The Garden of Gethsemane

[ParanoidAndroid]

I was watching an episode of one of my favourite shows of all time today - Babylon 5 (as we all know sci-fi is the best genre of tv, lol). In this episode, there was a monk who expressed his opinion on the events in the Garden of Gethsemane. We all know the story - Jesus was in the Garden praying when he said to the Father: "If it be your will, take this cup from me. Yet not my will but yours". In this simple sentence, Jesus Christ showed us what he was feeling. Naturally he did not wish to die. Jesus was a human being, just like we all are, and he didn't want to die. Who would? Yet he also acknowledged the supremacy of God's will - yet not my will, but yours.

Jesus knew his fate. Being God, he knew from the moment of his birth that he came to die. There was no other possible option. But still, in the Garden, there was that prayer. Take this cup from me. And in the morning, when the guards came to take Jesus away, he was waiting. He could have run off. He could have postponed the crucifixion for a few hours, or a few days, or a few years, or (since he was god) the entire life. But he submitted to God's will.

Back to the tv-show I was watching. This monk relayed the story and then hypothesized - if I were in the Garden of Gethsemane, could I have stayed there and waited for the end? It got me to thinking - if I were in Jesus' position, could I have done what he did? I don't know. I'd like to think I could, and at my boastful best I could easily type here right now that I could. But I am not in taht position, and I don't think I could really answer this question until I were in that position. It is a...... humbling experience to think about this. To think that we preach so highly to live Christ-like lives, but then if our lives are in jeopardy to question our motives and our actions.

God asks us to give our lives completely to him. Often it is not as obvious as the Garden of Gethsemane, but still the desire is there. How else are we called upon to serve God? A friend of mine finished a medical degree two years ago. Last year she was a doctor for 12 months. this year, it is all on hold as she goes through a period of training at Bible college. God calls on us all the time to make sacrifices in his name. Maybe not in the scale of the Garden of Gethsemane, but still they are there. This friend of mine has put her medical career on hold to learn the Bible better.

I'm not sure this thread really has a point. I just thought I'd share some musings that I had as a response to this issue that I had. It is a tough issue to talk about, and it really has again highlighted my shortcomings as a Christian and my praise of God who is Most High. All the best,

~ Regards, PA

[Scarletprayers]

I keep getting caught off guard, at how He is changing me, it started with little things, and now I see those little things becoming big things. What would I have done, like you I like to think I would have given all, but honestly a few years ago I thought I could just get away with giving what I wanted.................how wrong I was.

[ParanoidAndroid]

That's a very good point, Scarlet. As humans we often say we are "giving all we can", but in reality what we mean is we are giving all we want. As the Lord changes us, so are we becoming closer to him. Thank you for adding this point in, it is most welcome

[RedeemedByHim]

I was watching an episode of one of my favourite shows of all time today - Babylon 5 (as we all know sci-fi is the best genre of tv, lol). In this episode, there was a monk who expressed his opinion on the events in the Garden of Gethsemane. We all know the story - Jesus was in the Garden praying when he said to the Father: "If it be your will, take this cup from me. Yet not my will but yours". In this simple sentence, Jesus Christ showed us what he was feeling. Naturally he did not wish to die. Jesus was a human being, just like we all are, and he didn't want to die. Who would? Yet he also acknowledged the supremacy of God's will - yet not my will, but yours.

Jesus knew his fate. Being God, he knew from the moment of his birth that he came to die. There was no other possible option. But still, in the Garden, there was that prayer. Take this cup from me. And in the morning, when the guards came to take Jesus away, he was waiting. He could have run off. He could have postponed the crucifixion for a few hours, or a few days, or a few years, or (since he was god) the entire life. But he submitted to God's will.

