to Judah for their sin, and the other from Psalm 118 about the suffering of the Rejected stone.

Isaiah 8 is about the kingdom Judah. Despite God’s great provision and repeated warning against sin, the kingdom Judah persisted in the Law of covenant. God finally delivered this ultimatum in prophecy.

Isaiah 8:7-8 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates-- the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks 8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel!" (Isa 8:7 NIV)

As punishment, God would bring the kingdom Assyria to destroy the kingdom Judah. The Assyrian army would attack Judah like floodwaters.  It would overflow all its channels, run over banks, sweep into Judah, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Total decimation and the death of the nation would be imminent. The flood waters were up to the neck in a matter of minutes and the nation Judah would be choked to be out of breath. It is like waterboarding. US secret agencies used waterboarding on criminals to force them to divulge information. In such time, the criminals have no choice but to reveal all the truth. It is like life being choked away. This prophecy ends with a calling for Immanuel. Without God being with them, it was impossible to save them! They could do nothing but depend on God’s mercy!  Immanuel Jesus came, but that does not mean that this punishment would be exempt or taken away. Instead of his chosen people, the Immanuel Jesus had to go through the full length of God’s punishment to pay off fully the sin that they committed against God.  Life is being engulfed by the flood of judgment.  Sensing the full extent of life being sapped away, Jesus’ sweat were like drops of blood.

How did Jesus overcome such an immense power flooding up to the neck?  It is written in Messianic Psalm 118, a Psalm of rejected stone. This rejected stone starts with a shout;

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place. 6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7 The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

This person came to face a hard pressed situation. Here describes the things that went through his mind. He calls out that God is with him. He assures himself that it is better to take refuge in the Lord. He asserted to himself the faith that the Lord is with him. He affirmed and reaffirmed that the Lord is his helper and refuge and that it is better to take refuge in the Lord. This is followed by an actual encounter with an enemy;

10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down. 11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them down. 12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them down. 13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.

He alone is surrounded by all nations on every side. The enemy forces were overwhelming. They swarmed like bees. In the name of the Lord, he cut them down again and again three times. But despite such strenuous effort in faith, he was pushed back and was about to fall. Literally he was in a dire circumstance that he could not get out of it by his own strength. He was on the brink of total annihilation by the enemy despite the fact that he put his trust in the Lord and fought so much. The enemy forces were so overwhelming! His life was hanging by a thin thread! It is just a matter of time for him to be totally smeared away for good! 

Here is a similar picture that we saw in Isa 8:7-8. The person was hard pressed by enemies. They were all nations, and surrounded the person on every side.  They were like swarms of bees. We must note that at this time it is one person, “I”, that faced this. On every chance of such threat, he cut them down in the name of the Lord. Nevertheless, as was in Isaiah 8, despite his bitter fight in faith in the Lord, he was pushed back and about to fall to death (13).

Who is this? It is the description of the stone that builders rejected and has become the capstone (v22; the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; Psa 118 NIV)

This is what Jesus was going through at this time of prayer. “Being overwhelmed by the enemies” and there was no way out, facing the imminent threat of being swallowed up by the enemies.

What does this tell us? God’s chosen failed to follow the way of the Lord and they had to pay the cost of sin, death, and the full judgment of God. Immanuel or the rejected stone would go through the same ‘punishment of God’ so as to bring salvation for the people of the new kingdom.

Death must be tasted and must be overcome! Overcome by faith in the Lord, from the beginning to the end. believing that the Lord will surely come for help.

While Jesus was going through this ‘immense attack from the enemies’, and in such a dire situation, asking the Lord to let the cup of suffering pass by, what did the Lord do?

43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

By sending an angel, God made two things clear to Jesus. First, He was with Jesus. In other words, all these things were happening to him under His discretion and will, even though Satan was the chief culprit of the oncoming calamity. Second, God was assisting him to go through this power of death and the attack of the enemies, but would not give him relief from this cup. God being with Jesus, Immanuel! Jesus must take the cup! Jesus must see the victory.

The third part of the rejected stone story is a declaration of victory.

14 The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. 15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things! 16 The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!" 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. 18 The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.  (Psa 118:1 NIV)

In this third part, the person expressed the joy in victory. It is described in present and present perfect tense, since he already had gone through this fight and won the victory. In victory he gives praise to the Lord. He recognizes that God is right and praises God for his mighty hand, doing mighty things, and saving his life.

Through the prayer, Jesus would have gone through the first, second and the beginning of the third, where the victory against the enemy was in sight.  This is the final and full resolution of Jesus’ will to submit to the will of the Father. This resolution was fully revealed in his actions and readiness to confront the enemy;

45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

After making a decision of faith, Jesus got up and helped his disciples. His decisive action is clear in John 18:4 - Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” He came forward to give himself to Judas and his people. This says one thing; through prayer he overcame the power of death and made the decision to accept and submit to the will of his Father. The real moment of truth comes when one who faces death or the threat of death. As Jesus stood in faith and submitted his life to the Father’s hand, so should we be able to do so. To the seven churches in Asia, Jesus said this in Revelation 2:10 - "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown." The moment of truth is when one faces the power of death. It is when most fail to honor the Father for the sake of their own lives. Jesus was loaded with all the burdens of sin and yet he stood firm in His faith to His Father and overcame the power of death. He became the pioneer and perfector of our faith.

