TEXT: John 18:1-2

SUBJECT: Gethsemane

Every Scripture is inspired of God and must be solemnly received. But some parts are more solemn than others; this is one of them. If Moses must loosen his shoes at the Burning Bush, how much more reverently must we approach this scene? Its central character is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is bathed in bloody sweat; so overcome is He with grief that an angel must come to His assistance. The Suffering Savior is on full display.

To one side of Him are His three dearest friends; men He loved and depended on. But they're not up to the challenge: thrice He must awaken them from their sleep. Not for one hour could they watch with Him.

In the background we hear footsteps. A mob has gathered to storm the peaceful garden and to arrest its praying occupant. Their evil task will soon be done. Within hours the Son of God will be betrayed, forsaken, rejected, condemned, and crucified.

Our Lord's last quiet hours are spent in a Garden.

Matthew and Mark inform us He went there to pray. Luke suggests He had the habit of going there in times of unease. Perhaps He found a special comfort in its quiet beauty; perhaps it stirred in Him a spirit of devotion and prayer.

John adds a further motive for His entering the Garden that night: "And Judas, who betrayed Him, knew the place..."

The Fugitive sought no hide out; after the Passover, He retired to His customary place--the place Judas knew He would be. The place He knew Judas knew.

What does this tell us of the Savior? It tells us He wasn't trying to evade arrest; that He was willing to be arrested; that He was eager for it.

He was under no illusion what the immediate future held for Him. He knew the Rulers would not acquit Him. He knew the people would not demand His release. He knew Pilate would not stand up for justice. The verdict was already in: "Crucify Him" would be the unanimous decision.

Hence, He was not merely eager to be arrested, but also to be crucified. This is a startling thought, of course, but it's verified by many Scriptures.

Our Lord, therefore, wasn't dragged to Mount Calvary, but went there of His own will. Eagerly.

His eagerness wasn't the result of underestimating the suffering involved in the crucifixion.

As an adult living in the Roman Empire, He had seen crosses before--many of them. He knew the acute torture they imposed on their victims. He had seen the grisly sights and heard the hopeless screams.

Furthermore, He had known the Messianic prophecies from His boyhood and understood their application. Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and others must have been deeply disturbed Him. The words are horrific: "Stricken, smitten, afflicted; wounded, bruised, chastisement, stripes; oppressed, afflicted; grief, death, grave". The cry that must come from the cross caps the suffering:

"My God, My God, why have You

Forsaken Me?"

It is no wonder Psalm 88:15 was written of Him: "...From my youth up, I have suffered Your terrors".

As monstrous as any crucifixion is, He understood that His would be uniquely so. For He understood the precise interpretation of Deuteronomy 21:23: "...He who is hanged is accursed of God".

Our Lord, therefore, was under no illusions. He looked to the cross--as it really was--and eagerly went to it.

Why? Because He had submitted His will to the will of God. The words ring through the ages: "Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done".

To what extent had He surrendered His will to His Father? Two Scriptures come to mind:

It is crucial that we grasp what is involved in His self-surrender. When we think of submitting to God, what comes to mind? Repentance. I want to lie; God forbids lying; I don't lie. I've put His will above my own.

But this does not correspond to our Lord's self-surrender! He "knew no sin". It wasn't the Moral Law to which He yielded. Much more than that, He surrendered Himself fully to the entire will of God for His life. He gave up His innocent will to "do the will of the One who sent [Him]". In short, He "lost His life".

In "losing His life" He "found it". For just beyond the cross a "joy was set before Him"--the joy of God's approval. Which He got: "He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God".

Gethsemane heightens our love and admiration for Christ. But it mustn't stop there; it must go on to quicken our imitation. For the One who surrendered Himself entirely to God calls to us: "Follow Me". We follow Him--not by keeping rules--but by submitting ourselves to the will of God. Not by "going through the motions"--but by unreserved surrender. "Speak LORD, for Your servant hears". "Lord, what would you have me to do?"

This surrender to God will cost us dearly, in ways we can't imagine. It begins with an evaluation--a honest and thorough review of our lives. Nothing is left out: How we spend our money, to whom we open our homes, what we want for our children--everything is put on the table. No privacy; no liberty; no exceptions.

The evaluation must be followed by a sincere seeking of God's will in each matter. "Lord, what would you have me to do with my money?" for example. Pray for guidance; read the Bible for the boundaries; be sensitive to the prodding of Providence.

The surrender is not real until it is made concrete. When God speaks, we listen...and obey. How radical the demands may be! Paul was called to forego marriage, children, and a paid ministry. No Law told him to do so; the Law permitted each. No leader coerced him into it, for they all had wives and children and paid ministries. Nor was he trying to make a name for himself. His was a personal leading from God. He was shown "How much he must suffer for Christ's name"--and submitted himself to it without hesitation or regret.

The demands are great; the reward is greater. "He who loves his life shall lose it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal".

Will anyone answer the call? May God make us "willing in the day of His power". For Christ's sake. Amen.