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I don't know about you, but I find autobiographies fascinating? I love a couple of books by Brother Andrew, who tells the amazing story of his life's calling smuggling Bibles into closed countries around the world. And on a more trivial level, football autobiographies. The Italian footballer Andrea Pirlo's I think, therefore I play. Philosophical. Zlatan Ibrahimović's I am Zlatan. Egotistical. Perhaps like the proposed title of my memoirs: The Elder I get, the better I become! It's the insight into people's lives, that almost private insight, that make these accounts so compelling. And the heart of our passage this evening is centred round a private moment between Jesus and his heavenly Father. It's private. It's incredibly moving. And, as we get ready for Easter, it shows us just what Jesus would go on to do for us. So that's where I want us to begin. But, before that, let's pray:

Lord, show us more this evening, of what Jesus chose to do for us. And it may it stir our hearts and our souls to come to, and to cling to him. In His name we pray. Amen.

1. Jesus willingly takes the wrath of God that we deserve (Luke 22.39-46)

Jesus knows now that his death is just round the corner and he pours out his heart in prayer (Luke 22.41-44):

And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

My wife Hayley saw someone sweat blood during her medical elective in Zambia. With no pain medication available she held the man's hand until the end because that's all she could do. It's an extremely rare condition brought about by unimaginable agony. And, yet here we have Jesus, who was calm during the storm, and who faced down demons, and he feels pain, beyond what most of us can even comprehend, just as he looks to the cross. Why? The key is that word cup. At first glance, perhaps, it's a bit cryptic, but it's clear that Jesus is using it to describe his death. And in the Old Testament, the image of the cup is used to symbolise the wrath (or the anger) of God. We saw that in our reading from Jeremiah 25. Let me read from verse 15 of that chapter (Jeremiah 25.15-16):

…Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.

Vivid, isn't it? It's an image of a perfectly holy and righteous, God pouring out his judgement and punishment, on unrepentant sinners and saying to them, "you must drink this!" That Jeremiah reading helps us imagine what it would taste like. What do you think? Bitter like poison? Hot like fire? Each sip like hell? But, is this really what we deserve? Well, imagine that the DVD I have here was a film recording of everything you’ve ever said, done, and thought – towards God, towards other people, everything… And imagine I marched down to the tech desk and handed it over to Saz. And she put it in and pressed play. And I’ve counted 19 screens in here so everyone would get a really good view. Oh, and it’d be uploaded to Clayton TV later on. And Youtube for the next 10,000 years. Oh, and did I mention, it’s streamed live for all the world to see?

Now, I've no doubt that for all of us there'd be a lot of good in there of course, but we have to ask ourselves how much of it would we really be able to stomach? How long could you watch it for? How many people would you be able to look in the eye afterwards? And, what would it reveal about what you think about God? What would he make of it? I’ve never met anyone who can honestly say their DVD would make happy watching. God is watching our lives. He sees the good. But in all of us, he sees plenty that’s offensive to him – a God who’s made us, and loves us. And the symptoms of our condition are all the wrong we've thought, said and done, but the disease is the fact that deep down we've told God to shove off, and said, "I'll rule my life, my way". That's what sin is. And that rejection of God makes him angry.

His anger is not a burst of rage that makes you react, or shout, or slap someone at the Oscars. It's a measured anger. One that fits the crime.
It is: A cup of wrath, poured out for us, and Jesus knows he has to drink the cup we deserve. He longs for any other way. He longs for the terrible cup to be taken away from him. But a just God can't just sweep rejection of him under the carpet. Someone has to pay the price. So, Jesus says (Luke 22.42):

not my will, but yours, be done.

And he submits to his Father's plan and, he chooses, willingly, to drink the bitter cup. Make no mistake – Jesus is under no illusions. The physical agony of a Roman crucifixion, but more than that, the terrible weight of carrying the punishment of your sin, and my sin, on himself.

