After leaving the upper room and Jerusalem, Jesus led his disciples out of the city, across the brook, Kidron, to Mount Olives and a garden, which was called Gethsemane (Mark 14:32). Josephus tells us that there were many hedged gardens on the mount,[1] and, according to Jerome, a fourth century Christian scholar, the Garden of Gethsemane lay at the foot of the mountain. The word Gethsemane actually means ‘the place of the olive press’ and may have been convenient location, where folks, who owned the olive gardens on the mount, brought their fruit to force out the precious olive oil. The text doesn’t say, but it seems that the garden must have belonged to one of Jesus disciples, who made it available to him and his disciples for rest and sleep, while they were in Jerusalem. Upon reaching the garden, Jesus told most of his disciples to remain in one area, while he and a few others went to the other side to pray.
Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and, surprisingly, began to feel very depressed. He mentioned to the three that his depression was so great that he felt he was in danger of dying. So, he asked them to wait there and watch, while he continued a short distance away and prayed (Mark 14:33-35).
The three disciples were close enough to hear Jesus as he prayed to the Father, asking him to allow this cup to pass from him. The interesting thing about Jesus’ prayer is that he prayed: “not as I will, but as you will” (Mark 14:35-36)! If Jesus is truly God in the flesh, didn’t he know the will of God? Wasn’t his own will, the will of God? We need to understand what was going on here, and not allow ourselves to push this away under the guise of ‘well, Jesus was speaking out of his human will.’ Such a statement makes God schizophrenic. Jesus wasn’t mentally ill, as though he didn’t have a true grasp of reality. Jesus knew perfectly well what had suddenly happened to him, what caused his depression and that it affected his ability to continue living.
Many Christians, today, have the mistaken idea that Jesus was having second thoughts about his crucifixion, praying either out of fear of what would occur or out of a desire to do the will of God another way (if possible). Such an understanding would have made him a false prophet, because he had already predicted that he would die and how he would die. These things were history and even God doesn’t get to undo them, like one might do in a computer game and take the turn over. God doesn’t play games. Gethsemane is a reality, and we need to understand what was occurring.
Notice that Jesus came to his disciples and found them sleeping (Mark 14:37-38). Why did he come to them? Not only so, but he kept coming to them throughout his prayer (Mark 14:39 -42), waking them and asking that they watch with him, but they were sleepy and couldn’t stay awake. Whatever Jesus sought in their watching failed, because they slept. What was he seeking?
John tells us that, if we pray according to the will of God, God hears us, and, if God hears us, this is evidence that we have our request (1John 5:14-15). Moreover, Jesus tells us that the Father **always** hears him (John 11:41-42). Therefore, if Jesus’ prayers are **always** heard by the Father, then Jesus must **always** pray according to his will. In fact, we could say that the will of God is evidenced in Jesus’ will. Whatever Jesus desires **IS** the will of God. So, what can we say about Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane: “Abba, Father, all things are possible to You. Take away this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36 – emphasis mine)? The prayer seems to contradict John 11:41-42, but does it, really? How could it, if Jesus is, truly, God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14), or if all of Jesus’ prayers are according to the will of God? Something isn’t being overtly addressed here and lies hidden behind the fact that Jesus had suddenly become depressed and needed three of his disciples to watch, while he prayed.
Luke picks up where both Matthew and Mark leave off. He tells us that after Jesus kept finding his disciples sleeping, the Father sent an angel, which answered his prayer, and Jesus was then able to pray more earnestly (Luke 22:43-44). What happened? Notice that Jesus began to bleed there in the garden (verse-44), even before his arrest and crucifixion. This means that our sins were laid upon him, just about the time he and his disciples reached the Garden of Gethsemane. What this means is, **our** sins were placed upon him **then** and they put what seems to be a gulf between Jesus and the Father. There wasn’t really a separation between them (Isaiah 59:2), but our sins made it feel like there was a separation. Jesus could no longer sense the fellowship he always had with the Father. It was there, but he needed its reality felt in some manner. At first, he sought it second hand through his disciples (cp. Matthew 16:16-17), but that failed. So, since God **always** answers Jesus’ prayers (John 11:41-42), he sent an angel to verify their communication (Luke 22:43), and this was enough to strengthen Jesus, so he could face his coming trial and death. Otherwise, not having the sense of his Father’s presence was so depressing he felt he could die before he could be crucified.
