Beholding Jesus

It’s the beginning of spring and probably a bit chilly out in the garden. It’s dark but there’s a full moon so you can still see without a torch. Jesus leads the eleven along the pathway under the trees. Judas has left, presumably to give an offering for the poor. Then Jesus stops and tells eight of the young men with Him to sit and wait for Him. He leads Peter, James and John a little further along the path and tells them how He is really stressed out and asks them to pray. He then moves off by Himself to pray alone.

Jesus fell to the ground praying fervently to God that He won’t have to live through the next several hours. He knows what’s coming and He knows that there will be unbearable physical pain. He cries out, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for Thee; remove this cup from Me…” Meanwhile Peter, James and John have fallen asleep.

In a traditional Jewish wedding, it was the parent’s responsibility to choose a spouse for their son or daughter. God chose Jesus’ bride. To pledge agreement to a betrothal, the fathers and the bridegroom would sit down together and share a cup of wine. If the son decided that he did not agree to his father’s choice, he would push the cup away; if he agreed he would take the cup and drink. When Jesus prayed, ‘remove this cup from Me’ I don’t think He was saying that He didn’t want the bride His Father had chosen. I think He was just saying ‘This is going to be really painful, Father, are You sure there isn’t another way to accomplish this?’

You’ve just eaten a rather large meal and had a few glasses of wine. You’ve spent a few hours singing and dancing with close friends and now you’re rather tired. You’ve gotten comfortable under a tree and it’s peacefully quiet. Who wouldn’t fall asleep? Then you suddenly get shaken awake. “Are you sleeping?” a voice asks. It is the voice of Jesus, “Keep watching and praying” He says.

Peter had recently insisted that he would do anything for Jesus, even die for Him. I’m sure he made a concerted effort to stay awake and pray, but he didn’t realize the urgency of that night. Closing your eyes in quiet prayer is often conducive to sleep anyway, but when you’re stuffed with food and wine it’s almost impossible. Maybe someone should have informed him on the benefits of pacing! Peter dozed off again.

Three times Jesus prays to God for strength and endurance. He may have even prayed for His disciples during this time, knowing that they were going to go through a lot of doubt and confusion in the next three days. Each time He prayed He came back to find Peter, James and John asleep. I’m sure they tried to deny it. “No, no I’m awake now Lord.” But the last time Jesus tells them to just forget it. Time’s up, break’s over, it’s now time to leave.

John 18:1-11

While Jesus and His disciples have gone to Gethsemane to pray, Judas has made his way straight to the Pharisees. Jesus apparently hung out at the Garden of Gethsemane a lot because Judas knew right where to go. Once the officers of the Chief Priests and the Roman guard were all ready Judas led them to Jesus. Lanterns, torches, swords, shields and spears; these guys came prepared for any event.

I’m sure a whole contingent of Roman soldiers with torches and weapons woke up Peter, James and John real quick. The Bible doesn’t really say what happened to the other eight disciples, but I think they probably didn’t stick around to see who those soldiers were looking for.

As a Roman soldier, you’re strong, tough, and very well trained. The other men in your regiment aren’t just friends, they’re brothers that you’ve fought side-by-side with. Anyone not of you is against you. These guys probably resented the greedy little Jew who was guiding them through the trees of Gethsemane. But if this late night intrigue meant another prisoner for them to have a little fun pushing around, maybe it wouldn’t be too bad.

Jesus knew they were there to arrest Him, yet He still asked them whom they were looking for. When they replied that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth, His answer blew them away. Literally! All those tough Roman soldiers backed up and fell to the ground. I think maybe He put a little fear into their hearts. They’d think twice about forcibly arresting someone who could knock them down with nothing more than words.

Jesus asked them a second time, “Whom do you seek?” They got up, dusted themselves off, probably wondered how they ended up on the ground in the first place and answered, “Jesus of Nazareth”. Here’s where Jesus’ little show of power came in handy, the soldiers didn’t question Jesus command to let the disciples alone. Even after Peter pulled out a sword and tried to defend Jesus, they soldiers apparently made no move to arrest him.

The last verse in this passage speaks of Jesus’ resolution and obedience to the Father. It also speaks of His love for His disciples, the church, and His Bride. He has accepted the cup which the Father has given Him.