Links:
Jesus Prays
Garden of Gethsemane
Texts:
Mark 14:32-50; Luke 22:39-53; Matthew 26:36-56; John: 18:1-13.
The Setting:
Jesus’s public ministry was coming to an end. It had taken him across Galilee and Judea and finally to Jerusalem where the Jewish Temple was located. His prediction of its destruction added to the growing anger against him from religious leaders. Simultaneously political figures were plotting to arrest him as he was considered to be a threat to the peace of the city.
All four Gospels record events that took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here that Jesus went from time to time to pray, to talk with his disciples and to find moments of rest. It was here that Judas betrayed him and where he was arrested by soldiers. On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus prayed:
“My Father if it is possible don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want.”
Waking his sleeping disciples he said:
“The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. Get up! The one who will betray me is already here.”
Retelling the story:
What follows is a retelling based on the Biblical narrative. It is a composite rendering based on the accounts in all four Gospels and is an imagined creative reflection.
Reflections of a regular walker in the Garden: My evening walk in the Mount of Olives is a special time for me to relax, to think, to listen to the sounds of the dying day. Sometimes I meet others walking past. Sometimes I would see a man with a few friends walking slowly by as he talks with them. Tonight I see him kneeling by a rock and praying. Most times it looks as if he is looking towards our Temple. I wonder if he is a priest from the Temple.
Something feels different about the surroundings tonight. I can see his silhouette as he prays. Further away I see a small group of his friends asleep. I lean against a tree and watch them. I can see that the kneeling man is very troubled. He rises and walks to his friends who are still sleep. He wakes them and talks with them. He turns round and goes back to kneel at the rock and pray. He looks as if he is pleading with someone. He looks greatly distressed. He is wiping his face with his shawl. I am not sure if its sweat or tears that are running down his face. Once again he returns to his sleeping friends. He talks to them for a third time and returns to pray. His face seems less tortured now. He begins to look calmer. I wish I could talk with him. Perhaps find out why he is so troubled.
I turn to walk away and leave the man and his friends. The sound of angry voices approaching makes me stop. A mob of men with swords and clubs head towards the man and his friends. I hear them shouting the name ‘Jesus’. A man steps forward and kisses Jesus on a cheek. One of his friends tries to protect him by pulling out a sword and cutting off the ear of one of the attackers. I hear Jesus saying “Put your sword away. Anyone who lives by fighting will die by fighting.” Jesus then challenges the attackers. He asks why they didn’t arrest him when he was at the Temple every day. Why did they come with weapons now? The men from the Temple didn’t answer him. They tied his hands and led him away. Jesus’s friends left him and fled into the night.
I walked away wondering what fate awaited the man they called Jesus.
Ponder:
Was it wrong for Jesus to ask God to spare his suffering? Why was God silent?
Do we, like the disciples, run away when someone is in danger and may need our support or protection?