The Lord leaves the supper table and goes to the Mount of Olives. We see the Lord in three conditions—going down the mount, ascending and on the hill. As His royal descent was refused, we see Him making a wearisome ascent, and in Zechariah we find Him again on the Mount, but there it will be split beneath His feet in judgment.
Once there, He leaves the disciples with these words: “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” His business is now with the Father. And what is He saying? “If Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me.” Surely this was part of His moral perfection. His love made Him a willing victim, but it would have been a blot on the moral beauty of His journey if He did not deprecate such a relative position to God as that He was about to enter into on the cross. Since it cannot be disposed of except He drink it, “not My will, but Thine, be done.”
Then we read, “And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” He is strengthened for a fresh agony. When He rose, He came to His disciples and found them sleeping. They were His thought, not He theirs! He their thought? They could not watch with Him one hour. So it is now. He ever lives to make intercession for us. Do we live ever to love Him—serve Him? He ever lives for you. Do you ever live for Him?
Then He is plunged into the midst of His enemies. “While He yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas . . . drew near unto Jesus to kiss Him.” One of His disciples makes a mistake—a terrible mistake. It was a mistake arising from a wrong condition of heart. The disciples had not been in Christ’s company as they ought to have been.
Can you imagine, on His way to die—the just for the unjust—to see the ear of a poor sinner touched by a sword! Let us be careful and judge ourselves keenly for such mistakes.
“But this is your hour.” It was the hour of the bruising of the woman’s seed (Gen. 3:1515And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)) and He puts Himself into their hands, a willing captive now, as He was a willing victim on the cross.
Did you ever, in light of Scripture, consider what the heart of man is? Look at the priests in the temple in the presence of the rent veil—they plotted a lie. Look at the soldiers in the presence of the rent tomb—they consented to a lie. Now see man in sight of the healed ear. It is in the presence of that that they take Him—they take Him with murderous purpose, while He was performing a wondrous miracle of healing. Tell me what you can do with a heart such as that!
J. G. Bellett (adapted from Notes on the Gospel of Luke)