127. Chapter 14 - In the Garden

Chapter 14 - In the Garden Matthew 26:30-56;Mark 14:26-52;Luke 22:39-53;John 18:1-12 The Garden Of the two great periods of storm and stress in the ministry of Jesus, the first was in the desert; the second, in a garden. There undoubtedly were other times of agonized facing of critical issues such as the night in prayer on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee, after the feeding of the 5,000 and the abortive attempt of the Zealots to take Jesus by force and to make Him king. But these two experiences, both of which brought Jesus near to death, are described in detail by the Gospel writers. Both were seasons of intense prayer as Jesus faced a struggle in maintaining complete subjection to the will of God. In both, the devil was present with all the lures and wiles at his command. His sinister offerings occupy the center of the struggle in the combat in the desert. But special mention is also made of his presence in the garden. As they left the upper room, Jesus indicated His words of counsel and warning were about ended: now He must go into battle against the devil: “I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world cometh: and he hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). There is a strong note of triumph in this declaration. The war had been on for years; Jesus had won every battle. The final tragedy of the opera, “Faust,” comes as a result of the horrible bargain which Faust had made with the devil when he had sold his soul. But Jesus, facing this final season of trial, could say with assurance that the devil had no mortgage on His soul. Angels came to comfort and strengthen Jesus after both of these seasons of combat. Complete victory and untroubled peace of spirit came at the close of each of these battles.

Because “Gethsemane” means “olive-press,” we conclude that this plot of ground was an olive orchard. Because Jesus was accustomed to find privacy and seclusion here with His disciples, we conclude that it was the property of a disciple who delighted to have his Master frequent it. It is called a “garden.” We use this word for a plot of ground devoted to the culture of flowers, vegetables, or fruits. Ordinarily, if it is occupied by trees, we call it an orchard. It is natural for our fancy to imagine that at least a part of this garden was devoted to flowers. We delight to sing the hymn: “I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses.” Man’s downfall in his first combat with Satan was in a garden filled with all the beautiful and useful things God had provided. There is something very fitting in the fact that this final, critical battle for man’s redemption should have been fought out in a garden. The Time

We are not able to trace with any certainty the hour of leaving the upper room. Knowing with divine insight the movements of Judas and His enemies, Jesus was able to arrange His own movements with assurance both as to time and space. It seems that Jesus left the upper room before midnight. The last verse of John 14:1-31 is decisive: “Arise, let us go hence.” The parable of the vine and the husbandman was spoken as they walked through the moonlit environs of Jerusalem. All sorts of explanations are offered by commentators as to what suggested the comparison of the vine and its branches: a vine growing over the door of the home they were leaving; the great golden vine Herod the Great had placed over a gate of the temple; heaps of pruned branches of vines being burned on the hillsides. But there is no necessity to suppose anything visible caused Jesus to make the comparison. The beautiful words of love and fidelity that fill John 15:1-27; John 16:1-33 have as their natural climax the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit to be their Comforter and Guide. In the detailed description of the work of the Holy Spirit, there is specific mention again of the fact that “the prince of this world hath been judged,” wherefore the Holy Spirit will convict the world of judgment. The Prayer

Westcott supposes that the majestic high-priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17:1-26 was delivered in the great court of the temple, deserted now of human occupants save for these twelve, and flooded with moonlight. But it may have been given at any appropriate spot as Jesus went on this leisurely journey toward Gethsemane. The triumphant mood is manifest throughout this, “the Lord’s Prayer.” It is the hour of glory that is at hand, as He goes to His death. In widening circles, Jesus prays first for Himself that the divine glory may now be consummated; for His disciples that they may remain one in the faith through their fidelity to the truth — His word; for all those who will become disciples in the future generations through their word; and last of all, for all the world, that it may be led to believe in Him by a faithful, united church true to the revelation which Jesus has brought to the world. The Disciples

