Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB000023A
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00:22 Hi and welcome to the Books of the Books series here on 3ABN.
00:25 We're exploring the Gospel of Matthew. 00:27 I am Glenn Russell, Professor of Religion at Andrews University, 00:30 here with a friend 00:32 and Seminary Professor, Dr. Ranko Stefanovich. 00:35 Ranko, it's been a wonderful journey 00:36 going through the gospel of Mathew. 00:39 Some how, it just touches my life and I am sure, 00:41 yours each time we get into scripture. 00:43 Yes, I've been teaching Gospel of Matthew 00:46 and doing much deeper research 00:49 into this book for about seventeen years. 00:51 And every time, even today and even during 00:54 the taping of this series, every time the detail 00:58 here and detail there that impacts my life 01:01 and make think and to come much closer to Jesus Christ. 01:05 It's a wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ. 01:07 The wonderful privilege to study God's word. Yes. 01:09 Let's ask God to direct our study here today. 01:13 Lord as we come into your presence, 01:17 we don't want to rush in with our ideas and our opinions. 01:19 We want to pause and ask 01:21 that you'll take away any preconceptions. 01:24 May we hear your word. 01:26 May we listen carefully for your voice. 01:28 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. 01:32 You know, Ranko, we've been taking this journey 01:35 with Jesus through the gospel of Mathew 01:37 and we've come up to the very end of His earthly ministry. 01:41 Now we can't say the end of His life because though his life 01:44 ended He's a resurrected by lord. 01:46 But we see the end of His earthly ministry 01:48 here just about the time of the cross. 01:51 And He's just concluded 01:53 the Lord's Supper with his disciples. 01:55 You know there is just a little thought from the east 01:57 that I think can be worthwhile here. 02:00 In the Middle East where I grew up, 02:01 if you share a meal with someone, 02:04 especially someone who has harmed you, 02:07 you're extending forgiveness and friendship. 02:09 And I marvel of fact that Jesus, till the very end, 02:13 keeps reaching out to Judas. 02:15 He knows what he will do. 02:16 He understands he's the betrayer. 02:17 He reveals he is a betrayer. 02:19 But He still keeps reaching out to him. 02:21 One more chance, but instead Judas turns away. 02:27 Actually when we are talking about the Lord's Supper, 02:30 we forget to one aspect. 02:33 The meaning of a meal eating together as you just mentioned. 02:37 You know, while we are here taping this series 02:39 we made several, you know, visits together 02:42 to eat to eat together. 02:43 As you eat there are bonds that are created. 02:46 When we go to the gospel of John, 02:47 actually this last supper begins with statement of John 02:51 that Jesus knew that the hour has, come and that He loved 02:56 those who're with Him as He loved them in the beginning. 02:59 And actually this meal strengthened those bones 03:02 between--so the communal service it's also lovely dinner 03:07 when people come much closer to each other 03:11 and much closer to God. 03:12 So as we worship with our fellow believers 03:15 and have a communion service, the Lord's Supper, 03:17 the bonds of faith and the bonds of fellowship 03:20 must be strengthened. 03:21 That's why we shouldn't avoid that experience. 03:23 Sometimes you'll feel, 03:24 "Eh, it's a little uncomfortable," so they miss it. 03:26 But it's rich experience. 03:28 Now, from that supper we go out to that dark experience 03:34 that Jesus had in Gethsemane. 03:36 Let's enter into that journey with Him. 03:39 So let us make a brief survey to see what was going on. 03:45 So after eating the last Passover with His disciples, 03:51 Jesus and the eleven they left the upper room. 03:56 Glenn, how many times you visit Jerusalem there? 03:59 And it's very hard to talk 04:01 about that without visualizing what happened. 04:04 Jesus left the city. 04:06 We still--when you go there, there're remnants 04:09 there of those stairways by which Jesus 04:14 was going down from the city. 04:16 So leaving the city they descended 04:18 down to the Kidron Valley. 04:21 And then they had to climb little bit 04:23 toward the Mount of Olives. 04:25 But in the foot of the Mount of Olives, 04:28 on the western side, there was one garden. 04:33 This is how the gospel call it. 04:35 It was called Gethsemane. 04:37 Probably, that place belonged to one of the friends of Jesus. 04:43 So very often, after very stormy days debating 04:50 with the Pharisees, Jesus needed the place to be alone 04:54 and to pray there, you know, 04:56 to have communication the Father. 