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T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
September 1930
Seed Thoughts from St. Mark B y R ev . W ilfred M. H opkins C hapter X IV— V erses 25-50
i WILL NO MORE DRINK, etc.—The words are some what mysterious. The difficulty is not removed by sug gesting that they refer to the wine as a type o f the glori fied life hereafter; the reference to the fruit of the vine is too distinct and emphatic. May we not suppose that He refers to future feasts with His people in the mil lennial reign? His glorified body could eat (cf. Luke 24:43) ; why could it not also drink? It is always safest to assume that Christ means exactly what He says. (Note that Christ did not Himself partake either of the bread or the wine: He was the true Paschal Lamb and did not need to partake o f the emblems o f Himself.) 26—HAVING SUNG AN HYMN—Probably the. conclud ing portion of the Great Hallel, i.e., Psa. 115-118. As we said above, remembrance is the main object of the Lord’s Supper, but it is also to be an eucharistic feast. Thanksgiving should ever be part of our religion, and where is it more appropriate, nay, imperative, than where we remember and celebrate our Lord’s dying love? 27—ALL YE SHALL BE OFFENDED (literally, “scan dalized” )--j-To be connected with a prisoner, an apparent crim inal, would be not only disgraceful, but dangerous. I WILL SMITE THE SHEPHERD, etc.—Cf. Zech. 13:7; Jno. 10:11. Note that the Shepherd is referred to here as the man that is the fellow o f JEHOVAH, and also that the smiting was to be divine, though accomplished through the agency used connotes the closest possible conjunction, as though nothing on earth could ever separate him from his Lord. IN THE SAME MANNER SPAKE THEY ALL—Not so vehemently or repeatedly, but with more or less of the same self-reliance; probably they were ashamed to appear less loyal or less con fident than Peter. 32— A PLACE OF WHICH THE NAME WAS GETH- SEMANE-—The popular idea o f the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane is that our Lord was praying to be delivered, if possible, from the death of the Cross with all its agony; but can that possibly be? Personally we think not, and for the following reasons: (a) It would have denoted an absolute change in His attitude of mind. He had declared His willingness to die (cf. Heb. 10:5-7; Psa. 40:7, 8) ; He had repeatedly announced the necessity (cf. Matt. 16:21; 20:18, 19); the idea of escape had been rejected as the suggestion o f the Evil One (cf. chapter 8:31-33). Such a fluctuation of purpose or desire is unthinkable in Him who had declared, “I am JEHOVAH, I change not,” and in whom is “ no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (b) It would have been a prayer contrary to the Father’s known will, and any such prayer would have created a schism in the God head itself, which is again utterly unthinkable, (c ) Any unwill ingness to die would have rendered the death in vain. Sin was the unwillingness to submit absolutely to the divine w ill; the submission, therefore, o f the Substitute must be wholehearted in its willingness, or it could not have been sinless, and therefore substitutionary, at all. Moreover, it should be noted that the prayer was "heard” (cf. Heb. 5:7), i.e., not only listened to, but granted (such is the meaning of prayer being “heard” through out the Bible) ; and that prayer was a prayer to be saved, not from the agonies of the Cross, but from death. The truth seems to be that Christ was praying to be saved from pre mature death (“ sorrowful even unto death"). The Evil One was trying to kill Him, if possible, through nervous prostration. He had made many attempts to kill Him before (cf. Matt. 2:16- 18; 4:6; Jno. 8:59; 10:31; Luke 4:29; Mark 4:37, 39—“Be muz zled” ; see notes on that passage). There was one yet later attempt to accomplish His death apart from the Cross (Jno. 8:59). If the Devil could have accomplished this his dominion would have been saved, since it was necessary, if Christ was to be a curse for us, that He should hang upon a tree (cf. Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13). Note, further, that there could be no need for a prayer for deliverance from His enemies (cf. Matt. 26: 53). Nol The physical prostration was so awful that He feared He would die without accomplishing that for which He came into the world. SIT YE HERE—With the oncoming o f this awful depression He felt that He could not bear the company of men. 33— TAKING TO HIMSELF PETER, etc.—And yet He could not bear to be alone. What a touch o f perfect humanity there was in all this; how near He seems to come to each one of us. EXCEEDINGLY AMAZED—»-This was an unexpected experience (the prospect o f the Cross was too familiar to have amazed Him). Was it possible that He was going to fail after all? IN GREAT DISTRESS—The thought o f the possibility caused Him great anguish o f mind. 34— EXCEEDING . . . UNTO DEATH—Heavy with de pression that threatened to kill Him. This could not refer to the death on the Cross; the words are destitute o f meaning,
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