Nearly 2000 years ago an epic spiritual battle took place in a garden. Gethsemane, the olive orchard where Jesus often withdrew from the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem was now going to be the place where he would experience terrible agony. The name of the garden is symbolic, Gethsemane meaning olive press. The extraction of oil from the olives was done filling up the press with olives and then laying a large heavy stone on top so that its weight would crush out the oil. Jesus would also be crushed under the heavy load of his task to the point that he prayed to the Father three times that if possible, the cup of sorrow may pass away from him.

The greatest cosmic battle ever began in a garden and ended with the resurrection in a tomb, which interestingly enough was also in a garden. The agony that Jesus experienced in Gethsemane and then on the cross testifies to the fierceness as well as to the magnitude of the struggle that took place.

Although Jesus was always aware of his mission, telling the disciples beforehand that “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed” (Luke 9:22), it was at this moment that the magnitude of what He had to experience really dawned on Him. “He began to be to be sorrowful and deeply distressed,” so much so that he told the disciples “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Matt 26:36-37).

The Cause of the Agony

What was causing this? Was it the prospect of suffering, of being beaten and hanged on a cross? Was it the fear of death? Since He was human, that must have been part of it. But there were other factors far weightier that would bring him such distress.

It was an agony that was daunting on him for many reasons. The full extent of what Christ has gone through evades us. To some extent, it is a mystery. The disciples were only able to hear the essence of this struggle, since they repeatedly fell asleep. Perhaps it is better that way. We might not be able to understand the full extent of everything that has transpired there. But there is enough described in the gospels for us to contemplate on what the Son of God have gone through on His way to the cross.

For one, it was overcoming the temptation of possible failure and of avoiding the suffering that lay ahead. The devil did everything in his power to stop Jesus from going to the cross. After tempting Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, Luke 4:13 says that the devil departed until an opportune time. Now that time has come. This was his best shot to cause the Son of God to fail in His mission of reconciling man to God by dying as a substitutionary attornment. He was never going to get a second chance and he knew it. It was now or never. So, he tried hard to sow doubt in Jesus.

Second, the weight of the world was crushing Jesus. He began to feel the wrath of God that the sins of the world deserved, and which now He, who knew no sin, was taking upon Himself. We often have difficulty handling sorrow in our own lives, although that is not the agony of the final judgement of God. It is temporary and insignificantly small and yet we sometimes feel completely crushed by it. Now imagine taking the agony that every sinner was going to experience for eternity and bearing it all. Jesus did that, although obviously with difficulty.

Third, feeling that God’s favor was drifting away from Him also caused great sorrow to the point that he cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me” (Matt 27:46)? The presence and fellowship of the Father, of which He spoke so candidly throughout His ministry seemed to be leaving Him. While I am sure that the Holy Trinity was in no way fractured at this point, I believe Jesus perceived at this time what it means to be completely separated from God. None of us have experienced that. Not even the vilest sinners, for even the wicked benefit from God’s goodness that He bestows upon the earth. Total separation is experienced by those who are cast into the lake of fire along with the devil and his demons. Jesus got a glimpse of the horror of such a state and was not surprisingly deeply troubled and distressed.

Being crushed from different sides, He prayed three times, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matt 26:39). Earlier, contemplating His death, Jesus asked the disciples, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’” (John 12:27)? And yet, now He is saying, “God, if possible, save me from this hour.” There is a part of Him that would prefer if the Father had another plan to save men from condemnation. But such a thought does not linger long in His mind, for every time He concludes His prayer with “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Although this brings Him great agony He submits to the will of the Father. He rejects the devil’s whispers and commits to being obedient.

From Sorrow to Victory

You see, the garden of Gethsemane is not only the place of terrible agony for Jesus but it is also a place of victory. Although the final victory will be accomplished at the resurrection, Jesus already has won part of the battle here. After the third prayer, Jesus wakes the disciples and says, “Rise. Let us go!” (Matt 26:46). There is no more dread in His voice. He is ready to do what He came to do.

Apart from the last cry on the cross, Jesus is extremely calm from this point on. He is convicted unjustly. He is beaten. He is humiliated. Finally, He is hanged on the cross and left to die. And yet, we find that He is at peace. He no longer prays for God to save Him. When He is arrested, He rebukes Peter for drawing the sword, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels” (Matt 26:53)? But He was not going to even contemplate that because “how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way” (Matt 26:54)? The devil’s chance to sow doubt has come and gone. Jesus has overcome the sorrow and the agony of His task.

He went on to claim complete victory over death and the power of darkness. He made atonement for sins and then was raised up in glory at the right hand of the Father

What all this means for you and I?

If you are a follow of Christ it means that you should be extremely grateful for what Christ has done for you. He experienced sorrow so you won’t have to. You can praise Him for He is indeed worthy. Celebrate Easter with this feeling of gratitude and worship.

In addition, you can learn about overcoming temptation, about being vigilant in prayer and about being committed to have God’s will done in your life. The disciples learned these things through failure but eventually matured in the faith enough to do better in the face of trials and temptations. So can we.

If you have not experienced the new birth yet, I hope that you recognize just what a tremendous opportunity Jesus has produced for you. As long as you remain in your sins, you stand condemned to spend eternity in agony. Jesus spoke of a man who died and went to hell where he was tormented continuously without any hope to ease the suffering. Once you step into eternity your fate remains unchanged. But the good news is that while you are on this earth, you can have forgiveness and redemption. If you believe in the One who suffered the agony that was due to you and surrender to Him as Lord and Savior you will spend eternity in heaven with Him.

Whatever your situation, I hope that this Easter will be a source of great blessing and a reason for praising and glorifying God for what He has done for you.

Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash