In the Garden
Let’s once more travel back, this time to the Mount of Olives and
quietly follow the sad, troubled figure of Jesus. He has just left the Passover
meal and has asked a few of the apostles that he loves most fondly to come with
him. He has seen his future, as a master would. Yet, his insight into what will
happen to him is not that surprising. Until recently he has pointedly stayed
away from major cities and the authorities, and answered questions carefully
and diplomatically. However, both the Jewish and Roman authorities keep careful
watch, and though he is not the only ‘troublemaker’ they are worried about, he
is certainly on the list of the ‘most wanted’. He remembers that his cousin
John, just two or three years before had been arrested and then killed, and
many of Jesus’ followers were John’s. Jesus knew what was coming.
Consider if you knew you had only days, or only hours to live, and your
ending would be not only excruciatingly painful but humiliating as well. In this state of mind, we watch Jesus trudge
down into the Garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. We see him implore his
beloved apostles to pray with him to help give him strength. As the night goes
on they fall asleep and Jesus struggles, and prays and struggles, all alone . .
.
. . . But wait, we hear the stomping of feet. And into the garden come
the hobnailed footed ‘cops’. They have their assigned task and they do it.
Jesus’ fate is now sealed.
1. What were some of the experiences you had
of seeing into the future? (This may have been as simple as knowing who was
calling before you answered the phone or saying the exact same word or phrase
as someone else at the same time, or much more detailed insight.)
How would you want to plan if you knew you only had a short time to live and the end would be painful?
Watch for the next section "Trial by Senhedrin" to be posted, and for the whole book go to:
bettejeancundiff.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment