Evening star., 1925-02-14

Gethsemane was a favorite retreat
of our Lord. Located upon the Mount
of Olives, He loved to rest beneath
it's old trees and to commune with
the Father within it's garden. 1t had
received its name from its oil press.
where the feet OF men crushed the
olives to obtain oil. There is some
thing about the quiet OF the place,
that the Franciscans have preserved
for US. that appeals to every Chris
tfan. Underneath the rugged
enarled and twisted old olive trees
differences of creed and church are
forgotten by the followers OF Jesus
as they realize that they are stand
ing, If not in the actual place, then
at least close to the garden OF agony.
While 1t is quite possible that the
trees were cut down by the army OF
Rome when Titus besieged Jerusa-
lem in 10 AID, nevertheless the trees
now growing there may have sprung
from the roots of trees which were
in the garden the night Jesus came
to 1t and made it forever famous
One of the historic eight olive trees
was blown down few years ago,
but from its roots there will spring
forth a new tree that in coming CEN
turies will help the followers Of the
Christ to visualize tho Lords strug-
gle and sorrow that took place there
the night preceding His crucif1xion.
Gethsemane stands out like a mighty
mountain peak among the historic
places associated with the life of our
Savior. In fact. there is mono great
er than Gethsemane, where. after you
enter the low door you are shown
the spot where Peter, James and
John slept when their loyalty and
love called for them to watch and
pray with the Lord. who poured out
His soul in prayer about stones
throw away from the three. They
had been privileged to behold His
glory in the TRANSPORTATION. They
were honored by the Lord, who gave
greatest moments OF history with
Him during His suffering. struggle
and sorrow In Gethsemane. During
the unprecedented experience of the
Lord It is evident that Jesus had an
eager desire for sympathy. He
took with Him into the garden the
members OF His inner circle, because
He counted upon their loyalty, and
love resi- onding to His appeal for
active sympathy and compan ions p
No human being can fathom the niys-
teries of the agony that Jesus en-
dured alone during HIS struggle in
the garden. Like the disciples of
old. we can only reverently look
upon the worlds greatest battle from
afar. There is a solitude in the
gardens gloom that none can evade.
In it's depth Christ . fulfilled all
prophecy. treading the winepress
alone.
Our High Priest.
| While tits impossible for US to pene-
trate the deep recesses OF Geth-
semane, u torch has been lighted for
US In the Epistle to the Hebrews, by
the suggestion that the experience
of the garden was closely connected
with the Master being called of God
an high priest after the order of Mel
| chiseder." Three days before. the TEN
pie had been closed upon it's Lord
But there is a new temple, in which
shall minister a priest Of the older
order of MeIchisedec, rather than OF
| the line of Aaron, a temple not made
of stone, but composed OF living men
and women. for. as the apostle says,
''Ye are the temple of the living
God" One writer well suggests that
of this new and living temple we
have representation in Gethsemane-
| the eight are its court, the three are
| in the holy place, and into the holiest
| of all goes our great High Priest
twain.
Reverently we may conceive, then
OF Him as in that hour taking on
| Himself the sin of the world, in a
more intimate sense than ever before.
| Not before Caiaphas, not at Plate s
| judgment seat was the issue to be
decided, but here and now before the
dawn of morning. Like the drama of
many other souls. It Is played in the
darkness of the night and alone with
God. While His body was crucified
in Jerusalem. Gethsemane was the
scene of His souls crucifixion. While
there the letter of the law was exc
cuted, in the garden the awful weight
of it's spirit was borne. He was called
that night to drink the full cup of
sorrow, while He only drank its dregs
on the cross.
If in this special sense Christ as
sumed the burden of human sin in the
garden, can we wonder that He, who
was without sin, shrank from being
made sim? In His exhibition Of the
law Of life of how the just suffer for
the unjust. He revealed the essential
difference between the filial faith of
Christianity and the brutal fatalisms