After this prayer was ended, Jesus passed over the Kidron with His disciples (John 18:1). The traditional location of the Garden of Gethsemane is probably correct or nearby. It was across the brook Kidron and on the Mount of Olives. The present garden is obviously not so large as the one in which Jesus prayed. He separated the eight disciples from the chosen three, and was Himself separated from the three by a stone’s throw. The eight disciples were left at the gate or near the entrance. By all the teaching and admonitions of Jesus, they were to pray. We are specifically told that the three were asked to pray. We conclude that this command was given to the eight. The writers do not feel any necessity to inform us that the eight disciples went to sleep over their prayers. We can readily conclude this from the failure of the three chosen disciples.

Jesus’ Experience The description of the agony of Jesus even as He entered the garden is full of pathos: “And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sore troubled” (Matthew 26:37). Mark says: “greatly amazed, and sore troubled” (Mark 14:33). The second verb is the same in both accounts. The derivation may give the meaning: “to be homesick” or “to be sated.” Either derivation is very appropriate. Jesus “homesick” for heaven and His Father in the hour of death! Jesus so surrounded with the unbelief, ingratitude, and wickedness of man and His own endless suffering to save them, that in this hour of anguish, He begins to be “sated” with the harrowing experience. The word “sate” is often used of the glutton who has eaten so much, that the very sight of food is unbearable. The Son of God has endured such infinite suffering that in this hour of agony, He is sated with suffering.

Modernists like to talk of the “disillusionment” of Jesus in Gethsemane, using the word “sore amazed” as the basis for their charge. It is a charge against Christ, for it carries the content of being mistaken (or under illusion), disappointed, and despairing. Although Jesus knew before of His mission and the suffering entailed, the actual fierceness of the hatred of wicked men, the continuing inability of even His chosen few to enter into His experiences and share His suffering, the incredible weight of the sins of the world now being heaped upon Him combined to make the actual experience amazing in its fearful reality. The Watch That Failed

“Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: abide ye here, and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). A dying person usually likes for the light to be on in the room and dear ones to be awake and near. Even though they may not now share the experience of death, there is comfort in their presence. The disciples could not actually lift any of the load from Jesus, yet He desired them to be awake and praying. He did not ask them to pray for Him, but for themselves. He knew how great was to be their trial this night, and how much they needed God’s help. Many times before, they had tried to pray as Jesus prayed — for long hours. They had failed. As a result of their failure they had asked Jesus for more instruction on the subject of prayer (Luke 11:1). We are apt to be harsh in our criticism of the failure of the disciples in their efforts to pray in Gethsemane: the need was critical; Jesus’ request was urgent and personal. Why did they fail? Luke gives a very beautiful touch to his narrative as he explains this failure: “he came unto the disciples, and found them sleeping for sorrow” (Luke 22:45). It was utter, complete exhaustion which overcame their most determined efforts to remain awake and stedfast in prayer. How many nights had it been since they had slept? How could they sleep with the death of Jesus staring them in the face? Did Peter walk the streets of Bethany by night clutching his sword under his cloak? Unable to sleep when they should, they, with the perversity of human nature, now find themselves so exhausted they cannot remain awake when they should. Is there any exhaustion quite so prostrating as that from sorrow when the emotions are drained to the last dregs? The Agony The revelation to His disciples that. His suffering was so intense that it had brought Him close to death is couched in the words “exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” How intricate was the intertwining of sorrow for a lost, perishing world and the infinite suffering which was now His as He achieved redemption for all we would believe and obey. “And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). Luke gives further light: “And he was parted from them about a stone’s cast; and he kneeled down and prayed” (Luke 22:41). How far a stone would be thrown would depend upon the strength and determination of the thrower and upon the size of the stone: the statement is in general terms. Jesus evidently kneeled down at first, and then as His agony increased, fell prone on the ground. The first posture expressed reverence; the second, the intensity of his suffering. The “cup” is a familiar figure which may suggest joy or sorrow that is being experienced. Psalms 23:5, “My cup runneth over,” speaks of abounding joy and blessedness. When James and John had sought the chief seats, Jesus had questioned them sharply: “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I am about to drink?...” (Matthew 20:22). They had understood He meant His death.

