The Passion - Easter DevotionalSample

"The Garden of Gethsemane" Devotional -  The Passion

The Garden of Gethsemane gives us one of the greatest glimpses into the true humanity of Jesus. Though He was without sin, He was fully God and fully man. On the Mount of Olives, as He knelt down to pray, the King of Kings was deeply troubled.

In Matthew 26:38, the Bible says He told the disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (NIV)

And then Jesus did the only thing He knew to do. He turned to the Father.

Matthew continues: “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” (v. 39)

The Bible says He prayed this same prayer three times, pleading with God to change His mind. Isn’t there another way, Father? Must I die to save these people? Jesus already knew the answer, but now that it was getting real, He had to come to terms with it. He had to accept that there was a greater plan in play. He needed to know that what He was about to do would serve a larger purpose. He needed to know it would matter. 

Have you had a Gethsemane moment? Perhaps God has asked you to do something hard, something that requires great sacrifice. And, quite frankly, you don’t want to endure the pain it requires. Every believer has felt the tension of following Christ. After all, He asks us to lay down our lives and pick up His cross. And that, friends, can be painful. 

Sometimes it looks like losing a friend or making an unpopular choice. Other times, it looks like leaving everything familiar behind and stepping outside our comfort zones. Often, it looks like forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve forgiveness. But every time, it leads us back to Jesus. Every time He asks us to sacrifice something, He always draws us back to Himself, proving time and time again that He is Comforter, Provider, Friend and Prince of Peace.

We know how this story ends, don’t we? God didn’t take the cup from Him. Jesus died on that cross, murdered for sins He didn’t commit, all in obedience to the Father. Sometimes obedience is the purpose. His will, not ours.