The point is that God appears to be silent at times, especially during a great trial. We are able to see this in Daniel’s prayer and fast of twenty-one days (Daniel 10:12-13), and we see it in Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. Jesus was made to feel the silence of God, because we are sinners, and our sins had seemed to separate Jesus from the Father. Nevertheless, God hasn’t moved from us, but we have moved away from him. We need to continue praying, as Daniel did, and as Jesus did. The answer is there, and we need to trust it is there.
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[1] Josephus; Wars of the Jews 5.2.2 [54-57]
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2 responses to “When God Is Silent!”
So many folks see Jesus as a little god. They don’t understand that at the point he was born of a human he gave up his deity. I do not believe he fully understood his relationship to God until the Spirit descended upon him. His sinlessness was remarkable because he was tempted as all of us, because of his humanity; yet he did not yield to it.
Greetings Dave, and thank you for reading and for your comment, Lord bless you.
Yes, I am astonished at how some folks view Jesus as well. John 1 reveals that not one thing was created without him. I don’t know what a “little” god would look like if he is the one who created the universe. If a ‘little’ god does that, in what context could we describe a ‘big’ god? Jesus is God Almighty, period. Yes, indeed, he took upon him flesh, leaving his almighty power behind. He came as our Judge, and as Job had asked, in a manner in which he wouldn’t frighten us, and through his grace, he took our punishment upon himself, and saved us alive.
As for when he fully understood his relationship with the Father, I don’t speculate very much on that, at least not at this time, but your understanding is very worthy of consideration. As far as temptation is concerned, how could God be tempted to sin against himself? I believe what we call sin comes in two forms. The first is fleshy, and we are enticed to behave shamefully. It is similar to getting caught with our hands in the cookie jar, we feel ashamed, and we promise not to do it again [ until mom is out of the room :-) ]. The second is more serious and involves rebellion, which has independence in view. It is a sin that cannot be forgiven. That is to say, we cannot be forgiven of this sin until we actually repent. If Abe Lincoln forgave Jefferson Davis, to avoid the Civil War, we’d be two different nations, and probably not so friendly. Just as Abe went to war, so did God. We were at war until Jesus made peace through the cross. Other sins, no matter how grave, can be forgiven outrightly without immediate repentance. Education is needed to show such and such is wrong and a better way to live is “this way” — and this is how God treated Adam in the beginning. He was imperfect/immature and that could be corrected through walking with God. A rebel, however, never walks with his (supposed) master.
Luke tells us that, as Jesus grew and matured, he also grew in wisdom and his behavior gave pleasure to both God and man (Luke 2:52). Had Jesus been rebellious, he’d have to be schizophrenic, because God is ONE. He cannot rebel against himself. However, to what degree Jesus was susceptible to overindulgence emotionally, I don’t know, and don’t wish (at least at this time) to speculate. Jesus, in the flesh, was as Adam before the rebellion. I don’t believe his ‘temptations’ for overindulgence were as keen as ours are, because our human nature is out of balance, due to rebellion. Jesus’ was not. What that means, I don’t fully understand, but I do know there must be a difference. I understand that the scripture says: he was “…tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), and I believe the scripture. However, I don’t believe we fully understand that scripture. I believe to be “in Christ” is to be as man was before the rebellion. We are able to overindulge, but education “in Christ” takes care of our inordinate desire. There is absolutely no way ‘education’ could resolve rebellion. To be fully conscious of our being “in Christ” removes the power of the temptation/enticement. I remember this occurring in my own life when confronted with a sin, over which I had no power. Before that moment, I had **always** overindulged, but as I prayed, the power of the sin vanished, and for the first time in my life, I came away without sinning that sin, that time. I labored not, no striving etc., but that sin, for that moment, lost its power over me. It was quite astonishing. I don’t mean to say the power over the sin lasts forever. It lasts as long as the temptation exists, and as long as I am looking to Christ. When temptation returns, I must look again to Christ to empower me to overcome. I have no strength in myself to overcome. As I mature, the power is less and less, but I know, if I travel down that road deliberately, the power to sin will increase.
Does this experience of mine accurately interpret for us what Luke 2:52 means? I don’t know. All I know is, it works for me, and that is enough at this time. Perhaps, the Lord will have me investigate this further, concerning Jesus, but I don’t feel inclined to do so at this time.
Lord bless you, Dave, and thanks again for reading my studies.