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<\/a>\nGrowing up as a Christian, I always found the scene of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to be a comforting one. My feelings were shaped less by the actual story in the Gospels and more by a popular representation of the scene, first painted by Heinrich Hofmann and often reproduced by other artists and in other genres. I once purchased a small wooden plaque with a reproduction of Hofmann\u2019s original. I was reassured by the serenity and strength of Jesus in the Garden, whose halo reflected the light of God shining down upon Him. My plaque sat alongside my bed for many of my young years, encouraging me to pray and to trust God more.<\/p>\n
I still love that classic image by Hoffman, perhaps because it reminds me of my early devotion to Jesus. But, as I have studied the Gospel texts that describe Jesus in the Garden, I\u2019ve come to believe that Hofmann\u2019s image doesn\u2019t capture the full reality of the scene. To be sure, in the end, Jesus accepted the Father\u2019s will and faithfully chose the way of suffering. But his time of prayer was anything but serene.<\/p>\n
Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasize the agony of Jesus in the Garden. The Gospel of Luke specifically mentions Jesus\u2019 \u201canguish\u201d or \u201cagony\u201d (using the Greek word agonia<\/em>, which can also mean \u201cstruggle\u201d). Moreover, Luke adds that Jesus was so intense in prayer that his sweat became like drops of blood. In the other Gospels Jesus explains that he is \u201cdeeply grieved, even to death\u201d (Mark 14:34; Matt 26:38). Those Gospels also show Jesus as praying more than once before he was ready to accept the Father\u2019s will. He was indeed struggling in the Garden. (Verses 43-44 are in brackets in the NRSV to indicate that they don\u2019t appear in all ancient manuscripts. Some scholars believe that the verses were excised by certain scribes because of their shocking portrayal of Jesus. The majority of scholars hold that these verses were added later, and came from some tradition about Jesus that was not in the first edition of Luke.)<\/p>\nAs I reflect upon the Gospel texts, I wonder if a more accurate image of Jesus in the Garden is found in Mel Gibson\u2019s film The Passion of the Christ<\/em>. In the movie\u2019s opening scene, Jesus is clearly agonizing, wrestling with what lies before him. His pain is obvious, as is his struggle with his divinely-appointed destiny.<\/p>\nA struggling Jesus? A Jesus who at first wants something other than the Father\u2019s will? A Jesus who wishes to pass on the cup of suffering? If you\u2019re a Christian who believes that Jesus was not just a human being, but also the unique Son of God, the Word of God in flesh, then the scene in Gethsemane is shocking. It stretches our understanding and boggles our simplistic explanations of who Jesus really is. In Gethsemane, perhaps more than in any other scene of the Gospels, we see the fully human Jesus, the One who \u201cin every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin\u201d (Hebrews 4:15).<\/p>\n
This means, among other things, that Jesus understands when we are tested, when we are weak, when we aren\u2019t sure we want God\u2019s will for our lives. In Jesus we have, not a god who is watching us from a distance, but One who knows our every weakness, and who is there to help us in our time of trial. Indeed, Scripture teaches that Christ Himself intercedes for us (Romans 8:34).<\/p>\n
Whatever picture of Gethsemane you keep in your mind, may you let the text of Scripture fill out its meaning. May you be encouraged to come before God with complete honesty, holding nothing back. May you pour out your heart to the Lord. May you wrestle with God\u2019s will for you. As you do, know that Jesus understands, and is there to help you.<\/p>\n
Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\nLord Jesus, as I reflect upon Your experience in Gethsemane, I am once again astounded by your utter humanness. You are not God-in-flesh-well-sort-of, but truly God in human flesh. You are Emmanuel, God with us. Thus you are also God with me. You understand me. You stand with me in hard times. You encourage me when I wrestle with the Father\u2019s will. And you intercede for me. How I thank you, dear Lord, for who you are, for what you have done, and for what you are doing in my life today.<\/p>\n
Amen.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Luke 22:39-46 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he said to them, \u201cPray that you may not come into the time of trial.\u201d Then he withdrew from them about a stone\u2019s throw, knelt down, and prayed, \u201cFather, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7465],"tags":[7935,7936,7937,21641],"class_list":["post-63","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stations-of-the-cross","tag-first-station","tag-gethsemane","tag-luke-22","tag-stations-of-the-cross"],"yoast_head":"\n
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