04/11/2025
We are another day closer to Holy Week and Easter Sunday, so my mind continues to dwell on, and further recall, the activities that were about to transpire in the life of Jesus at that time. This morning, I am concentrating specifically on the Garden of Gethsemane and the sorrow and agony that Jesus faced there. I pray that you will join me in reliving what occurred there and pray with me as we do this together. Let’s jointly recall the prayers and obedience to God’s will of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”
Matthew 26:36-38 KJV
On Calvary Jesus completed His life on earth, but on the hill at Gethsemane He truly began to die for us and make the sacrifice that washes us clean. The Son of Man feared, and the Son of God was repulsed. One feared the pain, agony, suffering, and death... the other was repulsed at the mere thought of taking man's sin into his perfect and sinless self.
As men and women we can relate to the fear of pain, suffering, and death, but we have no way of knowing what taking on the sin of mankind feels like. After all, we have known nothing else but that sin; it has been with us for our entire lives in some form or another... we have become accustomed to the stench.
Most of my family lives in northern Virginia, and I have driven the long road from Nashville to Newington, Virginia many many times over the years. On the way I would pass through one particular stretch of road that was near a plant that emitted the most horrendous odor. It would gag you and make you hold your breath in the hope that you could pass by before you had to take your next one... but you could not.
I often wondered about the people who lived there and how they could tolerate such an oppressively foul odor. But in fact, they knew nothing else. The odor had surrounded them from birth and as incredibly putrid as it was, they had become used to it and no longer noticed its gut wrenching stench. Our sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, are just like that... we have carried it all of our lives and now it has become so normal for us that we no longer smell it. Perhaps that is why babies cry when they take their first breath... it is the smell of sin entering pristine lungs. Jesus knew no sin before Gethsemane, he had walked around it and through it, but he had to hold his breath... it wasn't a part of Him, so in Him it hadn't become normal.
Now, Jesus was facing that sin in a much different way; He was being asked to take it on. He was being asked to breathe deep and to let that foul concoction enter into Him and taint Him. He was being asked to not only join mankind in a particular sin, but to take on ALL sin. He was being asked to drink the sin of Eden, the sin of Cain, the sins of men like Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, and the dungeon masters of the Middle Ages... well you get the picture; it is much worse than anything most of us can even imagine, and yet all of this would flow into a sinless Jesus. O, how that must have repulsed Him.
The pain of receiving that sin would be nearly insurmountable, but then He had to carry it to the cross, into death, and defeat it. He had to die with the full weight of sin upon Him... His blood was needed to become the culmination of the sacrifice. In the face of this, we have no idea what it means to humble ourselves.
Oswald Chambers wrote these words about Gethsemane...
"The agony in Gethsemane is the agony of the Son of God in fulfilling His destiny as the Savior of the world. The veil is drawn aside to reveal all it cost Him to make it possible for us to become sons of God. His agony is the basis of the simplicity of our salvation. The Cross of Christ is a triumph for the Son of Man." - Oswald Chambers
So on Gethsemane Jesus begged His Father to take the cup of sin from Him. Then in total submission and humility he said “not my will, but thine, be done." And the final days of Jesus began with a drink from that cup... and He gagged it down for you and me. This is Easter, and suffering that goes far beyond pain.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus who obediently drank from the cup for all the world. Father, I weep this morning at the thought of Gethsemane, and of Jesus drinking from that cup which was filled with the sins of Man. My heart breaks in the knowledge of the suffering that awaits Him on Calvary, Golgotha, but at the same time I thank you for His sacrifice, and the redemption from sin His obedience to your will has brought us. Lord, let me be worthy of His sacrifice. Lead me through those times when I stumble and bring me face to face with the humility and suffering of Jesus so that I can understand fully the price He paid for me. Let me understand the ramifications of my transgressions and the shame I bring upon you, and the Holy name of Jesus as I commit them. I realize that even the least of our sins is not trivial Father, because I see the price that was paid to remove each one from me. Mixed with my tears find my repentance and hear the moans of my heart as it breaks for the pain and suffering of Christ; to which I have brought dishonor by my indiscretions. Forgive me Father for I have sinned. Wash me clean in the blood of the lamb so that I can stand before you pure and Christ-like. Walk with me Lord Jesus and hold my hand... help me to go and sin no more as we travel the path towards righteousness, and eternity in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Hear this my prayer Abba, and let all those who read it pray along with me as they do. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has loved us from before the moment of creation and Holy is your Son Jesus who laid down his life and endured our sins that we would be saved, redeemed, and reunited in His perfection with you. As we remember Him let us call out Hallelujah! and claim an Amen to His every prayer.
“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 agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 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.””
Luke 22:41-46 ESV
Rich Forbes