4/5/2020
Matthew 26:36, 38 “Then cometh Jesus with
them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples…tarry ye
here, and watch with me.”
Matthew 26 is about the events leading up
to Jesus’ crucifixion. In verses 36-46, He is disappointed by His disciples not
being able to stay awake and stand watch as He prayed. Gethsemane is where
Jesus prays three times to God the Father, and asks for this cup to be taken from
Him, but also prays, “Yet not as I will, but as You will”. Knowing what was to
befall Him, Jesus submits to the Father’s will, and becomes the sacrifice for
all mankind.
Years ago, while I was attending a Sunday school
class, our teacher did a very dramatic telling of the crucifixion. He did it
with a lot of passion and graphic imagery. By the end of the class, I was shaking
and sobbing so hard that I couldn’t stop. I had been raised with the knowledge of
the sacrifice that Jesus made for us all, but when this man said, “This is what
Jesus endured for you!” it became intimately personal, like it never had
before. Every fiber of my being felt the weight and power of what was being
said, but I still could not even come close to imagining the magnitude, the
torment and anguish of those moments Jesus suffered…on my behalf. I can say
that the experience changed me. I cannot even carry the burden of my own sin,
so how could I possibly fathom what it took to take on the sin of the world?
Chambers says, “We can never fathom the
agony in Gethsemane, but at least we need not misunderstand it. It is the agony
of God and Man in one, face to face with sin. We know nothing about Gethsemane
in personal experience. Gethsemane and Calvary stand for something unique; they
are the gateway into Life for us.”
This single moment in time changed everything—
forever: Jesus became the Savior of the world. Did I deserve what He did for
me? Certainly not, but I am eternally humbled and grateful for His love, grace,
and mercy. Chambers closes with, “Every human being can get through into the
presence of God now because of what the Son of Man went through.” There is no
way for us to ever pay back such love and sacrifice, but I can always try to be
My Utmost for His Highest.
For such a time as this.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people, who are called by My name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked
ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal
their land.”
May God have mercy on us all
The Great Divide - Point of Grace
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