March 4, 2020

Obedience Through Suffering 

Luke 22:39-71

Brooke Bonner
Wednesday's Devo

March 4, 2020

Wednesday's Devo

March 4, 2020

Central Truth

Jesus was tempted to avoid His suffering when He asked God to take it away. But through prayer He was strengthened and demonstrated obedience when He exchanged His human desires for trusting God's will. 

There would be no gospel apart from Christ's suffering.

Key Verse | Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."

Luke 22:39-71

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 1 22:44 Some manuscripts omit verses 43 and 44 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant 2 22:50 Or bondservant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Peter Denies Jesus

54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked

63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

Footnotes

[1] 22:44 Some manuscripts omit verses 43 and 44
[2] 22:50 Or bondservant

Dive Deeper | Luke 22:39-71

Have you ever faced a circumstance so severe that you begged God to remove it? Isn't it tempting to choose a quick, painless solution over what God has to offer? Unfortunately, our troubles are guaranteed (John 16:33), but what if we saw our suffering as an opportunity to trust God?

That's what Jesus did when He was praying on the Mount of Olives. Every part of Jesus' being dreaded drinking the cup that God had set before Him (and experiencing separation from God). The thought of completing God's will left Jesus in agony (Luke 22:44) and overwhelmed with sorrow (Matthew 26:37-38). Falling to the ground in prayer, He begged God for another way.

Jesus did not want to experience a break in the perfect harmony He had enjoyed with the Father from eternity past. And bearing the sins of the world would cause just that.  

It seemed like too much.

Yet, being fully God, Christ had the power to eliminate His suffering and the ability to save Himself from the cross like the soldiers dared Him (Luke 23:35), IF He wanted to. BUT He chose not to. Through His suffering, Christ was strengthened in prayer (Luke 22:43) and chose to trust God as He cried out, "Not my will, but yours, be done." (Luke 22:42) Jesus turned His ordeal into opportunity as "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). Christ suffered in order to save us.

A verse I keep taped to my dashboard is Mark 9:24: "I believe; help my unbelief!" It's so easy to question God's motives when we can't see what He sees. But like Jesus, we can use our suffering as an opportunity to glorify God. The more we trust Him, the more obedient we will become. 

"In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him." (Hebrews 5:7-9)

Discussion Questions

1.  Does the thought of submitting to God's will instead of your own terrify you? Is it hard to believe God's plans for our life will always be better than our plans for our life?  Read Psalm 84:11, 139:16; Isaiah 55:8-9; and Romans 8:28.

2.  Have you been praying about it as much as you've been worrying about it? Have you earnestly asked God to take away your anxiety and strengthen you? He wants you to talk to Him about it! Read 1 Peter 5:7 and 1 Corinthians 10:13.

3. What contrasts do you see between Peter's obedience and Christ's obedience in this chapter? How were their outcomes different?

4.  It took a LOT of obedience for Jesus to willingly walk to His death and die for sinners who hated Him. What would it look like for you to be more obedient in your walk with Christ? Read Romans 1:12 and John 14:21.

5.  Have you reminded yourself of the gospel today? Never forget for a second what Jesus' suffering means for you personally! Read Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23; 1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:8-9; and Romans 10:9-10.