04:58 Jesus would go to that place. 05:00 That place was very much familiar to Jesus 05:03 and the disciples because when Judas wanted to take that mob 05:07 to arrest Jesus he knew exactly where Jesus was. 05:11 So it was not difficult for them to find Jesus. 05:14 By the way Gethsemane means "Olive press." 05:19 Because the place was filled with Olive trees 05:24 there at the slope of the Mount of Olives. 05:26 That's why we called the Mount of Olives. 05:32 Those Olive trees that originally stood there 05:36 we know that few decades later 05:38 all those trees were cut by Romans. 05:40 In order to set to fire to destroy the city and the temple. 05:46 But out of the roots of those old trees new trees came out. 05:51 So we have somehow few gigantic Olive trees 05:56 that feature that place. 05:59 And some of those trees really 06:01 they can be traced back to that time, 06:03 even though we don't have originally trees, 06:06 but the trees that they came out, you know? 06:08 Specially that one, the gigantic tree 06:11 that is surrounded by that iron fence there, I had opportunity 06:17 to get a special permission with my wife 06:19 and to go there to touch the tree. 06:22 It was a special feeling 06:24 and Glenn, what we are talking is it really fill us with awe, 06:28 with a reverence because we are not now dealing 06:32 with every days activities and life of Jesus. 06:36 We're dealing with those last moments of Jesus life 06:40 when that destiny of entire human race 06:43 was there at a stake. 06:44 And I wanna emphasize what you said it was Jesus' 06:47 habit often to go there in prayer, yes. 06:50 He doesn't have a home address. 06:51 He doesn't have a quite place He can go to in prayer. 06:54 And the disciples usually had the routine 06:56 of perhaps praying with Him for a little while 06:59 and then they would fall asleep and He would continue. 07:01 So they're expecting another usual night. Right.. 07:05 Praying with Jesus for some-- a little while 07:07 and then they're asleep and He'll continue. 07:09 Jesus would pray the whole night they would be sleeping 07:11 the whole night and the morning they will join. 07:13 That this is what we expected. 07:15 That's our expectation. 07:16 But there was something else that happened 07:18 and I would like, Glenn, 07:19 to ask you if you would be willing to read 07:23 first from--sorry, its verse 36 to 46. 07:29 So we are in the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 26, 07:33 continuing the chain of events 07:37 after the Lord's Supper and verses 36 to 46. 07:43 Please, would you read it? 07:45 "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, 07:49 and He said to His disciples, 07:51 'Sit here, while I go yonder and pray.' 07:54 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, 07:57 He began to be sorrowful and troubled. 08:01 Then He said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, 08:04 even to death, remain here, and watch with Me.' 08:09 And going a little further he fell on his face and prayed, 08:13 'My Father, if it is possible, 08:15 let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, 08:19 not as I will, but as thou will.' 08:21 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. 08:24 And He said to Peter, 08:26 'So, could you not watch with me one hour? 08:29 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. 08:32 The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' 08:37 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, 08:39 'My Father, if this cannot pass unless 08:43 I drink it, thy will be done.' 08:46 And again He came and found them sleeping, 08:48 for their eyes were heavy. 08:50 So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed 08:53 for the third time, saying the same words. 08:58 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, 09:01 'Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? 09:04 Behold the hours at hand, and the Son of Man 09:07 is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 09:09 Rise, let us be going see, my betrayer is at hand.'" 09:14 What a scene? What a scene? 09:19 So what we have here it is Jesus came with His disciples 09:24 there in the Garden of Gethsemane. 09:26 As you mentioned they expect the just usual routine. 09:30 They would go there, find little comfortable place, 09:34 comfortable you know, to sleep there. 09:36 And they knew what the master was doing. 09:38 He would go, little bit, far away from them and to sleep. 09:42 But this time something is different. 09:44 What is different? 09:45 Jesus takes those three disciples. 09:49 In gospel of Matthew and other gospels 09:52 they were three very close to Jesus. 09:54 There is something very interesting. 