Conflict of the Human and the Divine

Any effort to interpret that Jesus was afraid He would die in Gethsemane from the present tidal wave of suffering and not live to die on the cross, and that the “hour” and the “cup” refer to the agony in Gethsemane, seems quite inadequate. It was the incredible suffering on the cross where He died for us all, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree, that was the subject of His prayers. The mystery of His suffering in Gethsemane is quite beyond human comprehension, even as the mystery of the incarnation and the atonement. The perfect union of the human and the divine in Jesus made it possible for Him to endure such agony and to talk with God concerning the necessity of His death on the cross. That which is so hard for us to understand in the suffering of Christ is the very element which helps us to know the reality of His suffering. Were it not for this agony, these requests of God, and His outcry on the cross, some would be making the charge that the death of Jesus was no more than play-acting with little personal significance for Him. This prayer seems to impinge upon the foreknowledge of Jesus and to collide with His many predictions of His death. But it is when we reflect that Jesus was both God and man, that we get the clearer understanding of the mighty struggle which was taking place in His soul. The sublime resignation with which Jesus prayed helps our understanding of how these prayers were possible. Jesus talked with God about the necessity of the cross, but He talked in terms of complete submission to His will. Mark informs us that Jesus prayed: “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee...” (Mark 14:36). Abba appears to be an Aramaic word meaning, “father.” The repetition of the address to God is very touching. It carries a tenderness of appeal. Jesus addressed Martha in this double form when wishing to rebuke her and at the same time to express His great love and appreciation of her devoted service: “Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41).

Fear? From the Epistle to the Hebrews we have additional information concerning the agony in Gethsemane. Here alone do we learn that Jesus wept and that He uttered audible outcries: “Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save Him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear. though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:7-9). “In the days of his flesh” is a sublime statement both of His pre-existence and His perfect humanity. It sets forth that which was involved in this desperate struggle in the Garden. The Greek word translated “godly fear” means definitely this and not any sort of fright or cringing fear. To suggest that Jesus was afraid to die would reduce Him below the level even of mere human martyrs who have gone to their death without flinching. It was the incalculable burden of the sins of the world which weighed Him down. Godly fear, which is reverence, fills each of the prayers that He offered to God that the cup might pass, but that God’s will might be done. There is a change indicated in His prayers as the battle is won: “My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42). Here the resignation is even more complete than in the first prayer. The statement quoted by Mark: “all things are possible unto thee” means all things that are right and true. The holy character of God forbids His doing any wicked things. “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). Man deserves death as a proper punishment for his rebellion against God. It is not the righteous character of God, but His love, which stood in the way of any failure to offer man this supreme means of redemption in Christ through His death on the cross. The Sleeping Disciples

There is matchless sympathy and tenderness in the rebukes Jesus gave to His disciples. Peter, the leader, bore the brunt of His censure. He is addressed as “Simon”: he is not showing the quality of a rock now: “Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour?” This does not prove that this season of prayer had lasted just an hour. The term seems to be general: it may have been more or less. How understanding and gentle were the words of pity He added: “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” In the last world wars, men fought and died on battlefields that were so desperate that one passing over the scene of carnage after the storm had swept by, could only distinguish the dead from the living by touching and examining their bodies. Those cold and stiff were dead, but the living had fallen in physical collapse which left them sleeping that which was so like the sleep of death, only examination could prove there was life in their bodies. It was such sheer exhaustion which had now overcome the apostles. They longed to stay awake and pray; they tried with desperate determination, but they were unable any longer to command their bodies. At His second coming, “they knew not what to answer him”: “Their eyes were very heavy.” The Angel

