Our Gethsemane

“They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” And He took with Him Peter and James and John and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:32-36)

The prayer of our Lord in the Gethsemane garden is among the best known and most oft quoted passages in the New Testament. And that’s why it’s so very possible to gloss over the utter anguish that frames this scene.

Jesus told His closest friends, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death.”  A moment later He looked toward heaven and used the most intimate form of address for ‘Father.’ He said ‘Abba.’  

We would say, ‘Dad.’ 

“Please remove this cup from me. But I choose your will over mine. Do with me what you wish. I place myself into your hands.”

Listen! Jesus was scared. ‘Terrified’ is probably more accurate. 

We’re told in another place His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). Medical science calls it ‘hematidrosis’ – an uncommon, yet not unknown physiological response to extreme physical or emotional stress. 

Jesus is our example of how to live, and even how to die. We know it intellectually. We hear it from pulpits and read it in literature. Most of us have no difficulty understanding that concept. 

But have tears ever crushed you to your knees? Has gut-wrenching fear or loss ever shaken you to your core? If so, you can better understand the profound level of trust Jesus had in His Abba – His ‘Daddy.’ If you have not, then wait a while. Sudden, soul-rending unexpected tragedies are not uncommon to humanity – Christian or not. That’s why I urge you, please, do not presume to know how you will respond to unthinkable emotional or physical anguish. 

Yes, Jesus is our example of how to live, and how to die. But only through the supernatural aid of God can that intellectual concept become a living reality in our life. 

Something like this prayer might be a useful way to prepare for what might fall over any of us – even as soon as tomorrow: “Holy Spirit, please mature my faith and trust and love toward our God that I might imitate Jesus, even into my own garden of Gethsemane.”