Even the dogs (Mark 7:24-30)

And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.

Mark 7:24

• Jesus is on holiday. That’s the reason he is Tyre and Sidon. That’s the reason he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s in Tyre and Sidon. Jesus is on a holiday.
• In the build-up to this passage, Jesus has been hounded by the masses: The five thousand people in Chapter 6, the Pharisees in Chapter 7. It’s not that Jesus doesn’t have time for people. If you remember, he feeds the five thousand. He heals the sick. The bible tells us: “He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34)
• But in spite of this, Jesus isn’t looking for attention. It is strangely comforting to see Jesus worn out by his popularity. Again and again, he slips away from the crowds - either to pray or to be with his friends (Mark 6:31,46). Even Jesus needs a break from ministry. Even Jesus needs time to be with God.
• So here, in verse 24, Jesus crosses the border to the region of Tyre and Sidon. This was Gentile territory. Here, there would be no followers. No Pharisees.
• But it didn’t work.

But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.

Mark 7:25

• This woman doesn’t care that Jesus is on holiday. She is a mom - and moms care about one thing: Their kids.
• Verse 25 tells us that this woman’s daughter has an unclean spirit. Now I know we want to say that this little girl is “very ill”, but the truth is we don’t know what her illness is. Is she suffering? Is she dying? We don’t know. Instead what we do know is that this illness was caused by Satan. Four times, the passage tell us that a demon - or an unclean spirit - is behind the attack.
• “And she begged him to to cast the demon out of her daughter.” (Mark 7:26) This woman is on her knees begging Jesus, “Please… I love my daughter. You must help her.”  

• Some of us look at that and think, “I would never do that!” And maybe you wouldn’t. But do you know who would? Your mom, who loves you, who would do anything for you. She would do this.
• This woman falls at Jesus’ feet. She doesn’t care about embarrassing herself or being an inconvenience to Jesus. She loves her daughter and she would do anything for her daughter.
• The first thing we see is that she’s a mom. But the bible tells us another important thing about this woman and that’s verse 26.

Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth.

Mark 7:26

• The point of this verse is to say: This woman has no connection to Jesus. She was born in a different country. She comes from a different culture.
• And most importantly, she worships a different god. This woman has never stepped into a church building her entire life. Yet here she is kneeling before Jesus and calling him Lord.
• What’s going on? Maybe she is desperate. “Who cares if Jesus is God? If he can help me, I’ll go to church. If he blesses me, I’ll worship him.” Many people think that way when they come to Jesus Christ. They want him to do something for them.
• But as we will see from this passage, that is not the case with this woman. Even though she has nothing in common with Jesus - even though she desperately needs something from Jesus - she puts him above her needs. She humbles herself and calls him Lord.
• What Jesus does next is test this woman’s faith. In effect, he says to her, “Do you understand what you are asking me to do for you?”
• Look at verse 27.

And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

Mark 7:27

• Why does Jesus say this? He is testing her. He says to the woman, “What you are asking me to do… is not OK.” “It is not right,” Jesus says, “to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” “You are asking me to give you something that does not belong to you.”
• That sounds harsh, doesn’t it? How can Jesus speak to her like that? It’s bad enough that Jesus says, “This blessing does not belong to you,” but why does he have to talk about throwing food to dogs? That sounds disrespectful, doesn’t it?
• How many of you, if Jesus said that to you, would get angry? Imagine that you are praying to God and a voice from heaven answers: “It is not right to take something that belongs in my family and give it to you, a stranger.” Would you walk out the door? “I’ll never worship you again.” If God said those words to you, would you get angry? I think I would.
• But that is what makes this woman so unique. She doesn’t get upset. She keeps trusting Jesus to help her. In fact, what she says is, “You’re absolutely right!”

