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Chapter 80 Lessons from Gethsemane ÒThen 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. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and
prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the
disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not
watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed,
saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink
it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes
were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time,
saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them,
Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is
betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at
hand that doth betray me.Ó
(Matthew 26:36-46) Now
we follow the Lord Jesus Christ into Gethsemane. Let us do so with great
reverence, gratitude and wonder. Robert HawkerÕs opening comments on this
portion of Holy Scripture express the attitude with which we ought to
approach it. Hawker wroteÉ ÒWe have
here ChristÕs entrance upon his sufferings, in the garden Gethsemane. The whole life of Jesus had been a
life of sorrow, for of him, and him only, by way of emphasis, can it be said,
that he was a Ôman of sorrows and acquainted with grief.Õ But here he is entering more
especially upon the great work of sorrow, for which he became the Surety of
his people. And here it is therefore, that we need most eminently the
teaching of God the Holy Ghost. I am aware how very little a way our
discoveries carry us, when following the steps of Jesus by faith, into the
garden of Gethsemane. If Peter,
James, and John, whom Christ took with him there, fell under such a
drowsiness as is described, how shall we hope to watch the footsteps of Jesus
to any great discoveries of such an awful scene? Nevertheless, looking up for
the teachings and leadings of the Holy Ghost, I would beg the Reader to
accompany me, in following by faith, the Lord Jesus to GethsemaneÕs garden, in this dark and gloomy
hour; and may the Lord be our Teacher in beholding the glory of Christ, even
in the depth of his soul travail, when he drank the cup of trembling to the
dregs, that we might drink the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the
Lord.Ó As
we read this passage, we must remember that everything our Lord Jesus did, and all that he suffered, was
as the Surety and Representative of his elect, whom he came into the world to
save. That fact should fill us with reverence adoration, and should keep us
from vain curiosity. If
it were possible for a man to remove a deadly virus from his wife by drawing
it into himself, I cannot imagine her trying to figure out the chemical and
biological reactions of his body and mind as he suffered and died with her
disease. Somehow, such curiosity would seem out of place. WouldnÕt it? It
would be far more reverent and honoring to her husband for her to simply
adore his great love for her. Let
us, therefore, reverently remember and adore our SaviorÕs great love for us
and draw from his agony in Gethsemane some practical lessons by which we may
honor him who loved us and gave himself for us. I will not attempt to explain
to what extent our LordÕs agony here was the result of SatanÕs temptations. I
do not know. I cannot tell you how much agony a holy, sinless person, like
our Redeemer, would endure at the prospect of being made sin for us. That is
altogether beyond human imagination. Nor will I attempt to explain what
appears to many to be a conflict between the human and divine wills of our
Savior. It is sufficient for us to know that he is perfectly God and
perfectly man. I leave these points alone, because I know any attempt of mine
to explain them would only Òdarken counsel by words without knowledgeÓ (Job 38:2). However, I am certain
that all that our Savior endured and did in Gethsemane is here recorded by
divine inspiration for our comfort and learning that we might walk in his
steps. Therefore, I want to show you seven thing set before us in this
paragraph. The Necessity of Satisfaction The first thing that is obvious in these
verses is the fact that there is absolutely no way for the holy, just, and
true God to forgive sin and save sinners apart from the sin-atoning death of
his own dear Son as our Substitute. Why was our Lord so
sorrowful? Why was his heart so heavy? Why was his soul so troubled? Why did
he fall on his face and cry out to his Father three times with strong crying
and tears? What is the meaning of the bloody sweat, sore amazement and
astonishment described by the other Gospel writers? Why is the almighty, the
omnipotent Son of God so apparently helpless? Why is that One who by a single
word raised the dead, that One who performed astonishing miracles for
multitudes suddenly disturbed and cast down in his own soul? Why is the Lord
Jesus Christ who came into this world to die for sinners by the will of God
suddenly filled with agony and astonishment at the prospect of death? Any
thoughtful consideration of these questions forces an honest man to recognize
these three facts.
That is the reason why it was impossible for
the cup of GodÕs wrath to pass from his darling Son. God almighty could not
forgive sin; he could not save his people without the shedding of ChristÕs
precious blood. God cannot save sinners apart from the satisfaction of
justice (Rom. 3:24-26). Therefore Christ had to die.
