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and enable him to finish h is1coufse w ith joy. He arose and calmly passed ou t of the garden to m eet his approaching doom. Gethsemane was th e testing of the paschal lamb for th e passover sacrifice. It must be w ithout flaw or blemish. The p articu lar point on which the te st was made was submission to God’s will. The one essential was the lamb-like sub mission. When he was facing imm inent and p rem atu re death, which involved the loss of th e cross, he cried out, “Let this cup pass from me.” If, in th e in finite wisdom of God, this must come to pass, he accepts it and says, “Neverthe less not as I will, but as thou w ilt.” Throughout this en tire ordeal, even the poor solace of human sympathy was denied him. Once and again when he sought th e th ree disciples whom he brought into the garden, he found them asleep. We have frequently and thoughtlessly sung, “ I ’ll go w ith him th rough th e garden.” W hat guarantee have we th a t we would have been any more watchful and helpful th an these chosen th ree? How tenderly and g ra ciously th e Master m ingles excuse and admonition! “The spirit is w illing, but th e flesh is weak.” v. 39. W ent to th e m oun t of Olives. The place was named Gethsemané, which means “ oil press” .— Camb. Bible. His experience in Gethsemane was ex actly th e reverse COMMENTS FROM of th a t of the MANY SOURCES first Adam, who K eith L. Brooks began in a gar den a n d w a s driven thence into th e desert because he failed toT efuse him self one pleasure. Jesus began where th e transgressions of men had driven them— in th e desert, among th e wild beasts— and resisted not a luxury bu t the passion of hunger, craving fo r bread. Now He is in a garden, bu t how different from theirs. — Chadwick. Disciples followed Him. The th ree whom Jesus took w ith Him are the same th ree whom He took into the mount of transfiguration. If He takes us into th e mount of transfigura-
(6 ) How did th e F ath e r answer His Son’s prayer? (y. 43; Heb. 5:7.) (7) Would the prayer of P eter have saved him from betraying his Lord? (Jas. 5:16.) (8 ) Have you a place of prayer, and have you power in prayer? Gethsemane was not only a tim e of suffering for the Saviour, it was a sore tem ptation. It was S atan’s hour. His purpose seemed to be to m ar the work of Jesus a t its close DEVOTIONAL as by the first temp- COMMENT tation he sought to P . W. F a r r stop it a t the be ginning. There was the same three-fold attaek here as there, but in reverse order. There it came upon body, soul, spirit. H ere it comes upon spirit, soul, body1. That was ob jective. This was subjective. Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are. He fought our battle under the same con ditions th a t confront us. He lived en tirely by the Holy Spirit. E lijah had a somewhat sim ilar experience, (1 Kings 1 9 :4 ). If the mind of the Saviour could be clouded or his reason dethroned, the atoning sacrifice would be invalidated because offered t in derangem ent ..( He m ust be in the full possession o r his senses or his death would avail nothing. S atan ’s final attack was upon the physi cal frame. Every vital organ felt his touch. The life-blood seemed to fo r sake its usual channels and returning, drive itself through th e frail tissues to th e surface w ith such force as to ooze th rough the pores of the skin. Death was very near and ap art from th e cross. F rom the first th e cross had been his objective. F o r th is a body had been given him and of th is he had prophesied. Could God perm it th is awful th ing to happen? He prayed in an agony of desire and was heard in th a t he feared. (Heb. 5 :7 .) An angel came sw iftly down from heaven to streng th en him
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