Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-07
Sunday School Lesson
BY
Rev. Hugh r. Stevenson.

I shall pray" Luke tells us how that He
withdrew from the disciples about a
stones cast. He could feel their pres
ence and they could see that He be-
came to be sore amazed and to be very
heavy" while He prayed with His face
prone upon the ground, The disciples
missed their opportunity of being help
ful to Him in that hour when He de-
sired their sympathy. Three times He
returned and found them asleep.
Weary, tired and sorrowful, He was
surprised that they could not watch
with Him for at least one hour.
Our Lord needed help from above.
He sought divine sympathy and sup
port in prayer. He was counted Man
of Sorrows, but no man could share
with Him in that hour the sympathy
and spiritual support that He needed.
No person could understand how the
treachery of Judas had filled His heart
with anguish or what a menace He
faced when Satan. who had the power
of death. was forcing the Lord Jesus
to put up a struggle that tested His
very soul. His body needed to be slim
ulated, strengthened and supported in
that hour of heroic agony. In praying
to the One who was able to save Him
from death, Jesus was heard. He was
saved from death, but it was not the
death upon the cross that He sought
to escape when He prayed, Let this
cup pass" He had no horror of the
cross. He had entered the human race
to die upon the cross to save and re-
deem men. The danger that He might
die in the garden without finishing the
task He had come into the world to
perform was trying His soul.
No wonder the Son of God '"sweat
great drops of blood" while He cried
nt3f TNrtf efN arI f1r
help to complete His work of redemp-
ton. Without the shedding of blood
upon the cross for the salvation of men
Jesus realized that His work would be
failure. lie knew the Fathers inter
est in the redemption of the world, and
in His agony He sought help from
Him. He did not pray in vain, for an
angel drew near to aid Him and help
Him win the battle of the cross; that
He fought in Gethsemane not to es-
cape its horrors and suffering. but to
be spared to endure them out of His
love for the salvation of a lost world.
Nevertheless, He was willing that His
Fathers will should be done, not His.
Physically exhausted, He sought and
received help from above to endure the
agony of Gethsemane, so that He could
die upon the cross. The lonely Christ
had trod the wine press alone, but He
were approaching the Garden. under
the leadership of Judas, who had be-
trayed His Lord for 80 pieces of silver.
Ready for the Cross.
When Jesus turned to the disciples
and found them asleep the third time,
He had braced His WORKOUT body with
spiritual help and nerved His soul for
His approaching arrest trial and death.
There is a poise and power in His COM
mand to the apostles, who had failed
in their duty to Him, to arise, Let us
be going" His betrayal was near. His
trial would quickly follow, and His
death upon the cross was certain, but
He would die as the Son of God in an
effort to redeem a sinful race. Satan
had tried to defeat Him, but the Son
of Man had found sympathy and sup
port in prayer.
Every soul has to face his own Geth-
semane. There comes a moment when
one must go down in the valley and
surrender all for the glory of God.
There is no prayer more important than
the one you offer in the hour when you
feel that the destiny of life hangs upon
the issues of that moment. When you
feel that life, possibly your own des-
tiny, hangs in the balance, you and I
should be encouraged by the Masters
example when He prayed that II 1t be
the Fathers will the cup might be
passed. The issues of our life will bring
glory to the Father and help to men if
we let Gcd decide the issues of life
for us. We are called upon to fill up
that which is behind in the afflictions
of Christ. Not until we, in our per-
sonal experience. are fitted by the trials
we face in our own Gethsemane can our
Lord triumph in our life, love and labor.