Easter Reflections: Why bother going to Gethsemane?

 

This morning I read what Jesus did with his disciples after their dinner.  We read how things got from bad to worse very quickly; so bad that it will lead Him ultimately to death.

It is a journey of betrayal, hurt, loneliness, agony, pain, and separation.

And it was GOOD, because that was the entire reason why Jesus came in the first place.

But before moving onto all the events that mark the ultimate betrayal, hurt, loneliness and death, what catches my attention was Gethsemane.

Dinner started well with the disciples.  They were probably still amazed a stranger let them use his house to prepare for the Passover dinner.  They were having a good time but then Jesus got 'weird' again and started telling them about betrayals that made no sense and departures that sounded so depressing (
"where I am going you cannot go").  And then Jesus starts washing their feet and telling them to love one another and follow His example.

Some were probably listening more than others.

Now dinner is done.  Go to bed?  Play some board games? Let's go around for a nice walk?

Jesus tells them to go out for a walk.

I wondered if the Twelve wondered why.  They get there, and Jesus picks only 3 to continue further in and tells the rest to sit and wait.  I wondered how they felt.  I wondered what the 9 did during this time, and I wondered what Jesus wanted them to do.

Then He is very specific. He tells the three to 'keep watch' and later, in case they had missed the point, to pray.

And off he goes.

He goes to pray.

In the past, I had only seen Gethsemane as a place where we see Jesus' humanity.  Jesus knows His time is up and he asks God to take the cup away if possible.

But there is so much more I see today; so much more catches my attention.

1.  Prayer when troubled

Jesus is troubled, overwhelmed and full of sorrow.  He knows God's will.  He also knows the weakness of His flesh.  His response?  Go to a quiet place and pray.

2.  Honest prayer

Jesus bears it all to God the Father.  He tells God what troubles him.  He names and voices out everything.

3.  Support in Prayer

I can't help but wonder, if Jesus only wanted to pray, why bring the Twelve along? And if He only wanted the 3 to pray, why bring the other nine?  Aren't these immature disciples going to further dampen his heart?

But Jesus is quite obviously disappointed when he sees them unable to stay up.  They were there but not there at all.

Jesus needed them to pray too, but the disciples didn't understand and so the flesh wins over the spirit.

4.  God answers

In our reading, one of my students asks about the structure of Jesus' first two prayers.  I had not considered the grammar before so we take a second look.

Prayer 1: "“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

Prayer 2: "“My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Matthew 26:42

In the first hour of agony, Jesus says "if it is possible" and in the second hour, after he sees Peter and the two sons of Zebedee fall asleep, he says "if it is not possible"

His message is still the same, but I find the nuance in the language intriguing

It makes me think it is like him saying:

"If it is possible, can I sit this one out?  But of course, I will do what you want me to do"

vs.

"Since I have to experience this and there is no other way, I will do what you want"

Jesus vents and pours His heart to God, but God actually answers.  This is not a monologue - but a dialogue!

5. Prayer for strength rather to change God's will

It strikes me more and more now that even though Jesus did ask God to take this cup away, the theme and gist of what he was saying to God was never to change His Father's Will.  He retreated to Gethsemane to pray as a response to his heavy heart.  As He prayed, he aligned himself with the Father's will, and found strength.

Strength came NOT in finding a new way to solve the problem; but it being so intimately connected with the Father that despite the challenges ahead, "all is well"

The next 24 hours Jesus would be faced with our worst imaginable tragedies - those closest to Him will abandon Him, deny Him and sell Him out.  His own people will choose a murderer over Him.  Soldiers and bystanders would use His words and actions to mock and insult Him.  Soldiers will flog him, hit him, abuse him.  And ultimately, He would be nailed and would die.  In the last hour, even the Father would have to leave Him because He would be carrying all these undeserving people's sins on His shoulders, so that we all can have a way back to having a right relationship with God.

Why bother going to Gethsemane before all that?  What would I have done if I knew the road ahead would be rough?

Jesus went to pray.

Jesus took his closest and asked them to pray with Him.

Jesus poured his heart to the Father

Jesus listened to the Father's answers

Jesus found strength in prayer for the journey ahead.

Knowing just that Jesus died on the cross cheapens the cross.  Knowing Gethsemane and how He agonized but also obeyed the Father there, and found strength there for the next hours brings to light how horribly difficult the journey He took was.

And all...for you and for me.

Even until the end, Jesus was teaching us.

And yes, it is a Good Friday.  Because He, and only He, could pay the ransom with His blood.  Only He could tear the curtain in the temple so that we may have direct access to the Father.

It is a Good Friday - but not easy nor casual.