But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Mark 7:28

• She says to Jesus, “I’m not asking for the full meal. I’m just want the leftovers.”
• “Even the dogs ...eat the children’s crumbs.” “I’m don’t need a chair to sit on. I’m here for a crumb under the table.” In Chinese, we would say “Tah Pau.” “Jesus, all I want is a crumb.”
• It is possible to read this as a cheeky response. She twists Jesus’ words into her favour. “Think of me as the family pet! The kids love sneaking a few chicken nuggets to Shelby when mum and dad aren’t looking.”
• I don’t think so. She isn’t being cheeky or funny, though, she is being bold in bargaining with the Lord. No, she is admitting to Jesus, “I do not deserve a place at the table, I know that. But I also know that you are gracious and merciful Lord. With all the blessings that you pour out on your people, there will be leftovers. I just want a crumb.”
  
• Because of her response, Jesus heals her daughter. “You may go… the demon has left your daughter.” (Mark 7:29) By the way, this is the most powerful healing miracle Jesus does in the whole gospel. Everywhere else, Jesus says a prayer, he puts his finger into the deaf man’s ears; he either says something or does something to perform the miracle. Except here. It just happens.
• Meaning: It was a crumb. This powerful miraculous act of removing an unclean spirit was no big deal for Jesus. “You may go.” Could Jesus heal her? Of course he could. So why didn’t he? Why talk about dogs and food at the family table?
• Because he wants to do more for this woman. He wants her to have a relationship. He wants her to be in the family.
  
• Five hundred years ago, a man named Thomas Cranmer wrote a prayer. It goes like this:

We do not presume to come to this your Table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your Table. But you are the same Lord, whose nature is always to have mercy.

• It is a prayer that puts us in the woman’s shoes. “We are not worthy even of the crumbs.” Christians pray say this to God. “We know we don’t deserve your love. We know we don’t deserve the crumbs.”
• But we also say, “Lord, please give us the bread.”

Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat this bread and drink this cup, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

• “Grant us… gracious Lord, … to eat this bread.” It’s not talking about food. Jesus is the bread. Jesus is giving us himself.
• Do you see why Jesus says, “It is not right to give the bread” He is saying to the woman, “Do you understand what it takes for me to answer your prayer? I will be kicked out so that you can be taken in.”
• That is what happens on the cross. He dies in our place, he suffers our punishment so that we can receive his sonship. So that we can be in God’s family.
  
• Have you met this Jesus? Who offers us more than crumbs; who offers us more than bread - who offers us his life to save us from death?
• If so, accepting the offer means eating the bread. It means humbling ourselves and saying to God, “Thank you for Jesus’ death on the cross. Thank you for making your son/your daughter through his sacrifice.”

Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat this bread and drink this cup, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.

Amen.

Two ways to die (Phil 1:12-26)

Paul is crazy

Paul is crazy. This guy is either out of his mind or he is fooling himself into thinking that it’s better to die - and be with Christ, so he says - than to be freed from prison. People are making fun of him - no surprise why. And what is his reaction?

“I don’t care.”

Who are you kidding, Paul? Do you seriously expect us to believe it doesn’t bother you that pastors are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ with selfish ambition in their hearts?

Seriously?

Friends, I don’t mean to be disrespectful. But I want to be honest about our reaction to Paul. I know we’ve all heard that sermon by John Piper; the one where he says, “To die is… gain!” All of us went, “Yes!” … in the comfort of our living rooms in front of our laptop screens.

A friend of mine has months to live. With each day he gets weaker. With each day the pain gets worse. Let me tell you: Death is grim, not gain. And, let’s be honest: We don’t know what it’s like to be in prison. We don’t know what it means to face death.

But here’s the thing. Paul wants us to know. He says, in verse 12:

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

Philippians 1:12

Because of my chains

He says, “It’s become clear - it’s become obvious - that I am in chains for Christ.” Because of these chains, non-Christians are paying attention to this gospel. Because of these chains, Christians are opening their mouths to speak this gospel.

Paul wants us to know: that God uses chains - God uses suffering - to advance the gospel. But verse 15 tells us: Not everyone sees it this way.

