With Jesus in Gethsemane – Part One

Jesus opened His public ministry at the Jordan River.  As He approached John the Baptist, that is, the one who baptized, John looked up and seeing Jesus prophetically said, “Behold!  the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

What an assignment?  To take away “the sin of THE world?”

That means if He is to take away the sin of the world, He can and will take away yours.  All of it.

Approximately three years passed and we pick up the story again.  This time the scene is a lovely olive grove.  It is the eve before Christ is to offer His life as a sacrifice for sin and thus take away the sin of the world.

From His position in Gethsemane Jesus could look up and see the pinnacle of the temple where earlier in His ministry He won a victory over His nemesis, Satan. There Satan tempted Him to throw Himself down and see if God would save Him.

Eons before Lucifer, who initially was the guardian angel at the Throne Room of God Almighty, had egotistically rebelled.  In his heavenly insurrection, he asserted himself by using the expression “I will” fourteen times.

Now in the garden Jesus made His decision and prayed, “Thy will be done….” Therein is victory when we can pray “Thy” will and not “my” will be done.

Earlier in the evening Peter had insisted He would always be faithful to Jesus by saying, “I will never forsake you.”  Again an “I will” resulted in defeat.

Jesus finished His prayer in the garden and returned to find Peter, James, and John sleeping.  He said, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) They had a noble desire, but physical weaknesses.

Dedication is the ability to carry out the intent of a decision long after the emotion that inspired it has faded. Hang that in your memory hall and read it often.

Jesus, having settled His decision in the “Thy will be done” prayer, having found His disciples asleep in essence He said to them, “It’s OK now, I am ready, let’s go.” (Matthew 26:46)

Once you make the right decision, then everything is “OK.”

Two options are often open. They are “Thy” and “I.”

In the “I Kingdom” there is often confusion and conflict.

In the “Thy Kingdom” there is most often confidence and clarity.