The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-05-01
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
MAY 3.
Lesson Text: "The Agony In Geth-
semane," Mark XIV, 32-42
Golden Text: John xviii,
11-Commentnry.


49, "And they came to place which was
named Gethsemane. and He saith to His dis
ciples, Sit ye here while I shall pray" On
| their way to the mount of Olives He told
them that. according to the Scriptures, He
would be smitten and they would forsake
Him. He said also that Teter would deny
| Him, upon which Peter and all the others
| said that they would never do such q thing
| oversees 81 to 81. They then come to Geth-
semane, which signifies an oil press, sugges-
| tive of the bruising which He was here to un-
| dergo that He might give to us the amounting
of the Holy Spirit. For the trials Of Geth-
semane special strength was needed, concern
| ing which He must talk with His Father, but
| into this and many other communions His
| disciples cannot enter, so He goes alone to
pray.
49, And He taketh with Him Peter and
| James and John and beganto be sore amazed
and to be very heavy" Matthew says
''sorrowful and very heavy" 1t could not
be anything He did not know about before
hand, for He knew all things. but the powers
of darkness were about to do their worst,
the great crisis to which He had looked for
| ward from eternity was at hand, and 1t
| might be said that satan was about to en-
| gage Him in a hand to hand conflict.
81. "And sayeth unto them, My soul is ex-
| ceeding sorrowful unto death. Tarry ye
here and watch" In Math. XVI, 20, it Is,
Watch with Me-" His humanity craved
their sympathy, but how little He found!
He was truly the lonely man as we'll as the
| man OF sorrows, and even the favored three,
| Of whom the beloved John was nearest to
| Him, could not enter into His experiences.
| If ever sense of heaviness and darkness
comes over you in your Christian life, when
you know In your heart that you desire
above all things to serve the Lord and do
| only His will, think upon lisa. l., 10, and
praise God for fellowship with His Son
Jesus Christ.
35. :;And He went forward a little and
fell on the ground and prayed that if it We're
possible the hour might pass from Him."
He seems tc have left eight of the disciples
Just inside the garden. to have taken the
three little farther, and then to have gone
alone about stones cast (Luke xii, AZ.
and to have kneeled down, then fallen upon
His face. He certainly did not shrink from
J to make, but careful study Of Heb. ", 7.
! will show that the agony was 80 great that
He feared lest He might die under it and not
| reach the cross to finish the great atone
| ment.
So. '.And He said: Abba, Father, all things
J are possible unto Thee. Take away this cup
from Me. Nevertheless not what will, but
what Thou wilt" We read elsewhere that
He prayed earnestly, with strong crying and
tears and sweat as it were drops Of blood,
and that an angel strengthened Him. He
was willing to die in the garden and leave
His great work unfinished II 1t should please
the Father to have it SO, but the passage in
| Hebrews says thatlHe was heard, and there
fore delivered from this premature death.
This Is the best light 1 have upon 1t, and
present it as such, but let each search for
himself in reliance upon the Holy Spirit.
There are mysteries in the atonement which
] we cannot comprehend.
81. "And He cometh and flndeth them
sleeping and saith unto Peter: Simon,
sleepest thou? Couldst not thou watch one
hour2" The great glory of the Transagura-
ton as we'll as the great sorrow Of Geth-
semane was too much for the flesh for they
seem to have slept in the former (Luke tx,
32) as we'll as in the latter.
SO. "Watch ye and pray lest We enter into
temptation. The spirit truly Is ready, but
his children, so the Lord pitieth them tina.
fear Him, for He knoweth our frame P*.
| Gill;: 19). What comfort it is! But let Us
not pity ourselves as satan through Peter
advised Jesus to do (MIath. xvi, %, margin).
Though our Lord recognizes and pities oui'
weakness He Himself has provided that H :
will be our strength so that we may sinS.
"The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my
song" Elsa. Kill, q. We are to realize our
weakness and never to rely upon ourselves,
for His strength is made perfect in weak
ness, and to them that have no might He in
! creaseth strength QI Cor xiii, 9; lisa.
-xl,2299A x; 29a -~>--.-->~|',- -'---->'
SO. And again He went away and prayed
and spake the same words" We heed not
fear the repetition Of the same words in our
prayers provided they are from the heart, nor
need we fear to ask many times for the same
thing, for Paul also besought the Lord thrice
to remove his thorn lin the flesh, and Jesus
Himself has taught US to be importunate in
prayer QI Cor. Kill, 8; Luke xi., 81. At the
same time He hasput us on our guard against
vain repetftions for the sake of much speak
ing (Math. vi, y.
40. "And when He returned He found
them asleep again (for their eyes we're
heavy. Neither wist they what to answer
Him" We think Of the ten virgins going
out to meet the bridegroom,yet all slumbered
and slept. We think of Jonah asleep in
the storm, while the sailors called upon their
gods and put forth every effort. We think
| of the multitudes of Christians who now
seem to be asleep through one or other OF
satan's many soporiflc doses, and Of the
preachers who seem tc be asleep, too, and
cry peace to the people when they ought to
sound an alarm because OF the great apostasy
and the manifest nearness of the end of this
age.
| Al. tAnd He cometh the third time and
saith unto them: Sleep on now and take your
! rest. 1t s enough. The hour Is come. Be-
hold the Son Of Man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners" He had gone away the
third time and prayed, saying the same
words (Math. XVI. AZ, and returning finds
them still asleep. Then He says these words.
Contrast the rest which He here calls ''ynu'
rest" as He thus addresses them. and tn
rest which He has provided by these ver
sufferings of His (hGath. xi., 2S), but to whic
the majority of believers are so indifferen
for they seem to know nothing OF 1t. Thc
will not cease from their own works eithe
as to salvation or service (Heb. iv., l.; X. II
Rom. iv., S; Eph. IL, TO-, land therefore cnnno
know His rest.
~. Rise up. Let US so. Lo, he that be-
trayeth Me is at hand" And so, being
strengthened, He goes forth to meet His ene-
mics and to give Himself into their hands.
for His hour to die had come, and He was
ready for the sacrifice. No man took His life
from Him. He laid it down of Himself (John
x, 1S).
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