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry... (verse 17) They preach Christ out of selfish ambition, supposing they can stir up trouble for me (Literally, it says, ‘Supposing they can add to my chains’).

Philippians 1:15-17

Do you know why Paul is in prison when he wrote this letter? Acts 26, verse 32; King Agrippa says, “This man could have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar.” Meaning: If he’d kept his big mouth shut he wouldn’t be in situation. It’s his own fault!

What started out as a small incident in Jerusalem was now a big court case in Rome, it was threatening to affect the rest of us law-abiding, peace-loving Christians. “Thank you, Mr Apostle. Thanks, for nothing.” That’s what these guys were saying.

What Paul is saying is:, “Thank God. Thank God that you are finally talking about Jesus with your friends.” Verse 18:  “...whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

It doesn’t mean Paul wasn’t hurt by their comments. It means he sees the big picture. God uses suffering. God uses chains. God uses critical Christians to advance the gospel.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice

Verse 19:

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Philippians 1:19

Is he saying, “Thank you for praying. I think I’ve got a good chance of getting out”? Is that what he’s saying? No, it’s actually the opposite. It’s a quote from Job 13, “Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him… Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance.” Even if this court condemns me to death, I will appear before a heavenly court, before a heavenly Judge. And He will vindicate me to life.

Verse 20:

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage (meaning: This is not easy) so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:20-21

I assume you’ve heard of something called Two Ways To Live; A way of telling people the gospel: You live God’s way or you live your own way. There are Two Ways To Live.

Today I am going to tell you Two Ways To Die. Brand new. You heard it first here at TEAM. Two Ways To Die. Get Rico Tice on the phone.

Two ways to Die

Two Ways to Die. It goes like this: It’s the day you die.

You are surrounded by people you love. You’ve lived a good life. You’ve been faithful, loving. You are a sinner. But you trust in Christ’s righteousness, not your own. And on this last day you say goodbye. You close your eyes and wake up to see Jesus embracing you into his kingdom. That’s a good way to die.

But there is another way. You die in prison. You die in agony and worse of all, you die alone. You know there are those who love you with a fierce love. But you also know there are those who hate your guts.

And your concern is for those you are leaving behind. If you had one more day, you would write one more email, one more text. You would say, “Hang on to Jesus. Keep on trusting in Jesus.”

But day has come when the silver cord is cut. You wake up and see Jesus. And something inside you says, “Gain.”

Gain.

Now, both ways are good - good ways to die - if you’re a Christian. (If you’re not a Christian, we need to talk after this.) But Paul wants us to know that this second way is not a bad way to go. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be ashamed of this second way. God has given us a Saviour worth living and dying for.

What are you going to do after TEAM? Here we are learning to preach the gospel. What are you going to do with this knowledge? Join another course? What is the most risky - I’m not saying, foolish - but what’s the most risky thing you could do with your life - if you weren’t worried about comfort or approval or death? Where could you go? What could you do?

Paul says: It is my eager expectation and hope that I will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body. Whether by life or by death.

Killing Jesus (Mark 14:1-11)

Killing Jesus was going to be difficult. Not only was he popular with the crowds but the Passover was just two days away. Meaning: Over 150 thousand people would gather in Jerusalem for the bank holiday weekend. Hence, verse 1:  “The chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.”

“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” The plan was to wait for the right time to kill Jesus.

Mark Chapter 14 is one of the darkest chapters in the bible. There is the betrayal of a friend; the abuse of power; the murder of the Son of God. Yet what we see at the heart of today’s passage is love. What we see shining through that darkness is the gospel.

While he (meaning, Jesus) was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.

Mark 14:3

The point of the alabaster jar is to say: Even the container was rare and expensive. What this woman did was break open the container in order to pour out its precious contents - an expensive perfume - on Jesus’ head. John’s gospel tells us that the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:3). Everyone could see, or at least, smell, what she had just done.

But their reaction was less than positive.

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.”

