Presentation 84
Presentation 84
Introduction
John is not ignorant of the events that transpired in Gethsemane. But he is,
concerned to place his own perspective on them. He wants to show Christ in
his divine strength rather than in his human weakness, the triumph rather
than the tragedy. And John seems to indicate a particular way in which the
struggle in Gethsemane should be viewed by his use of the word “garden” in
v1. Gethsemane is never referred to as the “Garden” except in John's Gospel.
What might be John’s purpose? Does John not want us to contrast the Garden
of Gethsemane, where Christ triumphed, with the Garden of Eden, where
Adam the father of the human race was defeated?
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West of Eden
This distinction has been made by many biblical expositors. A. W. Pink writes:
"In Eden, all was delightful; in Gethsemane, all was terrible. In Eden, Adam
and Eve spoke with Satan; in Gethsemane, the last Adam sought the face of
His Father. In Eden, Adam sinned; in Gethsemane, the Saviour suffered. In
Eden, Adam fell; in Gethsemane, the Redeemer conquered... In Eden the race
was lost; in Gethsemane Christ announced, ‘I have not lost
one of those you gave me' John 18:9. In Eden, Adam took
the fruit from Eve's hand; in Gethsemane, Christ received
the cup from His Father's hand. In Eden, Adam hid
himself; in Gethsemane, Christ boldly showed Himself."
There are sufficient contrasts here to indicate a
particular approach to Jesus' struggle.
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Good v Evil
The first contrast worth developing is what faced Adam and Jesus in their
respective gardens. Adam entered Eden at the peak of God's creative activity.
It was a world without sin or death and thus perfect in every way. God had
made man vice-regent over this world, and said,
“let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the
livestock, over all the earth” Gen. 1v26.
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Good v Evil
Moreover, God blessed man, saying, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the
earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and
over every living creature that moves on the ground... I give you every seedbearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with
seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all
the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground -everything
that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food.” v28-30
Adam and Eve had all this and yet by their disobedience turned
their back on it.
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Good v Evil
By contrast, in his garden, Jesus faced physical
death in what is probably the most prolonged
and excruciating form known to man, and
secondly, spiritual death, from which even his
highly disciplined and divinely motivated soul
shrank in deep horror...
“O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me.” Matt.26v39.
Nevertheless, Jesus did not turn from this but
embraced it willingly for our salvation.
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God v Satan
The second contrast to note is the time Adam and Eve spent talking to Satan
and the time Jesus spent talking with God. The need for prayer was at the
forefront of Christ's mind. He leaves Jerusalem for this, a quiet place in order
to pray. He separates himself from the larger band of disciples after
encouraging them to pray Lk. 22:40…
Clearly, Jesus felt the need for prayer.
But Adam and Eve, when on the brink
disobedience that would condemn the
human race, did not pray. Oblivious to
their danger they chose instead to
commune with Satan.
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God v Satan
Why did Jesus feel the need of prayer?
Because he felt the force of temptation.
He had experienced temptation
throughout his ministry. And the more
temptation is resisted the more intense it
often becomes. Here then is the climax of
the temptation of Jesus.
To what was he tempted? Here we can
only speculate, recognising that where
Scripture is silent we must say little. Yet
surely central to the temptation was to
avoid the cross and so leave the work of
the atonement undone!
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God v Satan
The lesson for us is not drawn from the nature of Jesus’ temptations, though
ours are often quite similar i.e. to avoid God's work, to attempt to do it in a
way that would cost us little. Rather, it is in Christ's dependence on prayer. Do
we value prayer as a means of resisting temptation? Or, do we have lingering
conversations with the Tempter, as Adam and Eve did, or do we sleep on, as
the disciples did?
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Two Fell, One Conquered
The third contrast lies between Jesus victory, and Adam and
Eve’s fall. How soon did they fall? Almost instantly. Satan
presented his arguments, and they ate the forbidden fruit.
Jesus, on the other hand, wrestled in prayer and only
prevailed at the end. Matthew’s record indicates this.
First Jesus prayed that the cup which God had poured might,
if possible, be taken away. His second petition is similar but
without the explicit request that the cup be removed.
The third petition - not recorded - must have been to the
effect, "I know now that You have given me this cup and
that it is your will that I drink it; therefore, I will drink it
completely." Jesus must have come to this point, for
immediately after this he rose and went forward to meet
the arresting party.
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Two Fell, One Conquered
How long did Jesus’ prayer take? We can read the entire account in Matthew
in less than a minute. But Jesus prayed at least one hour. For when he came to
wake his disciples after his first period of prayer, He asked, "Could you men
not keep watch with me for one hour?" v. 40.
It was after a protracted period of time that he came to
embrace the will of God fully in the matter of his death.
This conflict, like all the other incidents in Scripture,
was recorded for our benefit. It shows us how we too
may prevail in prayer when we are cast down,
distressed, and tempted. Notice Jesus kept at prayer
until - I speak of his humanity - his will was
conformed to God's will.
That was the point of victory!
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Two Fell, One Conquered
We too shall have troubles. Temptations will come; there will be crosses to
bear. But we will have victory when, through a submission of our will to God in
prayer, we receive with willing hearts whatever God has for us. In that case, it
will not be our will versus God's, as was the case with Adam. Rather it will be
God's will and ours together, as was the case with Jesus and the Father.
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The Fruit of the Cup
“Adam took the fruit from Eve's hand” while in
Gethsemane, “Jesus received the cup from his
Father's hand.” This points up a great biblical
principle - it is always better to have the cup of
life from God's hand, no matter what it contains,
than anything else, however desirable, from the
hand of another. Why?
Because God is the wise, all-powerful, loving God
of the universe, the one who truly wishes our
good. Others may wish us well. But even if they
do, what they choose or recommend for us is not
necessarily what will turn out to be beneficial in
the long run.
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The Fruit of the Cup
The tree in the Garden, that seemed to be desirable from the human
perspective, actually brought death to the human race. On the other hand, the
cup presented to Christ, although it contained both physical and spiritual death
- and although it was in the world's eyes a thing of foolishness – it was actually
life and wisdom for God's people. Let me repeat. Whatever God sends,
whether joy or sorrow, health or sickness, whatever
it may be - this is actually best. For it is the wise,
all-powerful, and loving God who sends it.
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Not One Lost
The final contrast is the most significant. Adam and Eve by their sin plunged
the race into misery. They carried their progeny over the cliff of sin into the
fire of destruction.
Christ, on the other hand, stood firm. He was ‘obedient unto
death’ Phil.2v8. As a result, he saved all whom the Father had
given him. In Adam all were lost. Jesus could say of the
new humanity he represented, "I protected them
and kept them safe by that name you gave me.
None has been lost" John 17v12.
That is the meaning of Gethsemane.
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Not One Lost
One writer puts it this way, "Sin, death, and judgment flowed from the act of
Adam. Righteousness, life and kingship flow from the cross of Christ. The sin of
Adam was a stone cast into a pool which sent ripples to every inlet. The cross
of Christ was the rock of ages cast into the ocean of the love of God, and it is
the destiny of all who are in Christ to be carried on the swell of this majestic
love and life and power both now and forever."
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Conclusion
I believe that John takes us to the Garden of Gethsemane via the Garden of
Eden in order that we might begin to grasp something of the cost and benefit
of the obedience of Jesus. A poor appreciation of Gethsemane results in a
poor appreciation of Calvary and John wants all
of his readers to glory in the cross of Christ.
May God help us do just that as we grow
in our appreciation of what took
place in Gethsemane.
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