Luke tells us that an angel came, strengthening Him between the second and the last season of prayer, and that at the last “being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44). The angels that came at the close of the struggle in the desert had ministered unto Him. They doubtless ended His fast by providing food for the body as well as spiritual strength for the soul. The primary meaning of the verb used in Luke 22:43 is of bodily strengthening, but the meaning in this verse evidently includes strengthening of both body and spirit. The sight of the angel and the encouraging message from heaven would bring renewed power. The Greek word translated “agony” is held to have the primary meaning of fear by some who would render it “agony of fear.” But again Hebrews 5:7 gives confirmation of that which the whole revelation about Christ would declare, that it was Godly fear or reverence that was basic in His experience. The Bloody Sweat The word translated “great drops of blood” can be rendered “blood clots.” It seems to mean more than that His drops of sweat resembled drops of blood by their size and frequency; otherwise there would be no reason or force in such a comparison. “Bloody sweat” is a good translation. Plummer cites the case of Charles IX of France as reported by Stroud, The Physical Cause of the Death of Christ (Commentary on Luke, p. 511): “During the last two weeks of his life (May 1754) his constitution made strong efforts...blood gushed from all the outlets of his body, even from the pores of his skin; so that on one occasion he was found bathed in a bloody sweat.” Even if no such phenomenon were known today, it would not prove that such did not occur in the case of Jesus. His agony was unique. The nobler the person, the more sensitive he is to suffering of this type.

Transfiguration and Gethsemane

Burton has an interesting comparison between the experiences of Christ and the three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration and in Gethsemane. On both occasions the death of Jesus was the object of solemn contemplation. At both times the disciples were borne down by sleep. It is hard to believe, however, that there was anything miraculous about this sleep. Excited labors and great sorrow oppressed them before and after the meeting at Caesarea Philippi and in Gethsemane. In both, the disciples were only able in a very small way to enter into the experience of Jesus. One was on a mountain; the other in a garden. The one scene shows in majestic fashion His deity; the other, His humanity. A brilliant cloud and luminous appearance transfigured Christ on the mountain; deep lines of suffering and a bloody sweat veiled His face in the moon-light of Gethsemane. Heavenly messengers came on both occasions to commune with Jesus. (The Expositor’s Bible, Commentary on Luke, pp. 365-6). The Answer The Gospel narratives do not explicitly state that the prayers of Jesus were answered. It was not necessary. The omission of such a declaration is in harmony with the sublime insight and delicacy of detail of the whole narrative, in which so much more is implied than is told. The teaching and life of Jesus made it unnecessary to affirm that God actually did hear His prayer. The coming of the angel, the growing resignation of Jesus, and His final calm and peace as He returned to His disciples and faced arrest, all show clearly that God heard and answered His prayer. The cup was not removed: He was given the strength to drink it. Hebrews 5:7 declares plainly that His prayer was answered. The Rest

It is not possible to understand the instructions given by Jesus to the disciples at the close of the period of agony, except by perceiving that an indefinite period of time elapsed between the statements: “Sleep on now, and take your rest” and “It is enough; the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going” (Mark 14:41, Mark 14:42). How long Jesus sat in silent contemplation, while the disciples slept, we do not know. From the Garden of Gethsemane the company of Roman soldiers, the priests, and their temple hirelings could be seen emerging from the city gate. Jesus awakened the three and advanced to the gate where He also awakened the remaining eight. It would be all too severe a test of their faith and courage. At least they must have the ordinary privilege of being wide-awake. The enemy must not be allowed to imagine that Jesus was hiding from them or trying to escape. He would go forth to meet them. The Arrest

All three of the Synoptics agree in calling the hostile force “a multitude” or “crowd.” This suggests a mob, a sort of irregular and unorganized force, but John uses the Greek word which means a Roman cohort or a detachment of it. He states that it was under its officers and the chief priests themselves. Permission from Pilate would have been necessary to secure the support of Roman soldiers. It is plain during the trials that Pilate was expecting the crisis and was well informed as to its nature.