Mark 14:4-5

These guys knew exactly how much that jar cost. “More than three hundred denarii,” according to the footnotes in the NIV. These are the kind of guys who, unfortunately, make great church accountants. They are good with money. They are great at balancing the books. And not one of them could in good conscience approve of this woman’s foolish extravagance. “What a waste,” they said. “That money should have gone to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly, verse 5 says. 

“Silly girl.” 

Three hundred denarii in today’s money is twenty thousand pounds. You could run TEAM for two years with twenty thousand pounds. In some countries, you could send the pastor to seminary - build a new church building, even - for twenty thousand pounds.

What you would not do with twenty thousand pounds is spend it on one bottle of Chanel Number 5  only to pour it out on your pastor’s head while he’s having lunch at McDonald’s. But that’s what this woman did. Not just a few drops, mind you. She poured everything out on Jesus’ head.

According to Jesus, this woman did something beautiful.

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.”

Mark 14:6-7

Jesus is defending the woman. “Why are you bothering her?” We get that. Jesus is speaking up against the bullies in her defence. What we struggle to understand is the basis of that defence. He says, “The poor you’ll always have with you but you won’t always have me.” Is Jesus seriously saying he is more important than helping the poor?

What he is doing is quoting from the Old Testament. Deuteronomy Chapter 15 reads, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, be open-handed.” God is commanding Israel to be open-handed. To be generous with the poor.

The interesting thing is how that same passage begins with these words: “There should be no poor among you... in the land. He will richly bless you.” (Deuteronomy 15:4) Now, hold on. God says, “There should be no poor people in the land,” only to say, “There will always be poor people in the land”!

The problem is not the land. It’s not because the economy is in recession or that there’s been a famine. For Israel, poverty had nothing to with the land. It had everything to do with the heart. It’s not enough to have enough. God’s knows our hearts. It was not enough for God to simply bless Israel. He has to command Israel to be generous with their wealth; to be loving with their wealth.

So when Jesus quotes this verse from Deuteronomy, he’s not saying, “You shouldn’t help the poor.” He is saying, “You haven’t been helping the poor.” 

Verse 7: “You can help them any time you want.” “But that’s the problem. You don’t want to.” Jesus is speaking at the level of our desires. We think: If only I were Bill Gates, I’d give millions to the poor. “You are kidding yourselves,” Jesus is saying.

What we lack is motivation, not money. This woman was reckless in doing what she did. She held nothing back. If we’re honest, that scares us. We give out of excess; out of what we can afford; out of the leftovers. This woman poured out everything she had.

She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my funeral. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.

Mark 14:8-9

Now what Jesus says here has special significance for us here at TEAM learning to preach the gospel. Do you realise what Jesus is doing? He is giving us a sermon illustration. “Wherever the gospel is preached, what she has done will also be told.”

It’s important to see that this isn’t an illustration on giving - though there are applications for that. It’s an illustration for the gospel. Jesus says in verse 8, “She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.” He knows what the religious leaders are planning. He knows what Judas will do. And he talks about his body being “prepared for burial”. The cross is not a surprise; it’s a certainty. And he is saying to us, “Do you realise what this woman has done? Do you see what makes her offering so precious? She has made my death look good.” 

Friends, when we preach the gospel, that’s what we are called to do: We are to make his death look good. Paul calls this the fragrance - or the aroma - of Christ (in 2 Corinthians Chapter 2). To some, the gospel smells like death. To others, it will smell like life. But the point is, preaching the gospel means pointing people to the cross. The gospel is good news that emanates from Jesus’ death.

Again, this means that some people are going to be put off by the gospel. It’s a stench! But to others, it’s a fragrance. And this fragrance is precisely what is going to draw them to Jesus. It’s his sacrifice. His beauty.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Mark 14:10-11

It turns out that killing Jesus wasn’t that difficult after all. The religious leaders were so worried about Jesus’ popularity but here comes Judas, one of the inner circle, offering to betray Jesus into their hands. They were worried about the Passover. “Wait,” they said. But Mark 14 ends with Jesus arrested that very night of the Passover. 

