PRAYING IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. Matthew 26.

Peter had assured his Lord that ’if all men deny You, he would never. The Saviour told him that ’Before the cock crows that Peter would deny HIM three times.’ Peter rebuffed His Lord with ’Even if I have to die with You, I shall not deny you.’ Peter was supremely self-confident. He had great lessons still to be learned. We too.

‘Sit here at Gethsemane, while I go and pray over there.’ Gethsemane meant the oil press, referring to the many olives at the mount and the need of a press for the invaluable oil. Our Saviour moved steadily to His crushing experience of bearing the sins of the world, so like the squeezing of the olives that the life-giving oil might flow.

The Lord Jesus longed for that close comradeship with some of His disciples, as he approached His Calvary crisis. Therefore, He chose Peter James and John so that they could pray together through that hour. I have just resumed with a dear friend, with whom I had prayed weekly for 35 years; such strong, vigorous praying, for local, international and family matters. We poured out our hearts before our God. But the Lord of Life was denied such intimate, stimulating fellowship. ‘The Saviour began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.’ Eternal salvation hung in the balance.

These men had been with their Lord at the raising of Jairus’ daughter; and at the transfiguration. He needed their close presence and prayer more than ever before.

Christ did not disguise His deep feelings, claiming, ‘My soul ( His mind, emotions and will ) is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Stay here and watch with me.’ (v38) This is a divine mystery, that the Son of God in His perfect humanity suffered such an assault on His soul or inner being. Hellish hatred was on the rampage; and the Saviour needed encouragement. He chose three disciples as His innermost support team. How would they respond to this challenge. How do we?

We see the prayer life of God’s dear Son, who is a also our great High Priest. He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed, Note the anguish ‘O my FATHER, if it be possible , let this cup pass from Me. (v39) Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’ Indeed, He showed true resignation to the heavenly Father.

The Spirit of God drew aside the curtain of the intimate, deep, indissoluble oneness between Father and Son. ‘My Father’ reveals an eternity of unbroken love.

The breaking heart of our Lord spoke to Peter, ‘What, could you not watch with ME one hour?’ The same reproach would have stirred John and James. It powerfully challenges us to set aside precious times with our dear Lord. The Puritan leaders of centuries back spent much time ( hours daily ) on their knees pleading with their Father in heaven. Many influential Christians leave little time to wrestle in prayer: which may explain the shallowness of much of our know-how.

The Saviour ’s legacy in these concluding hours enriches us as He pleaded, ’ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.’ He explained how ‘The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ God’s word is marvellously balanced for the sword of the spirit is sharper than any two-edged sword, ’WATCH and PRAY. ’ The Lord urges us to be spiritually alert- awake to the true glories of the eternal world- and yet face the grim realities of the struggle against sinister, evil forces. Individually and in our churches, we must exercise a deeper, more vigorous prayer life.

Again the Son of God slipped away for more prayer; so, ’He went away the second time and prayed.’ Intercession was His priority. Again He tenderly pleaded, ’ O My Father, ’if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.’(v42 ) The cup clearly referred to the Father’s judgment on our sin, and the vicarious sufferings of our Saviour. Christ drank the cup to the dregs. He knew the depth of sorrow that He must carry - to be our Liberator and Comforter.

While the Son of God had engaged in deep communion with His Father, the disciples slept on.’ He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. ‘ How often in later life did Peter, James and John rue the lost moment, when they could have cheered and upheld their master in comforting and serious prayer.

After some years in a hospital unit during WW11, Everyman’s unit in Sydney NSW invited me to spend a half night in prayer. The idea was novel, nevertheless challenging. Memories of those prayer meetings years ago are vivid. God used each of those men in different realms in the next fifty years. Prayer could be your choicest private ministry. Though it will be costly, Heaven will rejoice!

‘So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.’(v44) Our Lord did not need to change His language, for His heart was set on bearing ‘our sins in His own body on the tree.’ The Father understood the heart speech of His eternal SON.

‘The Lord returned to His special students, ( presumably all of them ) as ‘He came to his disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting?’ While He was their Creator, He longed for creature companionship. He does with us, too.

Then He solemnly announced, ’ The hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.’ The eternal ONE had come to earth in the form of the Babe of Bethlehem for this purpose. The seed had to fall into the ground and die: and bring forth fruit. Oh, what a harvest!

The Son of God never retreated, but always moved forward in the perfect will of the Father’ Rise, let us be going, See, he who betrays ME is at hand.’ (v46) Our Lord had taught during His ministry, “if any man set his hand to the plough and looks back, he is not fit for the Kingdom of God. ‘ The Master Ploughman had dug a deep furrow from which an eternal harvest would come; inclusive of all who trust His Name for their great salvation. This study will continue in the path to the cross.