Tag Archives: gethsemane

Passion Week

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As we are again today thinking about and reminded of that Resurrection Sunday is just a few days away my thoughts are still on the life and sufferings of Jesus.  He suffered at the hands of sinful men just like me.  They crucified Him, spit on Him, scourged Him and more.

The pain that I am thinking of today is the pain of betrayal.  We all know that Judas betrayed the LORD for thirty pieces of silver.  He sold the Sinless Son of God so cheaply.  Yet, as I think about this I think about my own life.  How many times have I sold my Saviour cheeply?  How many times have I sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, or less.

As my thoughts are still on the men in Gethsemane.  They sold their LORD for sleep.  Ouch!  How many times have I sold Him for sleep?  God forgive me!  Look with me at Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  The word here is the same word we looked at yesterday.  It means to stay awake.  We must stay vigilant in prayer and we must stay awake.  The word “pray” means to make supplication for someone.  Jesus had asked His closest men to go to the garden with Him in His darkest hour.  He asked them (commanded them) to watch and pray: but, they fell asleep.  They did this not once; but, three times only to be awakened by the soldiers coming to take Jesus away.  How they let the Saviour down.  I fear that we are no different.

So, how are you doing?

Palm Sunday

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As I was considering what message the LORD would have me to preach this morning I came across a series of three e-mails from my cousin Dale A. Byers.  He is a fantastic writer, Pastor and man of God.  He shared much about Gethsemane.  It was powerful reading for sure.  I began reading his text from Scripture and I got hung up on the following verse in Matthew 26:28, “Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”

Jesus has led his most trusted disciples; the inner circle we sometimes call them, into the garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus shares with them that His heart is heavy.  He is looking ahead to His cross.  He tells them, “Tarry ye here, and watch with me.”  Their Master gave them two simple commands.

The first command was to “tarry”.  This means to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy. Jesus knew these men inside and out.  He knew that they; like you and I, would wander.  He commanded them to tarry.  Far too many Christians get their feelings hurt and it is off and running someplace else.

He also asked them to tarry there because they were on watch with Jesus.  In His darkest hour in all of time and eternity all Jesus asked of they was to “tarry” and “watch”.  We need to be solid Christians.  We need to be stable Christians.  We need to be sold out Christians.

Then Jesus command them to “watch”.  This is a deep theological term that means to keep awake, i.e. watch (literally or figuratively).  If we are not careful we will find ourselves sleeping.  If we are not careful we can be lulled to sleep by the enemy of our soul.  He knows that we are vulnerable in that area and he will keep us running in circles so that we are exhausted so that we fall asleep easily.  Don’t be lulled to sleep by the devil.

So, how are you doing?