Everything was going according to plan.

What happened? The cross was never a surprise for Jesus, but a certainty. Jesus Christ had to be betrayed. Jesus Christ had to die. And all this was God’s plan to save the world through the death of his Son.

2 Corinthians 8, verse 9 says:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus Christ became poor so that we might become rich. It’s not talking about wealth but something more important than wealth. It’s salvation. Isn’t that interesting? Jesus Christ was the ultimate poor man - that’s what it’s saying.

If you remember, Jesus himself used this illustration when he said, “The poor you will always have with you… but you won’t always have me.” To our ears, that sounded so offensive! Because Jesus seems to be implying that helping the poor is not as important as helping him. But you see, here is the ultimate poor man - Jesus Christ - come to help us. The only way that Jesus Christ could save us from our sins was not by coming into this world in power, prestige and splendour; no, but by coming as a slave. He came to serve us. He came as a lamb to the slaughter. He submitted himself unto death.

The religious accountants couldn’t understand this that but this woman did. I don’t know how, but she did. She poured out her life savings on Jesus - 300 denarii; 20K - and Jesus said, “She did a beautiful thing,” yes. But what else did Jesus say in verse 8? “She did what she could.” Meaning: If she had more, she would give more. This woman knew that no amount of money compared to having Jesus.

I want you to understand that coming to Jesus means more than giving him your money. You and offering him your life. You are saying to him, “Jesus, my PhD is nothing compared to you.” “Jesus my career is nothing compared to you.” 

Because it is through his poverty that God makes us rich. It is through his death that we receive eternal life.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42)

I am coming home

Life was hard for 30-year old Wang Yongqiang. His mother committed suicide after a painful struggle with illness. His father suffers from a back injury preventing him from walking properly. Last year, Wang left his village in Hebei, China to work as a construction worker in Singapore. The money he gets helps to pay for his father’s medical bills and his daughter’s school fees.

But now that the one-year contract was over, Wang was finally coming home. He called his wife and asked her what she wanted from Singapore. “Anything,” she said. Wang surprised her by buying a ring for 1,800 yuan - a month’s paycheck in their village.

Wang knew his wife had lost her wedding ring while he was away. “If you didn’t lose it,” he said, “how can I buy something else for you?” He was so excited about the ring that he sent a photo to her mobile phone: The ring was gold with a decorative flower in a red box. Very Asian.

One week later, Wang took a five-hour bus-ride from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Before midnight on March 8th, 2014, Wang Yongqiang boarded Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Today marks day thirty-six since the plane went missing.

His last words were, “Tell all our relatives I am coming home.”

Prayer is hard

When you are faced with a sudden tragedy and dealing with tremendous loss, the hardest thing you can do is pray. And yet, the most honest thing you can do is pray.

Prayer is hard when you’re hurt. When you’re angry and you’re frustrated, prayer is just hard. At the same time, prayer is honest. Everything inside you says, “Help me, please. Help me.”

In our passage today, Jesus prays this kind of prayer. In verse 34, Jesus says, “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death.” He falls to the ground and he prays.

I want us to see three things in today’s passage. I want us to see (1) Jesus praying with fear; (2) Jesus praying with friends; and (3) Jesus praying with faith.

Praying with fear

We begin with verse 32.

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

Mark 14:32-34

Jesus prays with fear in his heart. But how can Jesus be afraid of anything? He has faced demons. He has faced the devil. In a few moments, he knows he is going to face Judas and says, “Let’s go and meet my betrayer!” Jesus is fearless throughout Mark’s gospel.

But not here. Jesus is a broken man. Here, in a garden called Gethsemane, moments away from the cross, Jesus does not want to die. Let me say that again: Jesus does not want to die. And Jesus prays that he will not have to die.

Look at verse 35:

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Mark 14:35-36

Essentially, Jesus is saying: Is there is any other way? Is there any other way for God to save without him being sacrificed. Any other way for us to be forgiven and for him not to be forsaken. Jesus is praying with fear.

