Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 55, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1914 — BROOKLYN TABERNACLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE

BIBLE«STUPXjOW WHY GETHSEMANE'S AGONY? Mark 1432-42—Oct. IS "Watch and pray. that ye eater not Into ■ temptation."—Matthew fOLLOWING the institution of the Memorial Supper,. Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn, and then went out of the city to the Mount of Olives—a distance of perhaps a mile. Apparently several important lessons were given the disciples en route. Bee John 15-17. Jesus was seeking to impress upon His disciples the fact that they were entering a great crisis. He quoted the prophecy, “1 will smite the Shepherd, and 4he sheep shall be scattered.” tZechariah 13:7.) He said plainly that as a result they would all be offended —stumbled, amazed. The thing they were not expecting would occur. St Peter, confident of his devotion to the Lord, declared that this would not be true in his case—that even though ft should be true of all the others, he was ready to die with the Master. Jesus still insisted that St. Peter was in great danger He trusted too much tu .Jiis flesh, not looking to God and prayerfully watching against temptation. Indeed, all the disciples joined in the 5 same remonstrance against Jesus’ accusation. How little they knew what trials would come upon them! “Sorrowful Even Unto Death." Arrived at the Garden, Jesus left eight Apostles near the entrance to watch, to be on guard against something of which Jesus knew, but which to them seemed most Improbable. Accustomed to retire early, they fell asleep, instead of watching and praying. Meantime, the Master went further into the shades with Peter, James and John. Wishing to be alone in His communion with the Father, Jesus went a stone’s throw farther Into the shades by Himself. Time and again, in His agony, He came seeking human sympathy, only to find His dearest ones asleep. He trod the winepress of grief alone.—lsaiah 63:3. The feeling of loneliness, home-slck-ness, friendlessness, which suddenly came upon the Savior, continued for some time; for He petitioned the Father three times that this hour might pass from Him, this terrible depression which was breaking His heart

St Luke, who was a physician, tells that the Master’s distress was so great that it brought on a bloody sweat. How shall we explain the Master’s great distress in anticipation of His own death, of which He had foreknowledge and of which He had told

His disciples, assuring them also that He would rise from the dead? To appreciate this question and its proper answer, we must remember how different was the Master from all the remainder of mankind. A death sentence rests upon all the world. Jesus had divested Himself of His nature on the spirit plane, exchanging it for the human nature, because man had sinned and because in the Divine arrangement He was to die, the Just for the unjust, as man’s Redemptionprice. This was the Father’s will con cerning Him. Daily He was laying down His life, in doing God's will and in serving humanity. Now He had come to the great climax. No Advocate For the Master. The Father had promised that if our Lord was faithful in performing the work given Him to do. He would be raised from the dead by Divine Power to the spirit plane and to a still higher station than He had before. He doubt ed neither the Father's faithfulness nor the Divine Power. The only ques tion was. Had He done the Divine will absolutely, in a spirit pleasing to the Father, and could He. would He. pass through the experiences of the next few hours with proper courage, faith and obedience, or would He fail and lose His all in death? Should the Master fail, there was none to make good for Him. His failure everlasting death, as well as loss of the great privilege of uplift-

lug humanity from sin and death con ditions through the Messianic King dom. In a word, the Master’s personal, eternal life was in the bal ances that night in Gethsemane. No ' wonder He wished that if possible He might be spared from the

special tribulations and horrible experiences just before Him! To One so full of love and loyalty to the Fa ther such experiences would be terri ble—that He should be considered a blasphemer of God. should be crucified as a malefactor! What a terrible experience to one of His refinement and nobility! Apparently this ignominy was what Jesus prayed might pass away. He knew that He bad come into the world to die; for only by His death could the death penalty against humanity be removed. St. Paul assures us that the Master’s Gethsemane experiences were linked to fear that He would not be accounted worthy of that glorious resurrection promised Him, and declares that He was heard In respect to the thing feared.—Hebrews 5:7.

"Sit Ye Here While I Pray."

Jesus in Gethsemane.