Many mere men, even women and children have
been known to endure terrible bodily pains without crying out and without
dread. Certainly, our Savior was not weaker than such mere men. There must have
been something other than the prospect of a horrible, painful death pressing
him down. The thing that pressed
upon his heart and crushed his very soul was the prospect of being made sin
for us (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24). No mere man, no, not even an angel of God
can imagine what that must have been like to his holy soul! As he anticipated
being made sin for us, our Savior said, ÒMy soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death.Ó The sorrow of his soul was the very soul of his sorrow. What
was the cause of this great heaviness and sorrow, this grief and agony of our
blessed RedeemerÕs soul? What was it that crushed our MasterÕs heart? What so
greatly disturbed him? It certainly was not the fear of physical pain, the
fear of death, or even the fear of dying upon the cross. It was not death on the cross that our Redeemer agonized
over in Gethsemane. He stated very emphatically that he came for the purpose
of dying as our Substitute upon the cursed tree. We should read the record of
our SaviorÕs agony here in light of his earlier temptation in the wilderness.
After that temptation, Satan left him for a season, awaiting another
opportunity to assault him (Luke 4:13). In Gethsemane the prince of this
world launched his final assault upon the Lord Jesus. Just as he assaulted
the first Adam in the garden of Eden, he assaulted the last Adam in the
garden of Gethsemane. In Gethsemane the serpent bruised the heel of the
womanÕs Seed, and in Gethsemane the womanÕs Seed again overthrew his assault. It was the enormous load of our
sin and guilt that crushed our SaviorÕs heart in Gethsemane. That which
crushed our SaviorÕs heart was the anticipation of being made sin for us. The
heavy, heavy burden, which crushed his very soul, was the enormous load of
sin and guilt, the sin and guilt of all GodÕs elect which was about to be
made his. Our SaviorÕs great sorrow was caused by his anticipation of being
made sin for us. ÒIt was,Ó wrote J.C. Ryle, Òa sense of the unutterable
weight of our sins and transgressions which were then specially laid upon
him.Ó He who knew no sin was about to be made sin for us. He who is the only
man who really knows what sin is, the only man who sees sin as God, was about
to become sin. He who is the holy, harmless, undefiled Lamb of God was about
to be made a curse for us. The holy Son of God was about to be forsaken by
his Father. Our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Òbegan to be sore amazed,Ó to be in great consternation and
astonishment, at the sight of all the sins of his people coming upon him, the
black storm of divine wrath gathering thick over him, the sword of justice
about to be drawn against him, and the curses of GodÕs holy law and
inflexible justice about to be poured out upon him when he would be made sin
for us! In consideration of these things our Savior began Òto be very
heavy!Ó That
which crushed our SaviorÕs very heart and soul was the very thing for which
he came into the world — The prospect of what he must endure as our
Substitute.
Be assured, the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be discovered a miscarriage. All for
whom the Son of God died under the wrath of God shall be saved by the grace
of God. His blood was not shed in vain (Isa. 53:10-12). No Exemption from
Sorrow Next, we are here
taught that holiness of life is no exemption from trouble and sorrow. Our
Lord Jesus Christ was Òholy, harmless, and undefiled.Ó He never did
anything but good. He loved God perfectly. He loved men perfectly. ÒHe
knew no sin.Ó Yet, never was there a human being who suffered like the Òman
of sorrows.Ó The
fact is, ÒMan that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of troubleÓ (Job 14:1). There
are no exceptions. While we live in this world, trouble and sorrow will
always be the portion of our cup. We are, all of us, Òborn unto trouble as
the sparks fly upwardÓ (Job 5:7). No creature in this world is so vulnerable as
man. Our bodies, our minds, our families, our jobs, our daily
responsibilities, our businesses, our friends, all are doors of trouble and
sorrow. Let us, in the midst of sorrow, try to remind ourselves that our
troubles and sorrows are light in comparison with what we deserve, what others have suffered, what
our Savior suffered for us, and with the glory that awaits us in heaven. And
compared with eternity, they are but for a moment (2 Cor. 4:18-5:1). Cure for Care Third, we should learn
from our SaviorÕs conduct here that prayer is the best cure for care. When
Job was troubled, he fell down and worshipped God (Job 1:20). When Hezekiah
was faced with great sorrow and trouble, he spread his matters before the
Lord (2 Kings 19:14). And when our Lord Jesus was Òexceeding sorrowful,Ó he turned to God his
Father in prayer. The
very first Person to whom we should turn with our sorrows and troubles and
cares is our God and Father. Nothing that concerns us is too trivial, and
nothing too great for him who bids us cast all our care upon him, assuring us
that he cares for us (Heb. 4:16; 1 Pet. 5:7; 2 Cor. 12:9). Whatever our
trouble is, as we look to the Lord our God for help, he will either remove
the trouble or he will give us grace sufficient to bear it for his glory. Submission to GodÕs
Will Another thing taught
in this remarkable passage is the fact that submission to the will of God is
one characteristic of true faith. The words of our Savior give us a marvelous
example of faith, a marvelous example of what our attitude ought to be in all
things. May God give me grace always to surrender to him and say, ÒNot as
I will, but as thou wilt...Thy will be done.Ó Someone once said, ÒHe who abandons
himself to God will never be abandoned by God.Ó We
all think we want to have our own way. But we do not know what is best for
us, best for the glory of God, best for the people of God, or best for the
cause of God. Only God knows what is best. We will be wise, like old Eli,
ever to say, ÒIt is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him goodÓ (1 Sam. 3:18).
