Please read Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-4
Jesus was facing the greatest test of faith in His life. He did not look forward to the events that would culminate in His own funeral (such as it was). He knew exactly what was coming. Betrayal. Shame. Torture. Trauma. Thirst. Loneliness. Death. How could He look at that and not flinch? How do we handle the great challenges to our faith—our “Golgothas?” What happens when…
- The doctor says, “Three months, tops.
- The dean says, “I’m sorry, but you can’t graduate till you take this course over…”
- The law intern hears, “I’m sorry, since you didn’t pass the bar, we can’t use you here…”
- The trooper reports, “You’ll have to wait till bail is set to get him out…
- The funeral home phones, “When could we work out a time for you to view the body…”
- Your unwed daughter says, “It’s due in seven months…”
- Your boss says, “I’m sorry, but business has been off, and we have to downsize somewhere…”
- Your wife says, “I just don’t love you anymore.”?
Where do we turn when there’s nowhere to turn? Where do we put our feet when the rug has been jerked from under us? Jesus left us an example the night He faced “Golgotha” (cf. 1 Pet. 2:21, 22)
JESUS SOUGHT… A PLACE WHERE HE COULD PRIVATELY ADDRESS HIS PROBLEM. Jesus was in great demand. It seemed He could never shake the crowd (“for there were many coming and going,” Mk. 6:31b). On some occasions He could not find “leisure so much as to eat” (Mk. 6:31c). He never complained and always offered a hand to the helpless. Still, on this night, He uncharacteristically made no time for publicans and sinners. The Great Physician’s office was closed. He stepped out of the limelight and addressed the deep concerns in His own heart. He got out of eyesight of the multitudes, out of earshot of His disciples, and got in touch with His Father. He went deep into the bowels of Gethsemane to gather His thoughts, wrestle with God’s purpose for His life, and to summon strength to face the inevitable.
What is the message for sufferers today? Take some time away from doctors’ offices, business meetings, and family gatherings. Find a place to sort things out in your own mind. Spend some time in separation, meditation, and contemplation. Often, things do not look nearly as daunting after a good night’s sleep as they did after a long day’s turmoil. The first thing God told a depressed Elijah to do was to eat a good meal and get some sleep (1 Kgs. 19:5-8). We can usually handle things better if our minds and bodies are well rested. Jesus certainly emphasized rest—both spiritual (mental) and physical. He invited sinners to come to Him and rest (Mt. 11:28), instructed Peter, James, and John to “sleep on now, and take your rest” (Mt. 26:45), and insisted that the harried band, “come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while…” (Mk. la). Further, one day He has promised that He will come back and grant us eternal rest (2 Thess 1 Heb. 3:11; Rev. 14:13).
Lesson #1: Facing Golgotha? Spend some time in Gethsemane.
…THE COMPANY OF CLOSE FRIENDS.
Friends were important to Jesus. It is interesting that twelve of the sixteen times the word “friend” is used in the New Testament, Jesus either said it or it was used in His presence. He knew about friendship. He is, after all, the “friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24), and the “friend of publicans and sinners” (Lk. 7:34).
So we are not surprised to find that though Jesus sought solitude this dark night, He did not get too far from His friends. We may not fully understand all that was involved, 1 but He took the Eleven with Him to the Garden. He invited three close friends—Peter, James, John—to go with Him into the Garden. Although He prayed alone, He kept coming back to see them…to be with them. He alternated between His Father and His friends. He wanted them to stay awake and pray with Him (at least at the same time). It is safe to say that even the Son of God wanted friends around when the night was really dark.
God did not create us to be “lone rangers,” either. Solomon instructed us to pay attention to friendships, for one day we will need them. “Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off’ (Prov. 27:10). Good friends can make us “sharper” (27:17). It is not a wise man that keeps his problems all bottled up and never turns to anyone for counsel. “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established” (Prov. 15:22). Our friends may be unable to offer the perfect solution or even to come up with suitable words of comfort. Jesus’ friends let Him down that night (they could not even stay awake!).2 Still, just speaking our mind is often a relief. “A joy shared is doubled; a burden shared is halved.”
Lesson #2: Don’t try to climb Golgotha by yourself
…COMFORT FROM THE FATHER IN PRAYER.
In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed as no man had ever prayed. He wrestled with severe mental anguish (Mt. 26:37,38). Mark says He was “sore amazed” (ekthambeo, “to astonish utterly; affright”) and “very heavy” (ademoneo, “to be in distress of mind”) (Mark 14:33). If you had visited that spot at daybreak, you could have found a damp place where His sweat dripped during those prayers. He prayed until His capillaries burst into His sweat glands, and He literally sweated blood3 (Lk. 22:44,45)! If you had found the dampened earth, it would have been tinged red.
Prayer is not an option for non-Christians,4 but what a privilege for God’s child! He can lift up his tear-stained face to heaven and say, “Father,” and the God of the universe turns His head and bends His ear to listen. Imagine! What a joy to know that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46: l), He knows (Gal. 4:9), and He cares (1 Pet. 5:7).
Lesson #3: Don’t try to climb Golgotha on your feet. Use your knees.
Endnotes:
1No doubt part of His reason was for their benefit, protection, and training. Always the teacher, Jesus used even this struggle with the enemy in the garden that night to teach the disciples and every future believer another lesson in godliness, a lesson about facing temptation and severe trial. The Lord not only was preparing Himself for the cross but, by His example, was preparing His followers for the crosses He calls them to bear in His name (Mt. 16:24).
2Interestingly, Luke says they were “sleeping for sorrow” (22:45), an indication that the emotional strain was getting to them even more than to Him.
3This is a rare medical condition called “bloody sweat” or hematidrosis. The blood loss was minimal, but the high stress level is tremendous (Dr. Joseph Clements, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross). Incidentally, as a result of hemorrhage into the sweat glands, the skin became fragile and tender. In the cold night air, it may have produced chills (cf. Jn, 18:18) and would have magnified the suffering of scourging.
4They may pray, but God has not promised an open ear (Prov. 1:26; 1 Pet. 3:12).
