Beloved, I am glad to share with you today about Gethsemane’s time, shortly before his arrest, betrayed by Judas Iscariot. He said to his disciples: “Tonight I will be a stumbling block for you; for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd and the sheep will be scattered: ”We read it in Mat 26.31.
The Lord Jesus had just had his last meal with them in the place provided: When evening had come, he sat down to table with the twelve and instituted Holy Communion. Then he said: ‘I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ And after singing the hymns, they came to the mountain of olive trees where, instead of letting himself be weighed down by the weight of all that awaited him, he made use of the time during which he walked towards Gethsemane, to warn his disciples of what would happen.
For Zechariah’s prophecy was about to be fulfilled: “Sword, rise up over my pastor And over the man who is my companion! Says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and let the sheep scatter! And I will turn my hand to the weak ”(Zechariah 13.7). The good shepherd had taken care of his sheep and called them by name, going before them; for in order for them to have life, he had to die for them and be smitten in their stead.
And when these poor weak sheep, ignorant and fearful, would see the shepherd smitten, and be scattered like a afraid and forsaken flock. But he, the good Shepherd who puts his life for his sheep, thinks of them and gives them a rallying point to find once death has been crossed and conquered, when he would be resurrected. For he would go before them to Galilee.
For his part, instead of distrusting himself, in order to look to God to achieve what his love suggested to him, Peter, although very attached to the Lord, relied solely on the love he had for him. -even. This is why he replies to Jesus: “When I should die with you, I will not deny you. And all the disciples said the same. ” Poor disciple, because he did not know that his “me”, on which he was counting to show Jesus his great attachment, was going to set him on the path of the fall. This is why the Lord Jesus said to her: “Truly I say to you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
When he got to Gethsemane with them, he said to them, “Sit here, while I go away to pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to experience sorrow and distress. He then said to them: “My soul is sorrowful even to death; stay here, and watch with me. ” Then, having taken a few steps forward, he threw himself on her face, and prayed thus: “My Father, if it is possible, that this cup will go away from me! However, not what I want, but what you want. ”
For our Savior, in His perfect humanity, was overwhelmed by the thought of death which approached in all its horror and cast a rather terrifying shadow over His pure and holy soul. It was about in that supreme moment, to accept the cup of divine wrath that we had deserved, death which is the judgment of God. For the devil made weigh on the soul of our adorable Savior all the terrifying consequences of his obedience even to death; his pure and holy soul could only wish that the terrible hour of death would pass away from him, and on the other hand, his perfections could only make him agree to go to the end in the accomplishment of the will of his Father.
After praying, he returns to his disciples and finds them asleep. And in his divine goodness, he said to Peter: “So you could not watch one hour with me?” This word was intended to touch his heart and make him vigilant. Then he adds: “Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation. He told them this because “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And that is why the Lord Jesus walks away again and repeats his request to his Father for the second time. Then he returns to his disciples and finds them asleep again. Note that something happened twice to mark its final character. Thus is fulfilled what is said in Psalm 69:21: “Disgrace breaks my heart, and I am sick; I wait for pity, but in vain, Comforters, and I find none. ”
Finally, in Gethsemane the Lord Jesus watches, suffers and prays, exposed by his love to this assault, in the presence of the most powerful temptation to which he was subjected, that is to say, on the one hand, the strength that he detains to watch, and on the other he presents his anguish to his Father. And his communion with the Father was not interrupted, despite his deep distress. For this distress pushed him more to complete submission and complete trust in his Father. But if we were to be saved, if the Eternal God was to be glorified in Him Who had taken up our cause, then the cup was not to pass away from Him. This is why the submission of Christ Jesus is perfect. And he tenderly reminds Peter of his false confidence, making him feel his weakness; but he was too full of himself to take advantage of it. He still wakes up from his sleep, but his false confidence is not shaken. So he needed a lot more to cure him of that kind of confidence.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and put together for your understanding.
- The lord suffers
Gethsemane, garden around Jerusalem: Mt 26.36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”; Mk 14.32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray”; Luc 22.39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him; Jn 18.1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
Christ the Shepherd: # provides: Ps 23: 1-2 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters; # shows tenderness: Isa 40.11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young; # sacrifices himself: Jn 10.11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep; # has risen: Heb 13.20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep; # welcome the lost: 1 P 2.25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls; # crown the faithful: 1 P 5.4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
Christ the Shepherd: the people of God are your flock: Ps 74.1 O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? Ps 79.13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise; Mt 10.16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves; Mt 26.31 Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “ ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’; Jn 10.3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Fall opportunity: Isa 8.14 He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare; Mt 13.57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home”; Mark 6.3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him; Rm 9.32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; 1 Co 1.23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
Saints scattered in the countries: Mt 8.11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; Mk 13.27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens; Jn 11.52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one; Ac 8.1 And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria; Jas 1.1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
Sufferings of Christ, man of sorrows: Isa 50.6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting; Heb 13.12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood;
Resurrection of Christ prophesied: Ps 16.10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay; Mt 26.32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”; Ac 26.22-23 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”;
Prayer life:Ps 119.147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.; Luke 6:12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?; 1 Th 3.10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
- The disciples sleep
Human weakness: manifested by all men: Mt 26.40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter; Jn 16.12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear; 1 Co 3.2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
Flesh, carnal nature of man: Rom 7.18, 25 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin; Ga 6.8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life; 1 John 2:16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
Voluntary entry into temptation: Gen 3.6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it; Gen 13.12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom; Luke 22:40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
Divine sympathy: with regard to the frailty and sorrows of man: Ps 103.13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; Mt 26.41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”; Jn 11.35-35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”;
Vigilance against sin and temptation: Ps 39.1 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked”; 1 Co 16.13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong; Col 4.2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful;
The folly of boasting: Ps 10.3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD; Pr 25.14 Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given; Jas 4.16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
Denying Christ: Mt 10.33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven; Mt 26.34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”; Mt 26.69-70 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said; Mark 8.38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels”; Ac 3.14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you; 2 Tim 2.12 if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 2 P 2.1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves; 1 John 2.22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
From all of the above we note that the Savior suffered, watched and prayed in Gethsemane, exposed by his love to this assault, in the presence of the most powerful temptation to which he was subjected, that is, to on the one hand, the strength to keep watch, and on the other, the presentation of his anguish to his Father. And his communion with the Father was not interrupted, despite his deep distress. For this distress pushed him more to complete submission and complete trust in his Father. So, if we were to be saved, if the Eternal God was to be glorified in Him Who had taken up our cause, the cup was not to pass away from Him. This is why Christ Jesus’ submission is perfect. Our prayers support you all in your efforts to be like our Savior.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be glad to respond to your queries and comments if necessary, before sharing with you next week the condemnation to death of Jesus in place of a murderer, with the cruelty of the people towards their children: “May his blood be on us and on our children.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you profusely.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.