Blessed is that person who is so well taught of God that he has learned to be
content with the purpose of God and with the providence of God (Phil.
4:11-13). Watch and Pray Our Lord also shows us
here that the strongest and most faithful believers are very weak in this
world and always need to watch and pray. Here are Peter, James, and John,
chosen Apostles, three of the strongest, most exemplary believers ever to
walk upon the earth. Yet, here they are, with the Son of God in Gethsemane,
fast asleep! When they ought to have been watching and praying, they were
sleeping. The sad fact is, that is the common sin of GodÕs elect in this
world (Song 5:2-3). We are a people with two distinct, opposing natures, ÒfleshÓ and ÒspiritÓ (Rom. 7:14-23). Yet,
our weakness is never to be looked upon as an excuse for sin, but always as a
reason for watchfulness and prayer. We
must always live like soldiers in enemy territory, watchful, alert, and on
guard. We cannot be too careful. We cannot be too jealous of our souls. The
world is cunning. The devil is crafty. Our flesh is weak. In such a condition
it is utterly foolish for us not to watch and pray that we enter not into
temptation. Our Tender, Forgiving Savior Sixth, we are taught that our Lord Jesus
Christ is a very gracious, tender, forgiving God and Savior. — ÒThen
cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your
rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the
hands of sinnersÓ (vv. 45-46). Our Lord did not speak those words in sarcasm. He
simply told Peter, James, and John to rest while he kept watch. He saw the
glare of the torches approaching. The stillness of the night was broken by
the trampling feet of the betrayer and the blood-thirsty mob he was leading.
But the Lord Jesus speaks to these sleeping disciples, not for their sake but
for ours, (They could not hear him. They were asleep!), as if to say, ÒThere
is no need for you to be disturbed. I will take care of this.Ó May God the
Holy Spirit graciously and constantly teach us to look to Christ in faith,
confident that he is watching for us and over us, that we might take our rest
in him. A Willing Sacrifice Once more, we should learn from this passage
of Scripture that the Lord Jesus Christ willingly laid down his life for his
people. He died as a willing sacrifice for our sins. He said to his beloved
servants, ÒRise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray
meÓ
(v. 46). Our
Redeemer did not die as the helpless victim of circumstances beyond his
control. He had come into the world to come to this hour that he might die in
our place as our sin-atoning Substitute. This is ÒhowÓ Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures. He died vicariously, in the place of GodÕs
elect (John 10:11). He died voluntarily, by his own will (John 10:17-8). And
he died victoriously, triumphing over death, hell, and the grave, having
accomplished eternal redemption for us (John 19:30). Oh! Gethsemane! Sacred, hallowed spot! Did Jesus oft-times
resort thither with his disciples? And wilt thou now, O LORD, by thy sweet
Spirit, aid my meditations, that I may take the wing of faith and often
traverse over the solemn ground? It was a garden in which the first Adam
began to break through the fence of GodÕs holy plantation. And in a garden
the second Adam, so called, shall begin the soul-travail of sorrow, to do
away the effects of it. And, oh! What humiliation, what agonies, what
conflicts in the arduous work? Oh! How vast the glory, when smiting to the
earth his enemies, the LORD JESUS proved his GODHEAD by the breath of his
mouth! Sweetly do I see thee, LORD, by faith, going forth a willing
sacrifice. Lo! I come! said JESUS. So come, LORD, now, by grace! |
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