IN our picture this week we have a view of the Garden of Gethsemane as it is at the present time; but as we look at it, our thoughts turn to that time when the Lord Jesus Christ went into it, before He was betrayed into the hands of sinful men, and where He was in a great agony.
Have you thought, dear reader, what caused the Lord Jesus Christ to be in such agony of mind that night? There was no one else troubled like Himself. He had told His disciples He was to be betrayed and they were sorrowful about that, and wondered who would do it; but they knew not what the great sorrow was that the Lord had to pass through. They had been with Him in many other temptations, but at that time the Lord was going to be alone. He took three of them apart to have them watch and pray with Him, but He goes a little way from them and they, instead of watching and praying, fell asleep while He was in great agony before God His Father about the awful cup of judgment He was about to take for sinners. He was in communion with His Father, but soon He was to be forsaken of God, Ah, dear reader, you may never have been troubled about your sins, nor the judgment you have deserved for them, but the Lord Jesus could not think of sins, and the awful penalty and what it would be to be under them all, without it giving Him great agony; and He prayed that the cup might be taken away from Him, but He said, “Not My will but Thine be done.” If God was to be glorified, and we were to be saved, the cup must not pass away from Him.
So the Lord takes it from His Father’s hand. All that would happen to Him by sinful men, was received from His Father, but, when on the cross, God dealt with Him for sin, and sins were charged to Him, and God did not commune with Him then, but forsook Him on account of His being the sin bearer. That was the time when He was drinking the cup of judgment in all, its fulness from the hand of God. So He said “My God, My God, why halt Thou forsaken Me.” Ah, God could not look on His beloved Son when my sins were laid upon Him, but Jesus was superior to all the sins and judgment, and after He had taken all and left none for me, He said, “It is finshed.” Oh, what a Saviour to take my place willingly, and take all the judgment I deserved, and, unsaved reader, your sins and your judgment too, if you will but believe in Him.
If you will take Him as your Saviour, you can then say along with those who believe in Jesus, “WHO HIS OWN SELF BARE OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE TREE, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24).
Messages of God’s Love 12/20/1908