By Shirley Mitchell
“He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch.’ ”
Mark 14:33-34
“He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed.”
Luke 22:41
On Jesus’ last night, He took all of His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. Then, He positioned Peter, James, and John closest to Him. He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond His disciples, knelt down, and prayed.
Did you hear His words in the verses above? Jesus said that His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Did you see how He was deeply emotional about this night? It says that He was distressed and troubled.
The Greek word for “distressed” is ekthambeo, which means “to utterly astonish, greatly amazed from distress of the mind; it’s antonym is to keep peace or to be at peace.” This means that the Prince of Peace was distressed and without peace. So He went to the One who could give Him peace.
The Greek word for “troubled” is ademoneo which means “to faint, be depressed and almost overwhelmed with sorrow or burden of mind.” I find this interesting because Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus said come to Him, and He will bear your burden. He will give you rest. But here in Gethsemane, we see that the Burden Bearer was burdened.
Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow. The Greek word for “sorrow” is perilupos which means “surrounded with grief, severely grieved, very sorrowful.” The Rest Giver was grieved. His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. The One who is supposed to give us peace, take our burdens, and give us rest went to His Father so He could lay down His burden and find peace.
I want you to hear the sobs of His soul. I want you to feel the ground shake when He falls to the ground in sorrow.
In the passion play, there are two crowd spots that are becoming my spots where I gain the deepest insights. One of my spots is the level below where Jesus is in the garden. Jesus was on the 2nd floor of the stage, and we were down below. The lights are out, and then dozens of women come in carrying candles. There is a spotlight on Jesus. It’s a beautiful scene. The directors positioned me on my knees closest to Jesus as He prays in the garden.
The spotlight shone on Him like the moonlight. Only my friend Terri was nearby to my left and slightly behind so I could only hear her sweet singing voice in my ear. I was so close that I could see the wrinkles on His knuckles. I could hear His sobs of grief even when His microphone was off. I felt Jesus’ sorrow that night. It was like I was on the ledge below of the Mount of Olives. I wanted so much to comfort Him. I longed to go back in time and to somehow give Him whatever strength I could. The Son of God experienced soul-searing agony.
Do you understand how Jesus felt? The disciples were there, but they were not attentive. Jesus was sweating blood and in a massive struggle between earth and heaven. He was on the precipice of giving His life for all mankind. He was lonelier than anyone has ever felt. His suffering on the cross was for us, but His suffering in the Garden was for Himself.
Why did it hurt Him so much? He was getting ready to bear the sin of all mankind. He was going to be separated from His Father. We can’t begin to understand the fullness of all of that, but we can be grateful that He chose to do it for you and me. What a Savior!
Pray with me: Oh, Jesus, we can’t imagine what You went through on Your last night. You were in anguish. You were troubled and overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. You experienced everything as a man. You know what it feels like to be overwhelmed and in complete anguish. Yet, You never sinned. You went to the One who could fortify Your mind, give You peace, and supply You with strength to do what You came to do. Thank You!! Jesus, it is in Your Name, the Name above all names that we pray, Amen.
Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry
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