09:57 When I was young pastor I was always taught. 10:00 Please, when you are there in the church 10:02 you cannot have close friends 10:04 you have to treat all people equal. 10:06 But somehow my response was always even 10:09 Jesus had the church. 10:11 Had the twevle disciples and so many others 10:13 but He needed three people. 10:14 You need somebody very close 10:18 that sometimes you can talk to, sometimes that you can pray 10:21 and actually this is what happened. 10:23 But there is one element 10:25 that I would like here to underline. 10:27 You see Matthew, provides the description 10:31 about what is going on. 10:32 When you see it there is something 10:35 always missing in this description 10:37 of Gethsemane, why? 10:38 Because Matthew was one of those, 10:41 how many, eight, without Judas, okay, 10:44 who were sleeping there. 10:46 But when we go to the Gospel of John, 10:48 John was one of those three. 10:50 John provides the firsthand description, 10:54 account what took place. 10:56 And also we have some information coming from Luke 11:00 and we know that Luke got the most of his information 11:03 from Paul and also from Peter. 11:05 So the firsthand experience 11:07 and we would really like few times to reflect 11:11 to those other accounts to see what was going on. 11:15 So, Glenn, Jesus was there and please 11:17 what now happened there. 11:19 Well, your point about going with these three, 11:22 who were His closest friend. 11:23 And I think, we see a time when Jesus needed their support. 11:29 And that tells us something about humanness of Jesus. 11:32 Sometimes we get the impression that this was just a script 11:36 that He was going through He wasn't really suffering. 11:39 That really the cross-- He couldn't have failed. 11:42 But we're entering into the hinge of history. 11:45 This is the most critical point in human history, 11:47 in these hours you're leading up to the cross. 11:49 But there is something very unusual and--the disciples 11:54 were very slow to understand. 11:56 For the first time, in accompany with them, 12:03 Jesus does not go faraway to pray. 12:05 He says to His disciples 12:08 please, would you somehow pray with me? 12:13 He's asking for their prayers as well. 12:18 He has said, "My soul is very sorrowful, 12:20 even to death remained and watch with me." 12:22 And Passover was a feast of watching. 12:25 It was all about watching. 12:27 They should have sensed the timing. 12:29 I believe the devil is working hard here. 12:32 And prior to death he was talking to them constantly, 12:35 "We are going to Jerusalem to die." 12:37 Then after last time, "the time, 12:39 the hour has come and let's go there." 12:41 They knew but still they did not understand. 12:44 And what a lesson that is to us because 12:46 there's times in our life 12:47 when we don't sense what time it is, 12:49 we don't know what tomorrow brings. 12:51 We don't know what's ahead and we need to spend 12:54 those times in prayer with God. 12:55 Jesus is trying to lead them they didn't recognize the time. 12:59 And so they missed this opportunity to strengthen 13:01 themselves and it would have been wonderful if they had. 13:04 How often we missed God's timing also. 13:08 And now there're here a few details 13:10 that we have to mention. 13:11 According to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 20 to 41, 13:14 it says, "That Jesus went far away 13:20 from them about a stones thrown." 13:23 How far is that, Glenn? 13:25 One hundred yards? Maybe. 13:28 This is very important element 13:29 that usually the readers of the Bible 13:32 they do not pay attention. 13:33 That's one detail, how far? 13:35 He was some distance from them. 13:38 Now we read, he said, verse 39, 13:42 "He went little beyond them fell on His face and He prayed, 13:47 'My father if it is possible let these cup pass 13:51 from me, yet not as I will but as you will.'" 13:55 And then we read it in Gospel of Matthew 13:57 we don't get the full picture. 13:59 But there're few texts, one text is the gospel of Luke. 14:03 The same Chapter 20 to 44 when we read, 14:08 that actually there was a sweat mixed with the blood 14:14 that was coming out of His skin. 14:16 That's one, but another element is, 14:19 Glenn, I would like to ask you if you can read 14:22 Hebrews Chapter 5, verse 7. 14:26 This is another text. We have two texts. 14:29 When we put those texts together 14:31 we can see the agony that Jesus suffer there 14:33 in the Garden of Gethsemane. 14:34 Hebrews Chapter five. Yeah, verse seven. 14:39 We're here in Hebrews, Chapter five, 14:40 but Ranko I think we'll take a break 14:42 we'll comeback to explore this text. 14:43 We will be right back after a break, stay tuned. |
Revised 2023-12-26