The movie, “The Passion of the Christ,” released ten years ago, opens with this scene of Jesus praying in Gethsemane. If you watched it, you will remember how violent was the portrayal of Jesus’ torture leading up to the cross. The flesh being ripped from his back. The blood staining his entire body. The nails driven into his hands. The movie displayed how painful and how horrific it was for Jesus to go to the cross.

But the movie begins here - in the garden - because Jesus’ prayer here tells us why he died. Not just how he died but why he died. Not just how painful but how fearful it was. The cross was God’s will to condemn his son.

“Abba, Father,” Jesus says.

Doesn’t Jesus teach us to call God, “Our Father”? “Which of you,” Jesus says, “if his son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.” (Matthew 7:9-11)

Yet here, we find Jesus asking but not receiving. “Take this cup from me,” Jesus asks. “Let this hour pass from me,” he begs. “I do not want to die.”

The answer was no.

The cup which Jesus asks to be taken away is a picture of God's judgement over sin. The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah described it as the cup of God's anger - all of his punishment for all of sin condensed into a single drink. It is interesting that a few verses earlier, Jesus gave thanks for the cup, shared the cup with his friends, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant poured out for many." Christians celebrate this in communion today.

Jesus understood that his death would mean our forgiveness. But Jesus also understood that his death would mean taking our judgement. On the cross, Jesus would be separated from his Father, crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" That's the bible's definition of death: To be forsaken - abandoned - by God. Knowing that, Jesus prayed that if possible, the cup would be taken away. He prayed that if possible, he wouldn't have to die.

Friends, when you find it hard to pray because prayer is just too difficult - just too painful - you are in good company. Jesus prayed with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart. But still, he prayed.

To pray is to ask God. I know a lot of people say, “Praying is just like talking to God.” That is not true. To pray is to ask God. And even though we might ask for wrong things with wrong motives - even though that’s true and the bible does warn us about that - the real problem is: many of us don’t ask. We do not pray.

Prayer is hard but prayer is also honest. “Please heal me. I do not want to die.” In a few moments, we will see what it means to pray with friends; which is what we usually do here in the Chinese Church. There is a crisis; we organise a prayer meeting; get all our friends together; and someone stands up to pray for our comfort, another one stands up to pray for our healing. But I am talking about how you deal with your pain when no one else is in the room. And I’m telling you: You can pray. Your sorrow and your pain should lead to pray not away from it. It should bring you to your knees.

Because Jesus prayed knowing the answer to his prayer was not the one he was looking for. Because Jesus prayed when no-one else was praying for him.

Praying with friends

Verse 37:

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Mark 14:37-38

Three years ago, I was preached on this passage and after the sermon someone came up to me to apologise. He said, “Do you the part where you said, ‘Are you asleep?’ Well, I was asleep. During your sermon.”

It is possible to read this verse and think Jesus wanted them to feel bad. They were supposed to pray but they fell asleep - three times! But Jesus doesn’t say that. “Watch and pray for my sake.” No, Jesus says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Jesus was worried about them.

They thought Jesus was being paranoid. In verse 27, when Jesus says, “You will all fall away,” Peter replies, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” Big words. “You can count on me, Jesus. I’ll be there.” That’s why Jesus says to him, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?”

The reason we don’t pray is the reason we do not listen. It’s pride. It’s not that you’re busy or lazy or you don’t know how. It’s because you’re proud. “I can deal with that problem myself.” Even when God says, “No, you can’t,” you think, “He’s talking about someone else because I’m OK.”

Get this: Jesus is not asking them to pray for him. He is saying: they need to pray for themselves. At the end of Rock bible study when we go round and share our prayer requests, and you say, “Don’t trouble yourself.” You think you’re being humble. You’re being stupid.

Verse 39:

Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

Mark 14:39-40

Meaning: They had no excuse. They had a big dinner. It was late. You know how it is. Jesus caught them sleeping and they were embarrassed, that’s all.

