“When he had finished
praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the
other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place,
because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a
detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and
weapons.” John 18:1-3
We know the rest.
Jesus is arrested, bound and led to Caiaphas to be questioned. He never denied who he was. Just over the top of the Mount of Olives,
Jesus could have been into the wilderness and gone from sight in 20
minutes. But He did not run. He knew what was ahead of Him. When Peter attacked the high priest’s servant
in His defense, ‘Jesus commanded Peter, “Put
your sword away! Shall I not drink the
cup the Father has given me?”’ John
18:11
What stands today, at the base of the Mount of Olives, is a
garden perhaps similar to the one Christ was arrested in that night. Olive trees dating back to the crusades
remind us that what was rooted so long ago still remains significant
today.
Gesthmane means olive press, a
reminder of the weight Jesus bore for us in that place and on the cross. The garden looks out across the Kidron Valley
and onto the temple in Jerusalem.
There
is a church detailed with stunning mosaics and glass. The windows are constructed out of purple
alabaster glass to give the constant feeling of midnight when you are
inside.
To be there is to feel a strange
mix of beauty, weight and contemplation.
At so many points along Christ’s path we can imagine what it
would have been like to have walked beside Him then, in the days of His
ministry on earth. Praises and acclamation
and miracles mixed with growing voices of doubt as He spoke the words and truth
of God. But at this point, more than any
other, we feel the weight of what that meant, His willingness to say yes. Because at this point there could be no other
outcome for Jesus, and He knew it. He
knew where He was headed, what decisions would be made, what fate He would
suffer.
What midnights have you come to? With a weight that seems too heavy to bear? What fear, what anxiety, what doubt troubles
you when it’s God’s voice you’re trying to hear?
Amidst the sorrow that fills us in these gardens of
midnight, when the weight of what we must carry seems to be crushing us, we are
not alone. Our willingness to say yes sometimes
comes at a price. But never without God’s
glory.
When we drink the cup the Father has given us, we say yes to
His Kingdom, yes to His glory, yes to the sacrifice Christ made for us that
night. We might yearn for a way to turn
back, but we won’t. In the garden it is
midnight, but hold fast, friends.
Because Sunday’s coming.
XOXO…Kelly
