Jesus in Gethsemane

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Matthew 26:36-42.

It was in this place where the Lord Jesus would have His greatest battle. His humanity was feeling weak and distressed. His strength had escaped Him.

Every step that He now took was with labored effort. He groaned aloud, as if suffering under the pressure of a terrible burden. Twice His companions supported Him, or He would have fallen to the earth. *

"My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death," were His words. The Lord was desperate, the weight of sin was creating a large rift between Him and his Father. From the beginning Jesus and his Father had never been separated. For the first time, sin had created a dense and dark separation that Jesus could no longer see the sun of righteousness. The rays of mercy were no longer falling upon Him.

God loves the sinner but hates sin. Carrying mankind’s sin, God could no longer help His son.

But God suffered with His Son. Angels beheld the Saviour's agony. They saw their Lord enclosed by legions of satanic forces, His nature weighed down with a shuddering, mysterious dread. There was silence in heaven. No harp was touched. Could mortals have viewed the amazement of the angelic host as in silent grief they watched the Father separating His beams of light, love, and glory from His beloved Son, they would better understand how offensive in His sight is sin. *

The enemy has corrupted God’s image, His character, His nature. The world thinks that God does not care about our daily lives, that He is not interested in us. Many consider God to be indifferent, that in the midst of pain and suffering, He is far away. Some believe that perhaps God created us and then left this world to face its own fate. But through Jesus we can see how much God really loves and understands us.

The human heart longs for sympathy in suffering. This longing Christ felt to the very depths of His being.*

The One who had always had words of sympathy for them was now suffering superhuman agony, and He longed to know that they were praying for Him and for themselves.*

Through what Jesus experienced we can see that God compassion towards humanity. There is not a single tear shed that He does not see and with tender heart sympathize. Jesus was there, suffered and later died so that he could intercede for us.
However, let us not forget that so great was this struggle that the Lord ask his Father that if possible let this bitter cup pass over Him. But their close relationship led Jesus to always do his Father’s will.
Meanwhile the Lord’s body continued to weaken and He fell to the ground while praying to our heavenly Father.

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44.

Science has attempted to explain this condition. Hematidrosis, because of the distress experienced by an individual, the capillaries in the sweat glands break. This causes the person to sweat drops of blood. As a result, the individual’s skin also becomes extremely fragile.

And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Matthew 26:43-46.

The great battle, the cosmic conflict was to be determined in the Garden of Gethsemane. What had begun in heaven and spilled over onto earth would be determined here.
The hosts of darkness had surrounded Jesus attempting to destroy Him. Similarly, Satan and his angels are around us every day, trying to destroy us. If it were not for the mighty angels of heaven we would be shattered by the powers of darkness.
The enemy did everything he could to convince Jesus not to die for the human race. They do not deserve it, were his words. Satan had everything at stake in this very moment. He said to Jesus, your own people will kill you, one of your disciples will betray you, one of them will deny knowing you, all of them will abandon you, and most of humanity will reject you.
It still was not too late. Jesus could wipe the drops of blood from his disfigured face and ascended to the Father leaving this world to perish as it deserved. For the second time He asks the Father if it possible for the cup to pass Him and again He found his disciples sleeping.
But the Lord desired to do the will of the Father. For a third time He went back to pray: is it possible for this cup to pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.

Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. Luke 22:43.

The angel that had taken the place of Lucifer descended in order to strengthen Jesus. He did not take away the bitter cup from the Lord’s hands; neither did he provide the Lord super human strength to bear this burden. The angel simply reminded Jesus why he had come to this earth.

He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings. He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High. He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved. *

Christ's agony did not cease, but His depression and discouragement left Him. The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury. He came forth calm and serene. A heavenly peace rested upon His bloodstained face. He had borne that which no human being could ever bear; for He had tasted the sufferings of death for every man. *

Jesus did not leave us to die without hope. In the midst of pain and suffering we endure in this terrible world we can look to the heavens and see that something better awaits us.

He sees that the transgressors of the law, if left to themselves, must perish. He sees the helplessness of man. He sees the power of sin. The woes and lamentations of a doomed world rise before Him. He beholds its impending fate, and His decision is made. He will save man at any cost to Himself. He accepts His baptism of blood, that through Him perishing millions may gain everlasting life. *

The decision is made and the battle decided. Thank God are saved. Through the death of Jesus we can reach heaven even if do not deserve it.
But having made such a great sacrifice, how can we reject it. We must go to Him and accept so great a salvation.

JESUS IS COMING SOON, AMEN, YES, LORD JESUS COME!

* The Desire of Ages, "74. Gethsemane", Ellen G. White