But I think the reason why Mark tells us, “They did not know what to say,” is: they knew they messed up. Even if they didn’t understand what was going on, “The Son of Man will be betrayed” - “What did he mean by that?”; even if it had been a long day; even if they thought Jesus was crazy; they could see him falling to the ground; hear him calling out, “Father! Father!” If your friend comes to you and says, “This is killing me,” and you ignore him? You are a lousy friend.

But the amazing thing is, Jesus loves his lousy friends.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus says, “I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32)

Three times, they fall asleep. Three times, Simon denies Jesus. Three times, Jesus prays and reminds them to pray. It’s not a coincidence. Jesus is faithful even when we’re faithless.

I know that the easiest way to embarrass a roomful of Christians is to ask them, “How is your prayer life?” Many of us practice “horizontal” prayer times - those last five seconds in bed before you fall asleep. But I also know, Jesus is not guilting his friends into doing quiet time. He is worried for them. He is saying, “You don’t pray - you’re not prepared. Not for temptation. Not for suffering. If you don’t pray, you are standing on shaky ground.”

1 John 2:1 says that when we sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. Do you know what an advocate means? When you mess up big time, Jesus is praying for your forgiveness. He is saying to God, “Father, forgive them.” Even when we’re faithless, he is faithful.

I met a friend recently and asked him, “What’s new?” He said, “I have six months to live.” How do you respond to something like that? For what it’s worth, I said,  “Thank you for being honest with me. I am so sorry to hear that.” We talked about God. We talked about what the next six months would be like. But really, all he wanted to talk about was his family: how his mum took the news; how his kids would deal with the funeral.

Jesus is hours away from the cross and he is concerned for his friends. He prays for them, he prays with them; he reminds them to pray.

Praying with faith

Verse 41:

Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Mark 14:41-42

Jesus is betrayed, arrested and condemned. Good Friday - which is this Friday - reminds us that all this happened. So, the question is: How could Jesus have prayed with faith if God did not save him from death?

The bible tells us - this is Hebrews Chapter 5, verse 7 - “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”

God heard his prayer and God answered his prayer. How can that be? He asked not to die but he died. He asked not to suffer but he was crucified. How could God have heard his prayer?

Because Jesus asked for God’s will to be done. And on the cross, God’s will was done.

What does it mean to pray with faith? Health and wealth and blessing? I was once in a church where the pastor prayed for a Mercedes Benz. “I have faith that God will give me that car.” Nonsense. If you understand Gethsemane, praying with faith means saying, “Not my will but yours.” It means trusting in God and entrusting yourself to God. It is seeking after God’s glory and not your glory.

Friends, prayer is not some kind of technique to get God to do what you want: Say the right words, use the right technique, God will bless you. Prayer is a reflection of your relationship with God. What we see in Jesus’ prayer is how much he loved his Father. What we see in Jesus’ prayer is how much he submitted himself to his Father. Prayer is a reflection of your relationship with God. What would your prayer life say about your relationship with God? Jesus’ prayer showed how much he loved his Father.

But if you are not a Christian here today, I want you to see how much God loves you. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.” God loved you so much he gave his only Son.

If there was any other way, would God have sacrificed his Son? If you could be saved another way - by following Mohammed, by following Buddha - would God have sent Jesus to the cross? When Christians say Jesus is the only way, the only truth, the only life - people think that’s arrogant. But if you understand Jesus’ prayer, that is the most loving thing God could ever do for you. Because the only way God could forgive your sin was by sending his Son to die for your sin.

Jesus prayed with fear - because death is fearful. Jesus prayed with friends - not because he needed their prayers but because they needed his. Jesus prayed with faith - asking that God’s will be done, through the cross, through his death and through his resurrection - so that God would be glorified and that we could be justified.

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:32

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for giving us your Son,

The Lord Jesus Christ.

As a sacrifice for our sin.

For the sake of your Son,

forgive us and change us.

And by your Holy Spirit,

enable us to live a life pleasing to you.

Not my will but yours be done.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.