In this essay, I want to share my vision of Jesus with you. I really want to tell you about the Jesus I have seen, but I’m afraid of distorting the picture. I am only a sinful human trying to understand my pure and perfect Creator. Forgive any distortions you find as you look at Jesus through my eyes.
Gethsemane has become synonymous with suffering and betrayal, but before that night it was a beautiful refuge that Jesus frequently went to when He wanted to be close to the Father and away from the city. It was His place of prayer and meditation. It was peace and tranquility. The garden was on the Mount of Olives which means that there were a lot of olive trees around. At night, the sound of the rustling of the leaves as a breeze blew through was calming and restful. As I read the Bible, I see Jesus kneeling in this peaceful haven praying for Peter and John, and yes, even Judas. I see Him pause to look up at the stars and rest in the music of the wind dancing through the trees.
It was to this peaceful sanctuary that Jesus came as the sins of the world began to be laid more and more heavily upon Him. Maybe, He was hoping that the natural beauty and serenity surrounding Him would strengthen Him during His transformation into Moses’ snake on the pole, into sin.
Who is Jesus? You can see who He is here at the entrance to the Garden of Gethsemane. Picture it. As Jesus and His remaining eleven disciples come to the area of the Mount of Olives named Gethsemane, Jesus stops and looks around intently at them. Then, He utters words that seem to be words of accusation if we only listen to the first part of what Jesus says. In fact, the disciples heard Jesus’ words as an accusation but listen to the whole and ask yourself what this tells you about who Jesus is. Open your Bibles to Mark 14:26-28.
“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
This is not the accusation of a wounded sensitive soul accusing His friends of betrayal. No, look at it again. As they reach the entrance of the Garden, Jesus takes one last look at eight of His beloved friends. He feels sorrow because He knows that they are about to experience some of the worst hours of their lives. Jesus feels helpless because He cannot protect them now. He has protected them for three years, but now He Himself is becoming helpless. What more can He do for them? He is leaving them here where they will be able to escape the soldiers, but He needs them to know that He does not condemn them for their actions over the next few hours. To the end, He loves them and as their Shepherd He wants to shield them. He gives them the only light that He can. “You are going to run away and be scattered, but it’s okay. As soon as I can, I’ll come for you. Meet me in Galilee.” He was not hurt by their desertion that night. He loved them and made sure that they could escape by leaving them in a safe place.
That’s who I see when I look at Jesus.
Then, He took Peter, James, and John with Him farther into the Garden. Mark 14:33-41.
And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Do you see Jesus? The transformation has begun. Jesus is becoming sin for us. Paul describes what happened to Jesus in these final hours of His life as “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Mark tells us that as this process began Jesus (who as the eternal God had experienced more than we could imagine in a 1000 lifetimes). Yes, Jesus who created the world, Jesus who is the alpha and omega, . . . Jesus became terrified at what was happening to Him. As He was transformed from sinless to sinful, He suffered. Sinful at its basic meaning is separation from God. Thus, this process was separating Him from the Father, from the Spirit. Jesus describes what He is experiencing as “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful to death,” yet Christians have glossed over this mental anguish as being less important than the physical anguish of the cross. Like with many mental and emotional issues, we minimize this pain as just a slight problem or exaggeration.
“Sorrowful unto death.” Jesus was not given to exaggeration. If He said that mentally He was so sad that He was dying, then He was dying from the oppression in His mind. Jesus was undergoing something overwhelmingly negative. It was terrifying and caused grief and was actually killing Him.
Do you see Jesus now? Picture it. Jesus can barely stand but He gives His three disciples a last order to watch and wait. Then, it is too much for Him and He staggers a few steps, but He cannot hold Himself up anymore, and He falls to the ground. The process Jesus is undergoing is unbearable. Luke 22:44 tells us:
“And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground”
Whatever was happening to Jesus at this time was so overwhelming that the effects almost killed His physical body then and there. An angel had to come and sustain His body to keep it alive. Go back one verse to Luke 22:43.
“And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him”
The whole time this was happening, Jesus was crying out in agony for the Father to find another way to stop the transformation, if possible, but only if the Father decided to, not from Jesus’ decision. Jesus kept repeating this over and over to the Father. Out of His fear and agony, He cried out. When Jesus told the disciples “The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak,” He may have been speaking of Himself as much as them.
Do you see Him? Jesus is alone, so alone. He stumbles to His feet to go check on the three beloved friends that He left to watch and pray. Maybe, being with them will help Him endure His fate. He is disappointed when He finds them sleeping, yet He is not angry. Their weakness shows how much they need Him to continue with His sacrifice. He wakes them up so that they might pray and have strength for their own coming ordeal and then He returns to His prayers.
Who do you see when you look at Jesus? Someone who loves us even in our weakness and failures. Our shepherd who doesn’t blame us for being sheep and acting like sheep. Instead, He sees who we are and is drawn by our weaknesses to make us whole. He did not blame Peter, James and John for sleeping. Instead, He woke them up so that they could be strengthened by prayer even when He was in the middle of His own agony.
Who do you see when you look at Jesus? Someone who never forgot about His beloved disciples during His problems. Someone who planned for the safety of His loved ones even while He was in the middle of the most important and difficult situation of His eternal life.
I hope in some small way, I have helped you to see Jesus more clearly. Jesus is everywhere in the scriptures for you to see. Beyond that, He is always with you through the Spirit whom He sent to you. He is so close that He can hear and respond to the slightest whisper of prayer. So, are you going to let the barriers that surround you keep you away from Him? Or are you going to run ahead and climb a sycamore tree just to have a chance to get a glimpse of Jesus? When Zaccheus the tax collector did that, he wound up eating with Jesus.
We have the same promise. You see, we are the church of Laodicea, so Revelation 3:20 was written as a message directly to you and me. Let’s look at it. Revelation 3:20.
(20) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Now, look at the verse again, but replace anyone, he, and him with you. Read it again with me that way.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me.
Jesus promises. If we open the door, we will see Him and get much more than that. He will stay with us. It is a struggle now, but I want to let you in on a little secret. Those who eat with Jesus, will overcome. Let’s end with a verse that tells us our fate if we open the door and eat with Jesus. Turn to Revelation 19:6-8.
(6) Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. (7) Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; (8) it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. Revelation 19:6-8
We will overcome . . . if we open the door . . . to see Jesus. No more nakedness, no more poverty, no more blindness. We will see Jesus. Jesus has made sure of that. Thank you Jesus.