The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-02-20
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36. "Then.' This was about midnight.
"Cometh.' After they had left the upper
room where they had eaten the paschal
supper. With them" There were only
eleven now; Judas was absent making ar
engagements for the betrayal. Unto, a
place Jesus ofteutimes resorted to this
auiet retreat with His disciples John
is: p for refreshment, retirement, quiet
instruction and perhaps prayer. "Gethse'
NAME" The name means oil press, an EN-
blem of trial, distress, agony: Sit we
here" He left eight Of the disciples at
the entrance of the garden. pray.
Christ frequently went alone to pray.
81. "Took with Him." Further into
the garden, to a spot more retired. Two
sons of Zebedee." James and John. Inc
three disciples Jesus took with Him had
been witnesses of His TRANSPORTATION and
glory, and were to behold His humiliation
and agony. Began to be sorrowful." 10
be penetrated with the most exquisite
sorrow and overwhelmed with deep an
yuish. every heavy" Sore troubled; a
Stronger word than the other. -.
3S. even unto DEATH" My soul is so
dissolved in sorrow, My spirit is filled
with such agony and anguish, that II
speedy succor be not given to My body
death must be the immediate consequence.
ut was an agony that would destroy HIS
life if it continued" This sorrow He felt
for the sins of lost race; Isaiah 53:4 ex'
plains it. The agony became so great that
His sweat was great drops of blood falling
down to the ground. ''Tarry ye here.
Spoken to the three disciples Watch
with Me-" 1t was not sign of human
weakness that in such an hour as this
Christ sought for human sympathy, this
desire for fellowship in hours of darkness
and of sorrow is strongest in the hearts IN
which love is the richest.
80. "a little farther" About stones
cast luke; $50 to 200 feet. There were
now three divisions to the little company
the eight, the three and Jesus alone. "On
His face" This was the ordinary posture
of the supplicant when the favor asked
was great, and deep humiliation required;
The head was put between the knees, and
the forehead brought to touch the earth.
MY Father" In all our addresses to
God we should eye Him as a Father-as
our Father, and it is in special manner
helpful to do so when we are in an agony
IF it be possible" etc. This has been
generally explained in way to make II
appear that Christ was fervently asking
the Father, if possible, to remove the cup
of His coming death and sufferings from
Him. A more satisfactory explanation Is
that Christ was asking the Father to re-
which was done when the angel came
strengthening Him. Jesus knew that it
was the divine purpose that He should
come to the cross, and it was in harmony
with this plan that He asked that the
death agonies of this hour might pass
from Him. Christ prayed to have the suf'
ferng that threatened His life there in the
garden relieved in order that He might 60
on and finish. The great horror OF Jesus in
the garden arose, not from fear OF Calvary,
but from fear of failure, through physical
suffering, to reach Calvary, and thus to
lose all for which He left heaven. mot as
l will" If it is Thy will that should die
here in the garden instead of dying on the
cross, as foretold. I submit. He was en-
tirely resigned to His Fathers will.
40 "Cometh unto the disciples" He
did this three times during this awful
hour. He apparently desired communion
with them and the sympathy and comfort
which they could give. Asleep" Luke
says they were sleeping for sorrow. And
yet we cannot help feeling that if they had
had deeper sympathy with Christ and
fuller realization of the crisis they would
have kept awake, and not have been found
sleeping on guard. Christ's gentle reproof
implies this. Unto Peter" Peter had
just made loud professions. with Me-"
tie was suffering for them, but only ex.
pected that they would watch with Him.
lone hour" Sometimes Christ continued
in prayer all night, but He only asked
them to watch with Him one hour.
Al. "Watch and pray" A testing time
is coming, and you will need to watch care.
fully and pray earnestly. The Christian is
lin danger of falling prey to the world,
the flesh and the devil. The person who
fails to watch opens the door for the
tempter to enter. We should guard every
avenue of approach and see to it that the
enemy does not enter unawares. But
watching and praying go together. Pray.
er without watching is hypocrisy. Unto
temptation" The enemy was near at
hand; they were about to undergo a very
severe test. Would their faith and cour
age fail them? God is able to keep US
from entering into temptations. even
though we may be in the midst of temp
tatons. "The spirit indeed is willing"
etc. They desired to watch with Him and
thus show their sympathy and love for
Him, but their bodies and minds were
weak.
42. "The second time" His going the
second and third times shows how great
was the burden, and His intense earnest.
ness and perseverance. What an example
is this to US? If it were necessary for
Christ to pray three times, how many
times ought we to pray?
43. "Their eyes were heavy" They
could not keep them open; they were not
able to resist drowsiness. Mark tells us
that they knew not what to answer Him
when He aroused them from their slum
bcrs. They. had no excuse to offer.
a. "The same words" They best ex-
pressed the desire of His heart. 1t is GER
tainly right for Gods people to use the
same words in prayer again and again,
when they come from hearts filled with
strong desire.
As. "Sleep on now" Jesus had gained
the victory. The hour for watching was
over, and now they could take their rest
But how is this to be reconciled with the
command to rise w. 46)? Some think this
was spoken ironically, and should be read
in the form of q question. Do you still
sleep on? But probably there was short
period of time before the command came
to rise.
46. "Let us be going" To meet Judas
and the soldiers. Jesus is ready, and He
knows what is before Him. Without hes.
itancy He turns His face toward His ter.
rible sufferings of the cross. He does not
fec from danger, but goes willingly to His
death, for for this cause came lie into the
world.