Tuesday, July 24, 2012
At Gethsemane
Mark Roberts reflects on Christ's prayer at Gethsemane:
Most of us respond to the stories of the Bible and especially those of Christ in two ways. One is we feel loved somehow. The second is what Mark describes as "objective, safe, dispassionate." But what I am talking about is feeling just a piece of the pain that Christ felt. Christ carried the pain of all mankind of His shoulders at Gethsemane - have you felt just the part that belonged to you?
Don't rush to the resurrection, experience that pain that would have been yours had Christ not gotten to the resurrection. From that pain is born humility and from that humility can be born depths of relationship with Christ you have previously not known.
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Thus, the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane demands more than an objective, safe, dispassionate response. We miss the point if we stand back and say, “Jesus died for the sin of the world. That’s the truth.” In fact, Jesus died for your sin and mine. Jesus entered into the Hell of separation from the Father so we would never have to do so. This means that you can have an intimate, genuine, lasting relationship with God, one that is not prevented or destroyed because of your sin. It means you can come before God’s throne of grace, boldly sharing all that you are, knowing in advance that you will receive mercy and find grace to help in your time of need (Heb. 4:16).How hard has Jesus hit you? No, I mean really hit you? I am not talking about something at church touch you emotionally, I mean have you come to understand Christ's suffering?
Most of us respond to the stories of the Bible and especially those of Christ in two ways. One is we feel loved somehow. The second is what Mark describes as "objective, safe, dispassionate." But what I am talking about is feeling just a piece of the pain that Christ felt. Christ carried the pain of all mankind of His shoulders at Gethsemane - have you felt just the part that belonged to you?
Don't rush to the resurrection, experience that pain that would have been yours had Christ not gotten to the resurrection. From that pain is born humility and from that humility can be born depths of relationship with Christ you have previously not known.
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