I was chatting to someone recently, and he said two things had stopped him becoming a Christian; firstly, he thought God was a remote and disinterested God. Secondly, he thought that, even if there was a God who cared about him, how could God really accept him? He said he'd never felt like he was anywhere near good enough for God, but then he discovered the Jesus we have before us here and he realised that God does care. God sent his son into our world for us, and he realised that Jesus has done something about sin; he's taken it on himself, once and for all. We can't make ourselves ‘good enough’ but Jesus can because he chose to take all our sin on himself, because we deserve to be separated from God, we deserve God's judgement, we deserve his punishment, we deserve to drink the cup of his wrath. But Jesus looks at it all, and he says, "I will drink it, so they don't have to. I will take it, so they can go free". This is who Jesus is. This is what he did for us.

What do you make of this Jesus? The Jesus who chose to do something about your sin. The Jesus who knew the agony that was before him. Yet still chose to submit himself to God’s will, and give up his life for you. Will you follow him? Will you trust in Jesus who willingly chose to die for you?

Several years ago, I remember speaking as a Christian to another Christian, and I said to him, "I'm so frustrated with my sin. I'm so angry with myself". And he said, "you don't need to be angry with yourself". He said, "you actually need to repent of being angry with yourself". So I said, "what do you mean?" And he said, "God was angry at Jesus for your sin. So, he isn't angry at you anymore. So, what makes you think it's your place to be angry at yourself? Hold your head up high, be thankful and rejoice – you're forgiven. And keep going in following Jesus". Right regret at sin is appropriate. Sin will always displease a holy God, but friends, when we trust in Jesus we don't need to feel sorry enough, for long enough. We don’t need to punish ourselves. We don’t need to be angry at ourselves because God is no longer angry at us.

This Easter time, as we look to the events we celebrate next week, we remember Jesus Christ who looked at the sin of my life, and your life, and willingly drank every last drop of the punishment it deserved. So, we can hold our heads up high. We can be thankful and rejoice because we're forgiven. Whatever kind of a week you've had, however you've stuffed it up, you can never be too bad. There is hope in your failures. You're completely forgiven today, and every day. So, the way in is the way on; keep going in following Jesus. That won't always be easy, and that's why Jesus gives his disciples some advice (Luke 22.45-46):

And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

It's hard to know how much the disciples understand of what's going on here. It's clear they don’t have the full picture. Jesus finds them sleeping for sorrow, so in one way or another, the unfolding events are already too much for them, and they can't stay awake. And Jesus makes a spiritual metaphor out of their sleepiness. Sleeping is no good. They need to be alert, and they are to pray that they may not enter into temptation. In fact, Jesus commands that twice in this passage so it must be important, and we can’t overlook it.

I think Jesus is looking beyond what he'll do on the cross. He knows that he'll suffer on the cross, and he knows that his followers will go on to suffer for following him. And you just need to read the rest of the New Testament to see how that was true for Christians then, but it’s also to be expected for us as Christians today, because people reject Jesus and in turn they reject those who follow him, because it reminds them of the God they refuse to accept. And this is increasingly true in a world where, as one author recently put it, being a Christian is:

no longer an option, it's a problem.[Being the Bad Guys: How to Live for Jesus in a World That Says You Shouldn't, Stephen McAlpine]

So, I can think of someone who's taken a stand Christianly at work – only to find a disciplinary email come through. I can think of some of us who have received relentless stick from friends for following Jesus, and one of us who lost all their friends entirely. I can think of one student from a while back who became a Christian. His parents' reaction? To throw his Bible in the bin. He bought another one, but that's not really the point, is it? A friend of mine once found himself in a situation at work where he knew he had to take a stand, and he said it took everything within him to do it. He said the temptation to back down, to say nothing, to deny Jesus and what it is to live for him, was immense. It took all that he had to stand firm against the pressure. That's a reminder isn't it, that it can be easy to think you're standing firm but the real test is when temptation comes. Then it's a different challenge entirely and one that Jesus says we needed to be prepared for.

