讀經: 馬太福音二十六章36至46節 36耶穌同門徒來到一個地方,名叫客西馬尼,就對他們說:"你們坐在這裡,等我到那邊去禱告。" 37於是帶著彼得和西庇太的兩個兒子同去,就憂愁起來,極其難過, 38便對他們說:"我心裡甚是憂傷,幾乎要死;你們在這裡等候,和我一同警醒。" 39他就稍往前走,俯伏在地禱告說:"我父啊,倘若可行,求你叫這杯離開我;然而,不要照我的意思,只要照你的意思。" 40來到門徒那裡,見他們睡著了,就對彼得說:"怎麼樣,你們不能同我警醒片時嗎? 41總要警醒禱告,免得入了迷惑。你們心靈固然願意,肉體卻軟弱了。" 42第二次又去禱告說:"我父啊,這杯若不能離開我,必要我喝,就願你的意旨成全。" 43又來見他們睡著了,因為他們的眼睛困倦。 44耶穌又離開他們去了。第三次禱告,說的話還是與先前一樣。 45於是來到門徒那裡,對他們說:"現在你們仍然睡覺安歇吧(註:"吧"或作"嗎")?時候到了,人子被賣在罪人手裡了。 46起來,我們走吧!看哪,賣我的人近了!" |
Bible Reading: Matthew 26:36-46 36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand." |
Christ left the three disciples and went on a little farther into the dark of the Garden. Then He began to pray, "Father, dear Father, is there some other way? No, I know there isn't, but how I wish there was." He was not praying in weakness, nor in fear of physical death. It was not the humiliation or shame. It was the thought that when His Father laid on Him the sin of us all, the Father would have to turn away from Him. The fellowship which they had known for eternity would be broken. What else did He say? "Yet not as I will, but as you will." Our Saviour's sacrifice was accepted afresh in Gethsemane, then realised at Calvary. Let us always remember it was a willing sacrifice. Read His incredible words in John 18:11 when Peter wanted to fight the arresting soldiers, "Shall I not drink the cup my Father has given me?' Behind the soldiers, behind it all, He saw the Father's hand. Those are some of Christ's greatest words. In Psalm 118:27 it speaks of binding the sacrifice to the horns of the altar. But Christ needed no ropes, not even nails, to hold Him onto the cross. As the song says, "It was His love and not the nails that held Him there." Luke tells us (22:43) that as He prayed an angel came and strengthened Him. Who sent that angel? The Father did. He knew the agony His Son was going through. In love, He said to one of the angels, "Go and strengthen my Son. He needs you just now." It is the same for us. One of the finest reminders of this is in the little phrase we often repeat, "Father knows." We need to watch for the angels (maybe human angels) coming to help us in our hour of need. Then came the soldiers led by Judas to arrest Him. The disciples fled as Jesus was lead away to be trialed by the priests and finally by Pilate. How was Christ able to go through all this? He could because He knew He was in the sovereign will of God and because He had great love for us. How can we ever thank Him for all that He did, and is doing for us even now? |
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