I want to talk about something that was not in the readings tonight, but something that occurred after Jesus celebrated his last meal with the disciples. That is, his time in the Garden of Gethsemane. Now, that garden still exists in Jerusalem. I’ve been there quite a few times.
The Garden of Gethsemane is quite beautiful. It’s not huge, about 13,000 square feet. There are eight olive trees in the garden that are really old, about 2000 or 3000 years old. Tradition holds these trees that Jesus looked at, but even if they weren’t around during the time of Jesus, they were grown from the seeds of trees that existed at the time of Jesus.
Well, in all of scripture, one of the most surprising aspects of Jesus is his prayer in this garden.
On Palm Sunday, we heard him pray, “Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” (Mark 14:36). It’s often startling for some who assume that Jesus unthinkingly, or unfeelingly, followed the will of the Father. Yes, Jesus was united with the Father, but here he asks if what seems to be his fate can be avoided. In other words, he is honest in prayer. Jesus can see what lies ahead, and he asks if it must come to happen.
The great Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner wrote in his book The Need and the Blessing of Prayer, that this episode demonstrates for us how to pray, in three steps:
1. Be honest. Jesus asks for what he wants: that is, not to die.
2. Trust that God is listening. As he says at the raising of Lazarus, “I know that you always hear
me” (John 11:42).
3. Acceptance. As Jesus said, “But not what I will, but what you will.”
We tend to miss one or another of these steps. The one most often missed is honesty. Somehow we think that our prayer needs to be lofty and pious. Such as “Dearest God, helpest me-est to doest thy will.” Somehow, we think that we can’t (or shouldn’t) be real with God.
Martin Luther, who started the Lutheran Church, once wrote, “Don’t lie to God.” Which means tell God everything and anything. If you are scared, or hungry, or upset, or overwhelmed . . . or whatever, be honest. God can take it.
But the second part is just as crucial . . . remember that we are not asking God to do our will, we are asking that we do God’s will. Here’s an example. My Mom has cancer; she’s had it for decades now. I remember that when she told me about it, I was scared. My prayer could easily have been “God heal this cancer.” But instead, I tried to follow the example of Jesus (which we pray in the Lord’s Prayer). I remember praying, “God if she dies from this, help me to accept it. If she pulls through, help me accept it.” And also, “Help my Mom to accept your will. If she is going to die, help her be at peace. If she lives, help her to live fully.”
It’s not always easy to do. But Jesus models prayer for us . . . be honest, trust that God hears you, accept. God didn’t abandon Jesus. God won’t abandon you.