Dear Christian friends:

During this Lenten Season we are considering the chief places where Jesus suffered and paid for our sins. After leaving the upper room Jesus and eleven of His disciples went out of the city, crossed over the Kidron (Black River) and came near the Mount of Olives to a garden called Gethsemane.

The Bible tells us that Jesus often came here with His disciples to rest and to pray. This night He came here to pray and to wait for Judas and the mob from the High Priest to come and arrest Him. As the Son of God, who knows everything, Jesus knew before it happened that they would come and arrest Him.

So tonight we consider:


Gethsemane means olive press. So we think that there was an olive press here. Also many olive trees grew in the Garden.

In the Garden of Eden one man, Adam rebelled against God and led all the world into sin, shame and death. Here in the Garden of Gethsemane one Man, Jesus Christ by His perfect obedience saves all the world from sin and everlasting shame. Paul says in Romans 5:12,15-17 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!"

God's ways are wonderful: the two gardens and the two men. It was easy for Adam to lead us into sin, but it was very hard for Jesus to save us from sin. We read here that Jesus left eight of His disciples at the gate of the garden, and took His three dearest ones with Him into the garden: Peter, James and John. Then he began to feel sad and troubled. He said to the three, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." (Matthew 26:38)

He felt so much sorrow and trouble that He even prayed to His Father to let Him avoid the suffering and shame ahead, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42) Jesus is now beginning to feel the heavy burden of sin.

John tells us that He even sweat great drops of blood. No man has ever suffered as Jesus suffers here in the garden. He is not suffering because of any sin that He did, but He is suffering the sins of all men from Adam unto the last baby born. The Bible tells us, "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

You know how much trouble even one sin can make. How it makes us feel ashamed and guilty. Everyone looks at us and talks about us. Friends forsake us and leave us. We wish we could go and hide or die. Many people become insane because they can't forget their sin and wrong doing.

One man went to a party and got drunk. He tried to drive home after the party, but had a terrible accident. His wife and two other people in the other car were killed. You can imagine how sorry and ashamed he felt. He probably will never stop blaming himself.

I hope that you also have done something very bad and that you have felt very ashamed and much guilt. We all need to have that experience, then we can began to appreciate how Jesus felt while He prayed here in the garden. He felt very ashamed and terrible guilt.

Our sins and the sin and shame and guilt of all people became His own. In the Psalms He cries, "For evils beyond number have surrounded me; My guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head, And my heart has failed me." (Psalms 40:12)

Also when man sins that separates him from God. God is just and holy. He can't have sin and sinners with Him. God showed that by the design of the temple. The holy of holies (most holy) place was separated by a curtain six inches thick. No man could go in that most holy place except the High Priest on the Great Day of Atonement and He had to make Himself pure by fire offerings and the bringing of blood.

By that God wants to impress upon us that our sins separate us from God's friendship and love. When Jesus died on the cross that thick curtain was torn from the top to the bottom. God Himself tore it because Jesus had paid for us. He was separated from God. God forsook Him. That terrible, loneliness and enmity Jesus also suffers while He prays here in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He calls His suffering a "cup". It was a very, very bitter cup. He felt so full of sorrow and shame He almost died and asks God not to make Him drink it. But God says that He must; there is no other way. An angel comes to support Him. And now He feels better. He goes with His disciples to meet Judas and to suffer and die.

I am glad that you came tonight to watch Jesus suffer and pray here in Gethsemane. By watching we receive many blessings. It makes us ashamed and sorry that we caused so much trouble for Jesus.

It helps us to resist temptation and hate sin. It gives us love for Jesus and strength to serve and obey Him and serve God better. It helps us to fight against laziness because we see how hard Jesus fought and wrestled to win for us. We will not want to be weak. We will want to be strong and win over sin for Jesus. It gives us great comfort when we must suffer and die. We know God is not angry. He has forgiven us. He will not despair. We can pray like Jesus.

Amen.