Gethsemane

One

Christ’s Power in Gethsemane 

The Garden of Gethsemane is the place where Jesus begins what is called his Passion, His suffering and death, by which He saved the world. And normally we think of Jesus as a victim, which of course He is. In fact, the word passion comes from the same word as “passive,” as though Jesus were simply overpowered and ultimately destroyed by the forces of wickedness.

But we get a reminder, even at the beginning, here in the garden, that throughout the entire Passion - Jesus is the one who is in control.

When Judas and the band of soldiers come to arrest Jesus, He says to them, “Who are you looking for?” And when they answer, “Jesus of Nazareth,” he says to them, “I am.” With those words, He both acknowledges that He’s the one they’re looking for, and uses the very name of God, given to Moses from the burning bush so many centuries before.

And when He says, “I am,” all those soldiers, are knocked to the ground. It lays them flat out.

The briefest word from Jesus can disable armies. It can wipe out threats. He could conquer the world with a breath if He wanted to.

Jesus is the all-powerful God. And He waits patiently while those soldiers pick themselves up. Then He lets them bind him and take Him away to His torture and death. 

Two

No one takes my life from me

In John 10, Jesus said very clearly, “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. For I have the power to lay it down and to take it up again”

This is what He shows in the Garden of Gethsemane when He displays the ability to defeat His enemies with a word and then patiently submits to their mistreatment.

This is the Christian mystery, that Christ was a victim, that He was subjected to the vilest injustice in all of history, and yet that His passion and death was His achievement, His triumph, His mission brought to completion.

This is true of each one of His followers. Our greatest triumphs occur when it seems as though we are helpless, when it seems as though we’ve lost all our power.

If we are true disciples, then our greatest achievement will be measured by how we perform when we appear to be victims of things beyond our control, victims of sickness or injustice or circumstance. 

Three

Useless

One of the worst parts of suffering is that we feel useless. As a kid, my biggest fear was to be a benchwarmer. I wanted to be on the field, making plays, and being active.

To me, sickness and suffering, not being able to live and act and think to my full capacity is like getting benched. You’re taken out of the game and now you are useless. 

With sickness and suffering it can feel so unjust. It’s not like you did anything wrong, then suddenly you are a victim of sickness and suffering or some circumstance beyond your control that caused everything to fail, and it takes you out of the game.

And what is worse, now you have to sit there and watch the others play.

Four

When I am weak, then I am strong 

St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 tells how God allowed a certain suffering in his life. He tried everything to remedy it and he even begged God three times to remove it. But God said to him, “My grace is enough for you: My power is at it’s best in weakness.” 

For some reason, when we become passive victims, when we are so to speak incapacitated, stripped of our power, that is when the power of God can start to work in us and through us. 

So, Paul says, “For it is when I am weak that I am strong.”

Five

Our Mission

Christ was not just a victim in his suffering and death. He was the greatest agent of change. Yes, he begged the Father to remove the cup of suffering and death. But when he accepted it, that was when all his Divine Power was unleashed to save the world. 

We should do everything we can to remedy our suffering or situation. And we should ask God to fix the situation or heal the sickness. But when we have done all we can and we can’t change it, then we should accept it and unite our sickness, suffering, and losses to the Cross of Jesus. Then the divine power will be unleashed in us to help Jesus save the world.

God is inviting you to help him save the souls of your family and friends who are lost. But our example, our action, and our words are weak and often fail.

So, God allows us to become incapacitated, weak, passive, benched. But if we accept it and offer it up, He uses it to save our family and friends and the whole world. 

Christ was not merely a victim in his suffering and death. He was the Agent of Change. You are not merely a victim. Jesus is inviting you to be an agent of change with him to help save your lost family and friends by your prayer and suffering. 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it is to offer up your prayer, work, joy, and suffering - to unite it to the Cross of Jesus to help him save your loved ones. 

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