Faith is genuine and worthy only when it expresses itself with power in real life. How did Jesus do in facing the enemy? How did Peter handle the enemy? 

2.    Facing the power of death (47-54)

Finally the moment came in this way:

47 While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him,

Judas came with soldiers and religious leaders and political leaders. The entire force of the nation came to arrest Jesus, led by the betrayer, Judas.

48 but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

It was expected, and yet it was tragic. For what Judas did was artful in deception and in rebellion against God’s love and his truth.  Jesus pointed out Judas’ deception and evilness.

As soon as the disciples saw Judas and his company, they responded in this way;

49 When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" 50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

The disciples’ defense: While one was asking if they could use force to defend, the other had already cut off the ear of one of the servants of the high priest. It was a sudden and spontaneous reaction to the enemies. It was a bold and decisive action. How could it be possible for any one of these disciples to take such a bold action? The hour of their prayer was filled with fear and anxiety. It seems that out of this came a decision to take full defense! They did not see any other way but to defend themselves from the threat of death. Also, it was unthinkable thing that any of the disciples would do such thing if they did not trust Jesus, the Lord and king.  According to John, the person who cut the ear of the servant of the high priest was Peter. He became bold and courageous in defending Jesus and themselves. Actually Jesus was their Lord and they would do anything to defend Jesus. Jesus himself said to prepare swords! So the disciples were in self-defense mode, deciding to do anything that was necessary to save themselves and their Lord Jesus. It is obvious that their prayer did not change their attitude toward the coming danger to their lives. 

What about Jesus? Jesus responded differently; 

51 But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.

Jesus strongly forbid them to do this anymore! Also, Jesus healed the servant’s ear. What does this tell us about Jesus?  This is a clear change in his outlook and in his mind.

By saying no more of this, he was not rebuking them for what they did. Instead, he was saying to stop doing this anymore. Previously Jesus told them get swords. Jesus was clearly in mind to help his disciples to protect themselves from the on-coming dangers and enemies. In other words, he had given them a tacit approval of using power as a means to protect them. But after the prayer he changed his mind; to trust totally on God’s grace and mercy, including the wellbeing of his disciples. Jesus’ word was further reinforced by His action of healing the servant’s ear. No more of this! No more physical force! Martial arts were developed to defend oneself from attack. It was popular among eastern countries. In the west, there were duels either by gun or sword. All these, based on self-defense, were justified by the law.  Self-defense is considered a basic human right. But at this time of crisis, Jesus let the enemy do what they wished to do; to arrest and kill according to their own justice and their style of righteousness. It was not because Jesus did not have the power and authority to defend himself but because he wanted to let God do his justice in his own way and in his own time! How could this resolution come to Jesus?  The struggles of the rejected stone were to overcome the powers of enemies, i.e. power of death. Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is his expressions of his will to submit to God’s will.

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 ..4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (Joh 17:1 NIV)

If Isaiah 8 and Psalm 118 denoted the struggle to overcome the power of death, then the prayer in John 17 is looking toward the Lord, asking the Lord what he would do. The first lines of Jesus’ prayer at the hour of his decision is to glorify his Father and entrust his life to his Father’s hand, believing in his resurrection. He not only entrusted his life to his Father’s hand but also entrusted the lives of his disciples;  

11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.  (John 17)

Jesus entrusted the wellbeing of his disciples to God’s hand! So it shall not be the power of their own even in the time of darkness, where Satan was allowed to rule. In this trust, Jesus said, No more of this! The Father’s will was of the utmost importance in this time of darkness. Jesus upheld God’s authority and trusted God’s power, his good will, and love for him. Let God do his justice! This is to uphold the glory of God. Whatever it might be! Jesus accepted God’s will and decided to entrust his life to God’s hand. In this way, in his mind and spirit, there was a full resolution with full trust and confidence in his Father’s grace and will. How was his confidence revealed?

 "Am I leading a rebellion that you have come with swords and clubs? 53 Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour-- when darkness reigns."

Why was Jesus saying this? They came to arrest Jesus with swords and clubs as if he was leading a rebellion. Rebellion is by force and has to be controlled by force. Though Jesus was teaching in the temple courts every day, they were not able to arrest him because they were of darkness. They could not overrule the light and truth of Jesus. It is like saying “I am not giving in to your hand because you came by force, but because it is the hour assigned to darkness by the Lord.” Jesus understood all things in God’s perspective and was confident in what he was doing and was in control of the situation.

What does this tell us?