To me, this is a reminder that every day comes with opportunities, but also perhaps, with temptations to give up, to compromise, to stay quiet, to run away in the midst of pressure. And we cannot face this on our own with much hope of success but Jesus tells us we don't have to because, we have the privilege of prayer. So, we can ask him for help when temptations come, and we can have confidence, as the author to the Hebrews puts it, that we will (Hebrews 4.16) receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need from Jesus who faced the most immense temptation ever and yet stood firm. And despite incredible pressure, remained completely in control. And that's what our second point is all about. So, secondly (and much more briefly):

2. The world rejects Jesus – but he remains in control (Luke 22.47-53)

The pace of the drama picks up here. We've got three scenes, in one act. First of all – Judas. Reading from Luke 22.47-48:

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, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

A kiss was a common greeting in those days. A kiss signified affection and respect. But Jesus is quick to point out the hypocrisy. You can imagine the crafty conversation between Judas and the Jewish leaders, "I'll greet him with a kiss – then you'll know who he is". But Jesus knew what was coming. He calls it just as it is; not an act of respect, or devotion, or love but one of betrayal. Second scene – the disciples. They quickly realise what's going on. (Luke 22.49-51):

And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.

Surprise, surprise! The disciples, led by Peter, have the wrong idea about Jesus. They try to be heroes but if anything, it probably only played into the hands of the leaders – a charge of violence and insurrection might now be given to Jesus and his followers. But this is not the path Jesus has chosen. He will go to the cross. But he will go willingly. He won't resist. So, he shouts no more of this! And the action freezes and he reaches out, and heals the servant's ear. They've come to arrest him just for being who he is, and yet Jesus shows them again who he really is. They've come to kill Jesus and yet they find a Jesus who acts with compassion, with undeserved grace.

Scene three – the Jewish leaders (Luke 22.52-53):

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? 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.”

Yet again, Jesus cuts to the heart of the situation. The leaders could have arrested him at any time but Jesus had a following; they feared how the people would react. So they came at night, and in secret, with swords and clubs to arrest an innocent man. But little did they know (Luke 22.53) that it was their hour, and the power of darkness was at play. They thought they were clever and cunning. They finally had a fool proof plan, a way of grabbing Jesus without the crowds being around. But really, they weren't in control, they were slaves; slaves to the devil and his schemes. And really, it was their hour because God decided it was their hour. And all that was taking place was allowed to happen, because Jesus let it happen. And, put together, that's the big lesson of Luke 22.47-53. It looks as if everything is working against Jesus, doesn't it? He's betrayed by one of his closest followers. His sleepy disciples seem to have entirely the wrong idea about him. And he's arrested, by the very leaders who should be pointed people to him. But, can you see, Jesus cuts through the nonsense at every stage? He knows what he's doing. He remains in control. Things go so quickly; the situation has spiralled out of control, but Jesus sees everything that's happening to him so clearly.

I heard about a church sermon once where the minister said, "the cross was God's 'Plan B' after things had gone wrong with the world". And someone shuffled up at the end and said, "but doesn't it say in the Bible that Jesus dying on the cross was God's plan for salvation from the beginning of time?" Answer? Yes, it does. What we're reading about here isn't a ‘Plan B’. It isn’t a tragic accident. Jesus went to the cross with his eyes wide open. He went to it willingly. He went to it totally in control. And that means everything for us because it means he chose to go the cross for us, and he chose to stay on the cross for us. He chose to endure the wrath of God, and he did it for sinful, undeserving, people like you and me; that we might be free, and enjoy new life in him; so, we can know God today. You can know God today with the assurance that Jesus took all the initiative needed in order to save you. And I don't know about you, but I think that's the mark of a saviour worth following? Let’s pray:

Father, we do thank you, that your precious son Jesus looked at the horror of the cross, and still said, "yes I will". Thank you that he took the wrath that we deserve. Some of this evening may not understand this. Some of us may not accept it. Some of us may understand and accept, but we need to rejoice, be thankful, and keep going in living the Christian life. Lord, you know us. You know what we need. So, I simply pray, that you would do your good work in us, for your glory. Amen.