Back to the tv-show I was watching. This monk relayed the story and then hypothesized - if I were in the Garden of Gethsemane, could I have stayed there and waited for the end? It got me to thinking - if I were in Jesus' position, could I have done what he did? I don't know. I'd like to think I could, and at my boastful best I could easily type here right now that I could. But I am not in taht position, and I don't think I could really answer this question until I were in that position. It is a...... humbling experience to think about this. To think that we preach so highly to live Christ-like lives, but then if our lives are in jeopardy to question our motives and our actions.

God asks us to give our lives completely to him. Often it is not as obvious as the Garden of Gethsemane, but still the desire is there. How else are we called upon to serve God? A friend of mine finished a medical degree two years ago. Last year she was a doctor for 12 months. this year, it is all on hold as she goes through a period of training at Bible college. God calls on us all the time to make sacrifices in his name. Maybe not in the scale of the Garden of Gethsemane, but still they are there. This friend of mine has put her medical career on hold to learn the Bible better.

I'm not sure this thread really has a point. I just thought I'd share some musings that I had as a response to this issue that I had. It is a tough issue to talk about, and it really has again highlighted my shortcomings as a Christian and my praise of God who is Most High. All the best,

~ Regards, PA

Ok..I did not read the rest of the replies...but Jesus did want to die..that is not what he was referring to when he asked for the cup to be taken from him. If he wanted to die then why did Hebrews (I think that is the book) say that "...for the JOY set before Him, He embraced the cross."

What was going on in the garden was Jesus was under alot of emotional stress. That is why he sweated drops of blood, which is a real medical situation. When a person is under so much emotional stress and pain, their blood vessels constrict and start bleeding through the skin. This is a point right before death. So what Jesus was asking was that He would not die right there in the garden. If you also notice, after He prayed that the cup be removed, an angel came and ministered to Him. It was in the garden that Jesus shed blood for our emotional healing. Then at the whipping post, He shed blood for our physical healing, and finally at the cross He shed blood for our spiritual healing and salvation. I could go much more into detail on this, but only if you want me to. If anyone wants, I will post a whole thread concerning this...not thread but post...no sense in starting a new thread on the same topic.

[Zadok Rox]

...Back to the tv-show I was watching. This monk relayed the story and then hypothesized - if I were in the Garden of Gethsemane, could I have stayed there and waited for the end? It got me to thinking - if I were in Jesus' position, could I have done what he did? I don't know. I'd like to think I could, and at my boastful best I could easily type here right now that I could. But I am not in taht position, and I don't think I could really answer this question until I were in that position. It is a...... humbling experience to think about this. To think that we preach so highly to live Christ-like lives, but then if our lives are in jeopardy to question our motives and our actions....

I'm like you, ParanoidAndroid. I don't want to be like Peter and boost, "Oh, I would tough it out to the end; no problem!" only to chicken out when the going got tough.

[nebula]

I was watching an episode of one of my favourite shows of all time today - Babylon 5 (as we all know sci-fi is the best genre of tv, lol). In this episode, there was a monk who expressed his opinion on the events in the Garden of Gethsemane.

I remember that episode. Very thought-provoking on many levels.

God asks us to give our lives completely to him. Often it is not as obvious as the Garden of Gethsemane, but still the desire is there. How else are we called upon to serve God? A friend of mine finished a medical degree two years ago. Last year she was a doctor for 12 months. this year, it is all on hold as she goes through a period of training at Bible college. God calls on us all the time to make sacrifices in his name. Maybe not in the scale of the Garden of Gethsemane, but still they are there. This friend of mine has put her medical career on hold to learn the Bible better.

Good point.

My best friend's sister is working in Hollywood. She turned down a promising job offer (she was personally asked to join the projet!) to work with a movie that was going to be filmed on the East Coast; she turned it down so that she could be in Hollywood for an evangelical rally that she believed the Lord wanted her to be at. After the rally, she had no regrets.