Every conceivable preparation had been made for this arrest: the crowd of temple guards ready for any wicked enterprise their cruel masters might plan; the Roman soldiers to give security and legality; the swords and staves for warfare, if any unexpected uprising of Zealots in His defense should threaten to thwart their plan; Judas, the traitor, to make sure that no mistake was made in the identity; lanterns and torches to give light if dark corners must be searched; a pre-arranged sign that was to be both the means of recognition and the signal for immediate action; the chief priests leading the mob; the high priests in the court rooms rehearsing suborned witnesses.

Jesus’ Deity

Never at any time in His ministry does the Master show more impressively the peace which is above the understanding of the world. His suffering is now past; there is no fear or anger. Jesus shows incredible gentleness even toward the traitor. His rebuke of the chief priests is full of dignity and measured reason so much more effective than hot wrath. The majesty of heaven shines out in every word and deed in this hour of humiliation. The crowd seems to have surged forward rapidly as they approached the Garden for Mark says: “And straightway while he yet spake, cometh Judas” (Mark 14:43; Matthew 26:47). Jesus now stood forth and revealed Himself to the entire crowd: “ Whom seek ye?...I am he.” The multitude, overwhelmed by the sudden revelation of His divine nature with which He had a number of times before prevented their laying violent hands upon Him, fell to the ground in awe and fear. Again Jesus addressed them asking whom they sought. Since nothing had happened to them and Jesus now asked again of their purpose, they regained their courage and arose. They answered: “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus identified Himself to them and asked that the disciples be permitted to leave without being molested. It was at this juncture, after Jesus had made Himself known, that Judas went through the empty performance He had planned. He had agreed to the exact procedure he would follow, and even though Christ had stripped him of the traitorous necessity, he followed on through as he had planned. Judas had chosen the ordinary salutation between friends as the means of identification and the signal for concerted action.

Judas When the manner of the betrayal is contemplated, all efforts to cover up the degradation of Judas and clothe him in motives more or less respectable fail. Judas accepted leadership in laying out the procedure and in fulfilling it (Matthew 26:48, Matthew 26:49). His words: “Hail, Master” and the traitorous kiss are the climax of baseness. The Greek verb is compounded and means “to kiss effusively or in a most demonstrative manner.” It is thus that great love and the joy of meeting again after having endured a prolonged agony of parting, would be expressed. Judas came forward boldly and was presumably in the place of greatest danger, if Jesus chose to use His power to defend Himself. Judas was convinced that Jesus would not resist arrest.

Jesus had this very night conferred upon His disciples the title, “Friends,” but He had at that meeting in the upper room made it clear that Judas was not included now in the circle of His friends. Why, then, did He call Judas, “Friend,” while he was in the very act of treachery? The Greek words are different in the two passages. “Comrade” or “companion” is a better translation of the word used here. Gibson thinks that Jesus uses the term in a last appeal to turn Judas from his wicked course. It is hard to believe that this is the meaning. It seems rather to be used to show Judas that he is recognized and to remind him of his absolute baseness in betraying the One who had been his comrade. It is rebuke rather than an appeal, but does not seem to be either an expression of sarcasm or anger. The Authorized Version translates: “Friend, wherefore art thou come?” while the American Standard Version says: “Friend, do that for which thou art come.” The verb must be supplied; there are no punctuation marks in the uncial manuscripts. The broken sentence is full of pathos. It may be filled in as follows: (1) “Friend, this is that for which thou art come [I know your treachery]” ; (2) “Friend, do that for which thou art come”; (3) “Friend, is it this for which thou art come?” ; (4) “Friend, is this [a kiss] fitting for that for which thou art come?” This last interpretation would make the statement practically the same as given in Luke 22:48, but it is more likely the latter was added immediately after Judas had kissed Him.

