Evening star., 1917-06-03
JESUS BETRAYED AND. DENIED.
John, 18.1-1S.
Golden Text: rHe was despised
and rejected of lisa, 53.3.
By Rev. H.. T. Stevenson.

| Gethsemane, the garden where the
olives were pressed into oil by the feet OF
men. marks the final turning point in
Christ's life. 1t was place where Jesus
was in the habit of going with His disci-
pies for prayer. The Master withdrew
| to the garden upon the Mount of Olives
after He had by His prayer in the upper
room fitted His diciples for the trying
ordeal that they must face. John passes
over the lonely agonizing struggle of
Christ, which is narrated by the other
evangelists in their gospels, because he is
seeking to present the Lord as poten-
| tate. In former sections the beloved
diciple has outlined the career Of Jesus
as prophet and priest. He now shows
how the Master, filed with concern for
the success of His mission, seeks His
favorite place of prayer to commune with
the Father.
The pain that He endured. possibly under
| the old olive trees that are still growing
in the garden. exhibited the law of life-of
how the just suffer for the unjust. The
struggle through which in the coming
days America must pass will aid us to
understand something of the depths of the
Masters suffering. which exhibits the es-
sential difference between the filial faith
of Christianity and the fatalism of Bud
dhism and Mohammedanism. In the garden
Christ's sufferings were pre-eminently
they were physical. The cup, whose
dregs He drank, was not due to His
shrinking from the death upon the cross.
but resulted from the fear that He would
die as a martyr in the garden and not as
the Savior of men. Luke. speaking as a
physician, tells of the agony and bloody
sweat. which in cases of extreme anguish
have been the immediate predicative of
death. The Masters prayer was heard SO
that He was the only one of the party who
lxxpS OF nf ia haf fra val
and denial. The victory of Christ stands
forth in contrast with the defeat of Judas
and Peter, because Jesus had decided to
follow the Fathers will.
The approach of Judas with the force
of men drawn from the garrison and tenn
pie found Jesus ready to welcome those
whose mission was to put Him under ar
rest. The crowd that followed Judas
Mount of Olives from Mount Zion was
half mob and half soldiers from the
Roman garrison that guarded the temple.
Probably either Judas or the Jewish
sanhedrin officials. who had made the
bargain with the traitor. had Influenced
the Roman officials to believe that they
were called upon to arrest dangerous
political person, who not only possessed
miraculous power. but had a numerous
following, who might defend Him. AL
though it was a moonlight night. they car
ried lanterns. for Judas during the two
hours that had passed since he left the up
per room had taken every precaution to de-
liver the Master over to His enemies for
thirty pieces Of silver. If Jesus should
try to hide in any of the caves they
would find Him. If He. or His friends.
sought to make any defense the trained
soldiers were to make quick work of their
efforts It Is evident that the con-
spirators took no chances of failure.
They had not counted upon the poise
of Jesus He steps forth and boldly
challenges the party. He avows His
identity and overawes them by His
attitude and address There is no halo
on His head, no outraying of light and
glory from His person; but there is a
shining forth of His character that
created a panic among the company.
They went back, scattered, stumbled
and 'fell to the ground" They rise