A Series on the Milestones
in Jesus’ Life
Mark 14:32-42; Luke
22:40-46
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
In
1888, the German philosopher Nietzsche wrote what has been translated as, “Out
of life’s school of war—what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.”
The
truth is, life is full of pressure and
stress. It has the capacity to make you stronger; or to defeat you. You can
experience stress anywhere. At work or at home; financial or health; even
stress due to changes in your life; and life is always changing. Everybody
experiences stress. Even Jesus did.
Arguably,
the most stressful time in Jesus’ life was in the Garden of Gethsemane. A garden
that he had visited frequently with his disciples for prayer and meditation was
now a garden of unimaginable pressure and stress.
33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to
be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed
with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep
watch.” 35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and
prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. Mark 14
44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat
was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22
While
his closest friends slept, Jesus called out three times in desperation to his “Abba, Father” asking him to remove the
cup from him. Jesus was under immense pressure and stress.
In
fact, Gethsemane, in Hebrew, means “oil press”. It’s a place for squeezing the
oil from olives. Facing this pressure; this stress; this real life
olive press; was a milestone for Jesus.
Jesus dealt with his stress through prayer. Should we do anything less?
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