Jesus as the Son of MAN faced this moment - when the enemy attacked and his life was to go through intense suffering and death. He fought bitterly with the power of death as was shown in Isa 8 and Psalm 118, trusting God’s grace and mercy. Next he moved forward to uphold God’s glory (John 17). He did this by submitting to God’s will, to give his life as ransom for many. Justice is God’s alone, not anyone else’s.  Out of this came a firm confidence in God’s control and power. Out of this confidence, He took control of his enemies and cared for his disciples.

All these began by overcoming the power of death. None of us, so far, has faced such a crisis as Jesus and his disciples did. But we all will surely come to such a moment in time. It is a must for all believers and it comes only by trusting God. It is not easy and is an ongoing struggle for us believers. The weakness of our flesh demands protection from all harm and rejects all means that would subject our lives to intense suffering and pain, and then to death. But we have Jesus who went before us and is now sitting at the right hand of God. His victory over death gives us assurance that when we trust Jesus, he will surely raise us from death to life. Jesus said that 'whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it ' (Luke 9:24). Also, he said this in Luke 6:47 “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.” The struggle to submit to the will of God occurs even now, when we do not face such a life threatening crisis. Paul said that he faces death every day.(1 Cor 15:31)  Then we will surely win in our struggle against all enemies that threaten us with the power of death. Overcoming the power of death is the beginning of our confidence and in getting control of our lives and in defending the truth and preaching the good news of Jesus.

Finally we must note that in order to overcome the power of death, he prayed to the extent that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground and he was assisted by an angel. Without such prayer, is it possible for any one of us to overcome the power of death? Without the help of the Lord, is it possible for us to overcome the power of death? Invariably, those who prayed hard ran a very powerful and godly life. In our prayers we need help from the Lord as well. The Holy Spirit is with us and we must depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (Lk 11:13) May God be upon us so that we may win in our fight against the power of death!

3.    Peter’s failure

At the time of prayer, Peter and other disciples were sleeping, exhausted from sorrow. They saw the full reality of ‘pain and death’ and they could not overcome it. They had no resolution of ‘fear of death’. Peter was the best among all of Jesus’ disciples. Even if the best of the best prayed, he did not make a decision of faith, for death overwhelmed his mind and spirit. When the moment of test came, what did he do? He cut the ear of the servant of the high priest. He was still in self-defense mode! He was of himself, his will, his goodness and his purpose! He did not accept and submit to the will of God. Peter showed all of his love and courage for Jesus and followed Jesus to the house of the High Priest. There he was confronted with a real threat, a little girl who identified him to be a friend of Jesus.  He immediately denied Jesus before of that little girl. He denied Jesus two more times;

 58 A little later someone else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." "Man, I am not!" Peter replied. 59 About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." 60 Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!"

At this time, Jesus reminded him of his word;

60b Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."

Peter was a great man. He had courage, faith, love and loyalty more than any of this peers. Peter would be the best among all. Yet he failed. The reason? Was it possible to undo the effects of sin through prayer? Sin and death overwhelmed his life and unless help comes from the Lord, he had no chance! Not just Peter but also all men! No man has the chance to overcome the power of death; they are all in self-defense mode! Self-righteous mode! Peter’s failure speaks loudly on how we sinful men are helpless despite such a firm resolve. He truly was in the shadow of death (Luke 1:79). The rejected stone fought against enemies with all his best. And yet, he was pushed back and was about to fall. At this time God saved his life. John described something very meaningful in this matter. They must eat Jesus’ flesh and must drink his blood (John 6:53) and then they could overcome the power of death. As we noted above the enemies attack on Jesus was overwhelming, like swarms of bees, like a flood of water choking up to the neck. In such an attack who can survive? At the last supper, the Passover meal, Jesus got up to wash the feet of his disciples. When he came to Peter, Peter would not allow Jesus to wash his feet. Then Jesus said this;

John 13:8 "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." (Joh 13:8 NIV)

Jesus in his flesh, though he was the Son of God, was being assisted through the angel in this critical time. Jesus was able to submit himself to God’s will seeing the glory of the father. Now he is sitting at the right hand of God serving us to perfect our faith in the Lord of forgiveness. In this victory, Jesus imparts us the power to overcome death and gives us an assurance to victory. So, eating his flesh and drinking his blood is to taste the power of resurrection and to declare victory over the power of death. Jesus’ first line of prayer was to glorify the Lord (John 17:1). So this shall be the sense of the direction of our lives.  It is to submit our lives to God’s hand even when facing an imminent death! Honor him as the Lord, the judge and the only Sovereign over all matters of our lives! Let’s pray and dare to commit our lives in God, the Father of Jesus, who paid off all our sins by his flesh, and by his blood. This is God’s will. In full submission to his will, we can be bold and take control of our enemies. Dare to give our lives to uphold the glory of God so that we may participate in the glory of the Lord. And we can stand tall among all the ungodly.

May God bless you richly in the Lord!