Holy Week
HELLO FRIENDS,
It’s Holy Week and a lot took place historically & Biblically this week that changed our lives as believers for eternity.
This is Matthew 26:36-48 from the Garden of Gathsemane right before Jesus’ death:
“Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!””
Jesus prayed 3 times:
– If it’s possible, let this cup of suffering be taken from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine
– If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, then your will be done.
– As he knelt in prayer to His Father…desperate for His closeness, needing His Strength, the reassurance of His love.
You see, the weight of the world was being placed on His shoulders, the sin of all mankind – Your sin, my sin, past present and future. The suffering that was to come, the grief, the betrayal, the agony, it was overwhelming.
Scripture says that Jesus prayed and sweat fell like drops of blood from His forehead. He was being pressed – He was being crushed.
Did you know that Gethsemene means – OIL PRESS? OH how I love the WORD! What an incredible visual picture of Jesus praying in a grove of olive trees and like those olives, our Savior was being crushed by the weight of what was to come
Isaiah 53:5 says,
“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, he bore our sorrow and by His stripes we are healed.”
and Hebrew 12:2 says,
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As we aproach this weekend, let’s pause and give thanks and praise for all Christ did for us. Our redemption. Our salvation. His pressing. His crushing. He endured it all because it brought you and I Peace with the Father.
I hope to see you at our Good Friday service!
Blessings,
Pastor Denise