The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-10-16
SUNDAY MEDITATION.


SUBJECTS: /. JESUS IN GETHsEMANE. II.
The EAR OF MALICIOUS Cur OFF BY PETER
/. JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF GErHsEMAEE.
L. Data.
st. Matt 26 36-4G; st. Mark, ID: 80 40; st.
Luke. % 40 DC. Also st. Luke, ~ So and
st. John, IL: l." over the brook Kedron,
whore was garden, into the which he entered,
and his Disciples" Itwould be well to COM
pare the Revised Edition with tho Received
Version. Often one thus gets a hint in ex-
PLANTATION. st. John does not refer to the Geth
semane experience, and that though he was
one of the chosen three TO be nearest to our
Savior in that agony. (St. Mat, &c: 37.) If
the Gospel of ST. Mark were really dictated by
ST. Peter, then we have q report by one who
was within stones throw (St Luke, % Az
OF the suffering Jesus. 1t is noticeable that
the account given by st. Mark is very full.
But st. Matthew was near at hand probably
just within the entrance to tho Garden. (St.
Matt, 26 36.) We remember the Garden was
not 200 feet square. and hence st. Matthew
must have been quite near Christ in his dis
tress. ST. Matthew'S paragraph is full Of par
tiCulars st. Luke's report is comparatively
brief. SITS. Matthew and Mark wrote probably
at Rome; st. Luke, at Achaia; all three not far
from A. ID. 60.
g Time
The time whom our Savior experienced his
agony in the Garden OF Gethsemane was Thurs
day night about IL o'clock, March H. A. d. 30,
which was 1861 years ago. Christ was in his
Bath year of life aud the fourth Of his ministry.
1t WAS the full Of the moon, from the fact it
was coincident with the Passover feast. Being
yet in Spring, H. was cold. (St. John, is : 1877
This was Chrsts last night before his CruCi-
Gxon
3. Place
Christ had spent the early part Of the even
inE with his Apostles on Mount Zion, in the
City OF Jerusalem completing the Passover
and originating the Holy Communion At,
say, about to 10 o'clock they went from nj.
Zion, out from Jerusalem. across the brook Ke-
dron TO MI. Olives entering the Garden of
Gethsemane. Jesus and his Disciples often
went 70 that quiet. solemn spot for prayer, con-
suitation, meditation and rest. (St. John, 10:
i, p Though it was probably private prop
erty, the owner may have been friendly to
Christ, and have permitted his frequent visits.
The word Gethsemane means place of oil
presses Olives grow on tho mount, giving
name to Mt. Olives The press was used for
converting the olive fruit into oil. IL is said
eight olive trees yet grow within the Garden
plot. They are very old some persons esti-
mate the age OF the trees at . 900 years and
believe them tho same which witnessed our
Savior's suGerngs and heard his groans The
garden entry Is only at distance of about
stones cast from the bridge of the Eodron
That ryulot is about six TO seven feet wide, be-
ing dry Summers. Lightfoot called il tie sink
or common sewer of Jerusalem. The word
kedroD means dark. When sacrifices were
offered ii was rendered still moro black in ap-
pearance. The stream flowed southwest, emp
tying into the Dead Sea. Titus was so thorough
III his destruction Of Jerusalem and vicinity il
IS difficult 20 THINK the olive trees now in Geth-
hn nxph oh al Co,
ia his tcarfu! and agonzng prayer. The Fran
ciscan monks possess the Garden, holding il in
great reverence. They built the walls which
now surround it. The following from DR..
Jacobus gives one an insight into the surround.
ings:
Tho place named lies along the path that
sscents the Mount OF Olives Just beyond the small
iooi-bridgc that crosses the brook Kedron. We
found IL walled in by high and heavy stone wall
poorly pastcred which had been built In 1917 by
tue Latin monks. We were allowed enter by s.
nafrow gateway. rs workm were engaged n the
inciosute W some stonework around n well in the
northwest corner. We found the Garden wall on
measurement. TO he lbs feet on the north side and
lao feet on tho west side and II feet high. The
olive trees are gnArlcd and Irregular bearing every
appearance OF great antiquity. ope OF the trunks
We found to have circumference of % feet In the
middle and % feet at the base
4. Critical Notes.
J. Temptation" tSt Matt, % AZ Com
pare the other accounts.) The Disciples were
rot fixed in their ideas of Christ. They were
not ready for emergencies and could easily be
surprised. All Christians need a reserve forco
and faith; and when warned of approaching
danger thoy should put themselves on special
guard. Expecting lac was 10 become powerful
king, they were not ready to see him abused,
and even put to a shameful death. There was
danger the fate of Christ might wreck their
faith in him.
p Spirit" Va. fesh" (st Matt, 26:4I;
st. Msrk, Ia: 3S.) Ia the natural man, the man
net swayed by Christian influences. the flesh,
human nature. or natural ineinations get the
start of nobler impulses. In tho spiritual man.
the man In whom the spirit reigns, the flesh is
forced TO yield to tho superior religious prompt
ings. The word flesh embraces the natural feel
ingS, including fear. In tho moment of great
danger tho man governed by the flesh will easily
give up become Ignobe, dee The hours just to
be experienced by the Disci plies were to put them
to q terrible test. Nature must be reinforced
by grace, aud hence tbs need Of watching and
praying.
3. Cup" (st. Matt. % 42) A method of
execution in early days was the presentation
to the victim OF "A cup Of poison. Thus Socrates
died. Christ was by this very expression ranked
with capital criminals The cup included the
sutleriugs by crucitixion, referred specially TO
the agony in the Garden
He sweated. "a it were, great drops of blood.
(St Luke, % AZ Notice st. Luke is the
very one who states this feature of the
agony. and he was a physician. (Col., 4:
14) Many claim that the account simply
requires that wo believe Christ shed sweat
which was profuse and thick like that it
stood out in beads on his body aud dropped
thudiikc. But suppose we must admit that
the account states Jesus actually sweated drops
OF blood The fact Is a little more graphic when
we recall the statement that the night was cold
requiring fire indoors. The most we need
hold Is that the sweat WAS bloody perspira-
tiOn-a sweat watery, but tinged with red
Aristotle and Diodorus SicuIus mention bloody
swoats us attending extraordinary mental strug-
gle Lott. in his life Of Pope Sextus V; Dr.
Jackson, from Fhuanus, and Sir John Chardiu,
in his history OF Persia, mention this sort of
phenomenon. We learn that Charles Y of
France died with bloody sweat, the result of
violent passion and great fear. DIR. Mead
quotes from Galen: " Cases sometimes happen
In which, through mental pressure, the pores
may be so dilated that the blood may issue from
them, so that there may be bloody sweat"
Bishop Pierce gives the case of an Italian gen-
tleman who, through fear of death, was so dis
trcssed that his body was covered with bloody
sweat. Noltaire, III his Universal History"
says of Charles Y of France: I" lie died in his
Both year. His disorder was of very remark
able Kind the blood oozud out of his pores
This maady, of which there have been other
instances, was owing 20 excessive fear or Vio-
lent agitation, or to IA feverish and melancholy
temperament Travellers on high mount ains
aud hence in rare air, have had blood forced
through their skim"
AS it were" Did Christ sweat blood When