It was the last night of Jesus’ life as a human being. Imagine how terrible. He left the Upper Room with the disciples and went into the stillness of the night in the garden of Gethsemane. The disciples didn’t know exactly where they were going, but Jesus knew where he had to go. I’ve often wondered how he felt. He had never died before. He’d never experienced that, and he approached it from the standpoint of being both God and man. Even though we’re saved there is still some apprehension about death. Jesus felt it too.
Matthew 26:36 “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little farther, 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. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 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. 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 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.”
I believe Jesus enjoyed his time on earth. Even though he didn’t have a great deal, he enjoyed being among his creation. This path ahead of him was the worst one a person could walk, far worse than any that has ever been in front of us. While we have no idea what lays ahead for us, Jesus knew. He took the 11 disciples into the garden with him and took Peter, James, and John further than he did the others. He needed to feel their nearness. He told them to watch with him. By saying this he meant hold with him. He needed their support.
Gethsemane would normally be a peaceful place during the day. Outside of harvest time of the olives or the ones who cared for the trees, people found it a nice place to go. Jesus went there often. However, at night it took on a different look. The gnarled olive branches looked twisted and strange, even eerie. Jesus knew the devil was in there. He knew sin was in there. He knew the cup of our sins was waiting on him. It was here he began to drink it and it wouldn’t be over until 3 pm the next day when he said “it is finished.” He knew this was his final time alone with God and the disciples.
Jesus wasn’t afraid of the dark, the trees, or the haunting atmosphere. He wasn’t afraid of the devil or even the cup. He simply dreaded it. Earlier he told his disciples that he now called them his friends. He needed his friends. One lesson of Gethsemane is that Jesus asks for our friendship. In verse 38 he told them his soul was so heavy he felt like he was about to die. We’ve been there a time or two ourselves. We know the weight of our own sin. Imagine the sum total weight of sins of the entire world. Jesus wanted Peter, James, and John to tarry with him and watch.
It’s hard to stick with church, with the Lord, sometimes, but it’s very important that we do. Jesus is always our friend, and he needs us to be his, and to be close. Can’t you feel his emotion? It shows how awful this was. He told the Father, “if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” The others couldn’t help him drink it; they just needed to stick with him.
He was doing this for Peter, James, and John. He was doing it for the Romans, for Pilate. He was doing it for Judas. He was doing it for you. He was doing it for me. We can’t help the Lord save us, but we can stick with him. He stuck in there for us.
Isaiah 53 says “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Jesus bore it all. It pushed him so hard the blood vessels in his face burst and his sweat became drops of blood. He began to shed his blood here not at the whipping post.
I want to sit near him. It’s the least I can do because of what he bore for me then. It’s the least I can do now for what he does for me everyday. He takes the time to be our friend. The least we can do is devote ourselves to him. We don’t deserve what he did for us, but he does deserve what we can do for him. We’ll never get through our Gethsemanes without him.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 