1. Gethsemane

From the last April we continue lectures on the Gospel of Matthew in line with the Bible education program. Ahead of every Sunday worship, we organizes bible study classes in which each believer reads the same passage to discuss themes of the week. The reading passage of the last session was the chapter 26 of Matthew, which should be the highlight of the Gospel.

By reading it, we remarked from the beginning that Judas Iscariot was preparing the plot to betray Jesus ; - From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.(Matthew 26:16)

In the chapter, Jesus shared the feast of passover with his disciples on the Thursday. And we see the dark shadow of Judas at the table. (see Matthew 26:26-29)

After the feast, Jesus and the disciples went out to the Mount of Olives, on which Jesus predicted Peter’s denial. Judas seems then already away from them. (see also Mark 14,Luke 22, John 13) Jesus also said that other Apostles too would run away from him. ; - Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: ” ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’(Matthew 26:31)

The mount of Olive is a mountain ridge in east Jerusalem, on where the garden of Gethsemane was found. The name’ Gethsemane’ (gath-shemen in Hebrew which means ¡Æoil press¡Ç) was after the ancient activity of extracting olive oil, which was carried out there.

Though they came together sometimes to the Mountain before, Jesus brought only three of them far to Gethsemane that time. Matthew described what happened there ; - Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. (Matthew 26:36-37)

Jesus began to be sorrowful and troubled by bracing himself for the Passion, Matthew wrote. It seems unexpected that Jesus didn’t conceal his sorrow and trouble from the disciples. In general, we are usually reluctant to display our weakness to others. Instead, we prefer to hide our struggles against difficulties by trying to deal with them by ourselves. More weaker we are, more pretentious we might be. In contrast to such ordinary people, Jesus was so sincere that he asked his disciples to support him. ; - Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38)

Disciples should begin to pray by listening to Jesus words, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.” However Jesus went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

He confessed honestly that he didn’t want to take the cup, or “death on the Cross.” But God remained in silence. Jesus found God’s will in that silence. Therefore he continued this way, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus was ready to die on the Cross, in spite of himself, because he knew God’s will. The attitude embodies the authentic faith.

Then Jesus went back to the disciples. Though they were about to pray for Jesus, they had fallen asleep. They were extremely exhausted. As a matter of fact, we could pray by withstanding enormous fatigue if it was for our sake. But we cannot resist to exhaustion to pray for others. So Jesus, knowing the human nature, asked and said Peter ; - “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."(Matthew 26:40-41)

“The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” The expression shows Jesus’ total understanding and merciful forgiveness for human weakness. Then ; - He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."(Matthew 26:42)

“May this cup be taken from me,” was not repeated anymore. Jesus arrived to accept the death on the Cross throughout harsh time of prayer. When he came back, he found his disciples sleeping again. However Jesus didn’t awake them this time but went away once more to pray for the third time by repeating the previous prayer.

Then ; - he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (Matthew 26:45-46)

He saw Judas coming across the mountain side with solders. Jesus was not hesitating at all to confront what would happen. Once he accepted God’s will, he was completely prepared to die for humans’ sake. The words “Rise, let us go!” reveals the strong determination.

2. Lord forgives us

We see human weakness throughout the story. Some might consider Jesus to be coward because he confessed “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” They should praise Socrates* higher, who took calmly deadly poison even though he was convinced of unfairness of the death penalty.

In contrast to those people, we are proud of Jesus for his sincerity and humane reaction. His honesty consoles us. We are also put to risk of taking “Bitter cup” in our life. Severe illness, failure of life-work or loss of lived ones strikes our soul. In those harsh situations, we pray God. But God keeps sometimes silence. If so, we feel lost and helpless. Therefore it is a great consolation that Jesus, the son of God, was also filled with sorrow and deep distress. Paul wrote, ; - He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. (Hebrews 5:2)

We can be friends of Jesus because “he himself is subject to weakness.” We are desperately weak in body. When Jesus predicted, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me” Peter responded, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will"(see Matthew 26:31-33) Nonetheless Peter couldn’t remain awake when Jesus was praying in falling drops of sweat like blood. Peter run away from the solders who arrested Jesus. Then, in the house of the hight priest, he denied Jesus three times facing the challenge of house servants. To some extent, Peter was almost the same as Judas of Iscariot.

According to the Gospel writer John, the disciples of Jesus went back to Galilee after Jesus’ death on the Cross. They became again fishermen. Then Jesus, resurrected, showed himself before them. At that time, Jesus didn’t say anything to blame Peter. Jesus only asked him, “Do you love me?” The same question was repeated three times. And Peter also gave the same answer three times. Peter must become very sad. He should guess that Jesus accused Peter in that way of his previous conducts. Perhaps Peter said in his heart “You know all, my Lord. I denied you three times. You must know very well my weakness.” So he said to Jesus, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus responded to him,"Feed my sheep.” (see John 21:17)

Peter understood that Jesus trusted the church to him who fell away from and denied Jesus. At that very moment, Peter was totally changed . He had been weak before but became strong. Humans can become strong only by recognizing our own weakness. Because our weakness pushes us to pray God. How metamorphosis of Peter encourages and fills us with hope!

* Socrates http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates

3. Gethsemane for us

Today’s invocation verses are Romans 5:6-8; - You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Before becoming a believer of Christ, Paul was fearful of God’s anger. He was a zealous Pharisee and striving for the salvation by observing strictly the law. However he could not have peace in mind. And he knew why ; - I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.(Romans 7:18-19)

Though desiring to do good acts, we are hindered to do so by our sinful nature. Therefore Paul thought that God’s anger was against humans who should be punished. And Paul’s fear pushed him to accuse and persecute christians who seemed neglecting the law.

But, meeting resurrected Jesus on the way to Damascus, Paul’s fear vanished. At first, Paul felt dying due to his persecution of christians. Nonetheless Jesus Christ forgave him, instead.

Image of furious God disappeared in a second and Paul met peaceful and mercy God. Paul recognized then that Jesus laid down his life to save even a persecutor, a christians’ enemy. The Cross of Jesus was not exclusively for righteous believers! Such a love of Jesus Christ crashed completely Paul’s hostile mind. Love was proved to be the truth and the Resurrection.

In that way, Paul, a former oppressor of christians, became a faithful preacher. But, as a consequence of the conversion, he was accused by Jewish people of throwing out Judaism. His life was put in danger. Yet, he accepted those difficulties with joy because he was given peaceful spirit from God in exchange.

Peter and other disciples had gone through the similar experience to Paul. Harsh difficulties make humans too weak to resist against menaces and to preserve the faith in Christ. We are all like Peter or even Judas. Act of abandoning the faith in Christ occurred often during the history of Christianity, for example in the early church under Roman oppressions. Roman emperors changed successively their religions politics and the christianity was sometimes banned or tolerated. Believers diminished or increased following stance of the authority. In harsh time, many Christians left the church then some of them came back when the oppression passed over. The same movement was repeated throughout the history. We are also among those believers whose body was weak despite the willing spirit. But Jesus took the weak body for our sake. Midst of sufferings, Jesus’ spirit remained open toward weak disciples. We are saved by Jesus who was once in a weak body. Therefore we pray for those who are also weak in body. The church must be the place where we can forgive others without any condition. In this very church we are forgiven and given peaceful soul by God. God invites us to take part in acts of christians. Let us now give thanks to God who allows us to work for Him!