Peter

Peter’s rash attack upon the first villain he saw rushing toward Jesus to lay violent hands upon Him, was exactly what he had planned to do. He had declared he was ready to die with Christ. Any one who talks of the cowardice of Peter has to shut his eyes to the fact that Peter rushed to attack a company of Roman soldiers and a mob of temple guards and underlings. Here were eleven men against a multitude, and only two swords in the possession of the eleven! On the way to the Garden Jesus had given more enigmatic advice: “He that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword” (Luke 22:36). Peter had answered promptly that for once he had foreseen the need and forestalled the request: “And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords.” Some suggest these were knives used in preparing the Passover lamb, but the Greek word is “sword,” and Peter certainly was swinging a sword in the Garden. One wonders where and from whom they had procured these swords, how long they had been in their possession, who had the other one, and whether they had been keeping night watches in Bethany during this dreadful week. The question arises why Jesus did not compel them to throw them away as soon as they made known they were in their possession or why He had not forced them to confess they had armed themselves before this. But the dramatic scene in the Garden emblazons the teaching of Jesus as no private rebuke could have done. It also afforded miraculous proof on the spot that He could have destroyed them all and saved Himself, if He had so willed. Jesus’ answer to their revelation that two of them were carrying swords is also cryptic: “It is enough.” (“We will not discuss the matter further now. It is useless to argue with you in your present mood.”)

How swift moving the action was in the Garden is shown by the fact that as the high priest’s servant rushed forward to be the first to seize Jesus, Peter rushed up and swung his sword wildly at the attacker. Just how one could swing a sword at an opponent and only clip off an ear is seen if the servant saw Peter lunge and swing and in the instant dodged to escape the blow. Thus a solid blow which might have split the head or severed the shoulder, was almost escaped, but for the ear. Luke shows that the apostles cried out to Jesus for permission to use violence: “Lord, shall we smite...?” (Luke 22:49). The action was so swift and simultaneous that Peter’s blow followed before an answer was given. As Jesus reached out and healed the ear of the servant, He said: “Suffer ye them thus far.” This is hard to interpret. Was He addressing the apostles and commanding that they desist and refrain from violence? or was He addressing the soldiers and asking that no reprisals be taken against the apostles since He was rebuking their rash action and healing the wounded man by a miracle?

Peter had previously misunderstood the command of Jesus to procure swords. It had only been a figurative way of saying that they are now to face such violent persecution, they must beware to preserve their lives. Now Jesus vigorously corrected Peter’s misunderstanding. “Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?” (Matthew 26:52, Matthew 26:53). In this moment Jesus gave final proof of the voluntary character of His death. He set forth the fundamental principle that His cause is not to be advanced by violence and that whoever resorts to violence can expect to suffer the same. This does not mean that law and order are abolished and the innocent and the helpless left to the mercy of the wicked oppressor. Paul solemnly points out that God decrees law and order and the king does not bear the sword in vain, but is ordained of God to protect the helpless from the vicious (Romans 13:4).

Final Rebuke A last rebuke was given to the mob: “Are ye come out as against a robber with swords and staves to seize me? I sat daily in the temple teaching, and ye took me not” (Matthew 26:55). Luke reports: “but this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). The devil has been close at hand. He has lost the battle with Jesus. But he rules this crowd of villains, and has his way for the time being. Matthew shows that Jesus also reminded them that they were fulfilling Scripture in this violence toward the Messiah. “The scriptures of the prophets” had foretold His shameful suffering and death at the hands of wicked men. Unable to stand and wait or to surrender with Jesus, the disciples turned and fled. In the heat of the attack they were ready to die, but now in the quiet of the surrender under the stern rebuke of Jesus and His reminders that all of this is in accord with the will of God and the express predictions He had made through the prophets, the fear and indecision which they had previously resisted overwhelm them.