Full of Humility
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took His disciples up to the Mount of Olives overlooking the city of Jerusalem. In the midst of the olive groves, He began to feel the weight of what was about to befall Him. He would be beaten, mocked, scourged, and finally crucified. But the worst trial He would face would happen during the last three hours of His time on the cross. He would endure God's wrath against the sin of all mankind, from Adam and Eve's disobedience onward. As Jesus prayed in the Garden, the thought of this impending agony overwhelmed Him. The dread was so great that his sweat mingled with blood and he gasped out desperate pleas to his disciples to pray for him.
During my recent bout with cancer, one evening stands out as the low point of the eight month ordeal. A few days after Christmas I was about to be rushed into emergency surgery for a perforated bowel during a time when my white blood cells had dropped almost to zero. If I were to contract an infection, my body would have no way to fight it and I could very well die. I remember the nurse holding my hand while I wept uncontrollably with anxiety thinking this might be the last time I would see my family in this life.
Looking back now I cannot imagine the anxiety Jesus must have experienced. I would be unconscious during the surgery, but Jesus would bear all the conscious torment of God's wrath on our behalf, besides the pain inflicted on Him by the Roman guards. As He prayed He even asked God to take the cup of suffering from Him if there was any other way to accomplish redemption. Ultimately, however, He prayed to the Father, "Not my will, but yours be done." Hebrews 12:2 tells us that the joy of redeeming mankind was what allowed Him to endure the cross. As He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus joyfully chose faithfulness to His mission over His own comfort and preservation of life. Thank God for the faithfulness of our Savior to suffer and die to save us!
Mark Farnham - Elder
Additional Resources:
Never Once - Matt Redman
Great is Thy Faithfulness
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