[Guest myloo]

I thank you for such wonderful truth. I have always thought of how would I feel or what would I do if I was in Jesus' position? What I have learnt is that sometimes as christians we experience some difficult times as tests to strengthen our faith in God. We may never experience a scenario similar to that of Christ in the garden, but I do believe that God permit difficult times to strength the relationship we have with him. At times we may think that God has forsaken us (like Jesus said on the cross), but He's only preparing us for the next level and to fulfil His purpose in our lives.

Edited October 1, 2007 by myloo

[damo1]

from damo1

i can relate to this as its taken me time also to get to this point were i am walking the way he expects me to and sometimes it can be hard when the old self is still active and wanting what i was so use to i find the more i surrender and allow my self to be led by god i am not fighting him as much as i use to as in my younger days as a new christian i use to always fight him and it was the stupid things i was so comfterball with

now i am able to give not 100% buy 97% of my self yet i am half way there it was a hard task of what jesus did for us as he was a normal man yet the son of god and it blew me away by this mans honesty and his strength to do something no person could do

boy if it comes to a point in my life i feel i am ready to even die for this gospel as were i am going to be living next year or in 2009 i wil be depending on god and god alone for my life as i am going to a part of the world were ther has been heavy fighting in the philippines and we have friends who are only young pastoring a church and are doing there best to reach out to the muslems and the rebels who want one island to them selves

oh intresting point i liked that show babylon 5 we do not get it no more in australia as it use to come on late tel me are they playing new shows or re runs as we got a lot of re runs i did not know what the station was doing at one stage the same program would come on and you wil now what hapens sceen by sceen

i am hooked on stargate my self and i love this show it has good punch lines

[Vickilynn]

Shalom PA,

What a timely post. I am actually teaching on the Garden of Gethsemane tonight. There is a WHOLE life lesson in the verse that says:

Matthew 26

39And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

When I was in the hospital dying of Leukemia and I looked in the faces of my husband and 4 children, the youngest who was just 4 at the time, I prayed that prayer - with one difference - I could ONLY pray the first part. I could not let go of my life and pray the second part, where Jesus submits to the Father's will and gives up His life.

We might think we know how we would react if it were US faced with these situations, but until we actually ARE, we don't know.

I won't share my whole teaching here, but suffice it to say that I did get to the place where I could honestly pray the second part of Jesus' prayer... "nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

We might all pray that we could and would do that when actually faced with death.

[Vickilynn]

Ok..I did not read the rest of the replies...but Jesus did want to die..that is not what he was referring to when he asked for the cup to be taken from him. If he wanted to die then why did Hebrews (I think that is the book) say that "...for the JOY set before Him, He embraced the cross."

What was going on in the garden was Jesus was under alot of emotional stress. That is why he sweated drops of blood, which is a real medical situation. When a person is under so much emotional stress and pain, their blood vessels constrict and start bleeding through the skin. This is a point right before death. So what Jesus was asking was that He would not die right there in the garden. If you also notice, after He prayed that the cup be removed, an angel came and ministered to Him. It was in the garden that Jesus shed blood for our emotional healing. Then at the whipping post, He shed blood for our physical healing, and finally at the cross He shed blood for our spiritual healing and salvation. I could go much more into detail on this, but only if you want me to. If anyone wants, I will post a whole thread concerning this...not thread but post...no sense in starting a new thread on the same topic.

Shalom Redeemed,

I disagree. Jesus was the Son of Man and as such He knew the painful, horrible things that were gong to happen to Him. And as the Son of G-d, He COULD have changed all that. The Scriptures say that He was "troubled", "distressed" and he "sorrowed." I believe that He did NOT want to die on the Cross at that moment as the Son of Man, as He plainly asks the Father to remove the cup.

BUT, as the Son of G-d, He submits to the Father's will and chooses to give up His life rather than to have His own will. I believe He was definitely talking about what was coming next, the beatings, the scourging and the painful, horrific death.

Thank you Jesus that you chose to surrender Your will to the Father's, for us!!