Surpassing

“And they went to a place called Gethsemane.” (Mark 14:32)

Gethsemane was that place of unbearable anguish where we picture our Savior wrestled to the ground, pinned down by the excruciating heavy weight of the world. Jesus escaped to pray in this familiar olive grove in the hours before facing the cross and invited in three of his closest companions. Our Savior welcomes us to draw near, too, beckons to us through this unimaginable portion of Scripture to look closer, to consider, to learn.

Not surprisingly, this sacred time is cloaked in the unknown, and yet Christ allows us access to his immense suffering for important reasons. In this passage, he lets us sense the inconceivable cost of his sacrifice, the dreadful penalty for our sins, the intimate gut-wrenching intimacy with his Father. And, perhaps, this part of his magnificent story is recorded to help us as we agonize, too, in cancer clinics, hospice cubicles, prison cells, funeral parlors, or courtrooms. Knowing we would face our own insurmountable situations and staggering scenarios, the Lord said, “Come close. Stay a while in this classroom and let me share instructions on how to survive.”

Our Master teaches us to call a few friends to our side, even if they can’t understand the depths of our distress, even if their attempts aren’t quite perfect. They might fail, might not ever grasp how difficult our journey is at the moment. That’s ok. Jesus needed friends close by, and we do too. Let some inside the middle of our darkened places. Jesus did.

Paramount: pray. Pray as long as you need. Pray longer than you think you need. Take your beyond-bearable to the burden-bearer. Tuck yourself in a secret place, cry out without pretense or bravado to the only one capable of rescue. Get alone, beg for deliverance, and beg further still. Ask the Lord to “remove the cup” that is too bitter to swallow. Remember that you are praying to “Abba, Father; all things are possible for [him]” (Mark 14:36). Your God is not distant nor disinterested. Never believe that lie! Jesus collapsed on the ground and begged his Father for mercy. We follow his lead when we do the same.

In pleading for deliverance, Jesus also makes it clear that a submissive heart is a necessity. We must balance the “I want this from you, God,” with “I accept whatever you want for me, God.” Asking must eventually clasp hands with acceptance; our hearts must unfurl a white flag of surrender to “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). At the outset of their time together Jesus taught his disciples this prayer, and then he lived it before them at the end. He beckons us to imitate him in this regard, too.

Jesus pulls back the curtain on his horrible hour to blow away the misconception that “no one understands.” Gethsemane dispels that fallacy as Jesus identifies precisely with our pain. From Gethsemane, to Calvary, and out of that borrowed tomb, Jesus demonstrates in living, breathing color that: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).

Elizabeth A. Mitchell

Related Post

Extension

Extension

“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, . . . so that you became an example to all the believers.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6–7) Suppose they could actually speak to us, the characters described throughout the pages of Scripture whom we...

read more
Take 40

Take 40

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1 NLT) Puzzling angle, this call to wait patiently when our natural instinct is to sprint ahead to fix our mess, straighten up the chaos, get our life...

read more
Delivery Room

Delivery Room

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) It appears that joy is in short supply. Joy-stealers, robbers, and drainers hound our every move, wrestling...

read more

1 Comment

  1. Carol Booher

    I’ve been looking for assurance, finding it in the faithfulness of Jesus…and here is another…in His presence. He’s already done this, already been there, already felt it all. And when I come into that next place, a bit afraid of what will be there, I can know that He will already be there when I cross the threshold.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This