6 Weeks to Resurrection: The Night of Gethsemane

There are three actions emphasized in Mark’s narrative regarding the Gethsemane event that lead into the crucifixion, that warrant further investigation. 

1. The kiss of Judas. Mark uses the normal word for kiss, which means "to love," in telling of the arrangement Judas had made with the chief priests. They were to seize the one whom he (Judas) kissed. In the actual moment, when Judas carries this deed out, Mark uses an different form of that word, that means a prolonged kiss, a lover's kiss -- a deliberate, prolonged, apparent-ly loving act, yet done with cold determination to accomplish his own purpose. We shudder at the thought and speak with disgust at those who would do such a thing. Yet, this same heart can exist within us, and at times we do the same type of thing – especially in mob mentalities. We “sacrifice” someone with “a word of kindness,” then leave them to vultures who do nothing but tear and rend.  Judas “thought” he was doing right. I wonder what he was thinking when he hung himself over what he had done after the fact.
2. Second is Peter's “defense.”  Peter is in this passage, trying to make a show of carrying out what he believed. He grabs the sword and, as the priests and soldiers move in on Jesus, he slashes away. But so poor is his aim that all he does is lop off the ear of the high priest's servant. This is such a beautiful example of the flesh at work! We may strike out in our attempts to carry out our purposes, but all we accomplish is the lopping-off of somebody's ear. Attempts to do what we think is right -- but it is not of the Lord. We have all done this. The glorious thing, Luke tells us, is that Jesus reached out and touched that servant and healed his ear. How many lopped-off ears have we been responsible for during our lifetime that Jesus has to come behind us and heal because we thought we were doing what is right.
3. Third is the sudden flight of the disciples. They all forsook him. I am sure this means that, at that moment, after three-and-a-half years, all their confidence that Jesus was indeed the Messiah suddenly forsook them. His willingness to give himself over without any resistance into the hands of his enemies and his refusal to defend himself in any way becomes, in their eyes, his renunciation of being the Messiah. Now it is every man for himself, and so they flee. In Luke's account of the resurrection - remember that as two disciples walked along the road to Emmaus, a stranger appeared, a man whom they did not recognize, and they discussed with him the events that had taken place in Jerusalem. They said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, "We had hoped (notice the past tense) that he was the one who would redeem Israel," (Luke 24:21). Their hope was gone, so they forsook him and fled.  And thus the smiting of the shepherd resulted in the scattering of the sheep.

Mark adds what is almost a postscript in Verse 51 “And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.” (Mk 14:51-52)  Whoever this young man is, it is explaining to us how we get the account of Gethsemane. None of the disciples could have given it. One was with those who were arresting Jesus, one who betrayed him and killed himself before he could have written anything (Mt.27:5; Acts 1:17,18). Seven of them were in a part of the garden some distance from Jesus. Three of them were close to him, but they were sound asleep and could not have heard the crying and the prayers; they did not see the angel come and minister to him. But somebody was watching. A certain young man (perhaps Mark himself), was there watching the whole thing. He is the one giving us the story, that we might have hope in the hour of our Gethsemane. This account can help us, when we either feel that we do not want to do what God tells us to do, or feel confident that somehow we can work it out in our own strength. In that hour, this account to reminds us that we can “come to the throne of grace and find mercy and grace to help in time of need."

Someone may be in Gethsemane's Garden right now. So, who are we? Judas? Peter lopping off ears? The running disciples? – or maybe even the young man? There may be some who have just come through it. Will we open our eyes and hearts to understand this passage? We have Jesus, risen from the dead, who goes before us to meet us. The shepherd upon whom we can rely, to whom we can go in the hour of anguish and find the strength -  to do what we do not want to do to obey when we would rather do something else. Are you in Gethsemane?

Jim

Growing Spiritually

"he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion."

(Ph'p 1:6)

Spring is just around the corner! Many will begin to think of planting gardens, or the benefits of going to the store and buying fresh veggies. The trouble though with buying fruits or vegetables at stores, is that fruit is often picked unripened so it won't bruise during shipping to the stores. Before sold, these are sprayed with CO2 gas to give them ripened appearance instantly. While edible, they are no match to the flavor of a fruit or vegetable that is allowed to mature slowly.

The same is true for the fruits of the Spirit in my life. Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time and while we worry about how fast we’re growing, God is concerned about how strong we grow. Hebrews 11 is a testament to the fact that growth comes early for some, and there are others that it takes all the way to the point old age before we ever achieve what God considers “mature faith.” The reason is that this maturity takes time and experience to achieve, it is not something that we can “gas” and then expect to be mature tomorrow. Faith is achieved one bit, one victory at a time. There will be some costly battles, some wins, many losses and the constant necessity to push forward. It is interesting that the first time that we perceive the Lord knocking on the door, most of us are resistant and defensive. At this point in our lives, we feel that Jesus is “standing at the door and bombing!” It is not until after we come to know the truth, that we understand that it was only a “knock.” We may think we have surrendered our life to him, but the truth is, there is a lot to our life that we aren't even aware of that still needs growing and ripening.

The scripture that we referenced above assures us that we are never alone in any of this. God has promised that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Ph’p.1:6)." Every struggle, every battle – HE is there! And there is something for us to learn, observe or do in each one that stands to help us mature into what God sees in me. Jacob (meaning the "supplanter” or one who causes to stumble), had to wrestle an angel (Gen.35) before he would grow to be called Israel (God will rule).

Growing up doesn’t stop after we turn twenty, it’s just getting started, and will continue until the day that we draw our last breath (Ph'p.3:12-15).