The Rock of Agony

“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42

 
 As I touched the Rock of Agony
 Where Christ poured His heart out to God,
 I felt the power of the Holy Spirit,
 And I was humbled and in awe.
 
 
 In agony Christ sweat blood,
 As for His life He pleaded;
 “Yet not My will, but Thine,” He cried,
 Accepting His fate, He conceded.
 
 
 Oh, thank you, Jesus, for Your sacrifice,
 For loving us beyond comprehension;
 Though spotless Yourself, You bore our sins,
 Our salvation was Your intention.
 
 
 May I live in a way worthy to You,
 Honoring the sacrifice You gave,
 From the moment I was born again,
 To the day I'm put in a grave. 

The Garden of Gethsemane

As Easter approaches, my thoughts turn to my visit to the Holy Land last year. One of the places we visited was the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of the Agony.

After the Last Supper, Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was a place Jesus would go frequently to pray. It’s a beautiful place full of olive trees. The area was named such because the Greek meaning of Gethsemane is “an oil press.” Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to go further into the garden with Him. He asked them to watch over Him while He prayed.

Jesus knelt at a rock and prayed for God to take the cup away. (Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed,“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39) During the Last Supper He told the disciples that the cup of wine represented His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins This is the cup He is referring to. In anguish at the thought of what lay before Him, He was asking God to find another way to save the souls of believers. He prayed this three times with no answer from God.

Every time He went back to His friends after praying, He found them asleep. (When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. Luke 22:45) During the Last Supper, Jesus had told them what was going to happen to Him, and it was devastating to hear. None of them wanted Jesus to die, and the thought of losing Him caused great sorrow. They probably cried themselves to sleep. Although I’m sure Jesus understood, He had brought His three closest friends further into the garden for support only to find them sleeping! Three times! He warns them to stay awake so they don’t fall into temptation. As is typical of His teaching style, Jesus didn’t mean literally not to fall asleep. He was talking about being aware of Satan’s traps. Jesus reminded them that although their spirit is willing to be obedient to God, their flesh, their humanness, is weak. Satan knows our weaknesses and uses them to tempt us. So we must stay alert! (Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8) Even in Jesus’ greatest time of need, He was ministering to the disciples!

Jesus returned to the rock to call out to God three times. Through God’s silence, Jesus knew He needed to accept God’s plan. There was no other way. When I visited Israel, I saw what is believed to be that rock Jesus prayed on, referred to as the Rock of Agony. I imagined Jesus there crying out in desperation for His life. So desperate, in fact, that He sweat droplets of blood. (And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44) It occurred to me that it was an indication of what was to come. As I knelt down and prayed at the rock, I sensed the Holy Spirit around me. I felt God’s great love for us and was humbled by the experience.

Jesus accepted God’s will. His humanness wanted to avoid the emotional pain of abandonment from God as He took on our sins and the physical pain of being crucified. But, His love for us is so great that He willingly went to the cross to give us eternal life. There is no greater love than this! What better way to honor that sacrifice than to show our love for Jesus in living out God’s Word.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your ultimate sacrifice to give us eternal life. Help us to stay alert to the trappings of our weaknesses so we don’t allow Satan a foothold on our life. As we contemplate Your love for us, may we reciprocate that love through our actions and attitudes towards one another. Amen