Preparing for Easter: Week 5

Stained Glass Reflections on the Life of Christ

Recommended Reading: Matthew 26:30-56 (Mark 14:26-52), Luke 22:39-53, John 18:1-11

The scene we witness today is one of the saddest in the Gospels. Of course, Jesus’ pain and anguish here pale in comparison to what He will face on the cross, but this image of Jesus praying alone in a garden while His disciples sleep breaks my heart. Even worse, it ends with one of His disciples betraying Him with a kiss and all the others running away.

When we stop to consider it, we can feel the personal anguish of this moment deep within. It’s also a moment of sinless anxiety for our Savior as He contemplates the “cup” of God’s wrath that will soon be poured out on Him. It’s a scene of loneliness, intense emotion, and desperation.

The ending phrases of the Gospel accounts land like gut punches:

• “Then all the disciples left Him and fled.” -Matthew 26:56
• “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” -Luke 22:53
• “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” -John 18:11

Linger before this stained-glass depiction of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Picture yourself in the scene. What stands out?

Week 5: Jesus in the Garden

#1: TOTAL AGONY – It’s hard not to see the sheer agony of this moment on Jesus’ face. Yes, like before, He is serene and in control, but you can’t help but feel the weight of this moment upon Him. It’s an anxiety so heavy that He even sweats drops of blood (Luke 22:44). The artist did not depict those bloody streaks on His face in our window, but did give Jesus bright red clothes as if to reference the blood which soon will be shed far more!

Even the plant life around Him seems to be strained and thorny, particularly below Jesus, perhaps foreshadowing the crown of thorns. In fact, how interesting that we see hints of two of the curses of the Fall here: the sweat of the brow and thorns growing (Gen. 3:18-19). The Second Adam will have to bear all the effects of the First Adam’s failure. This place was called Gethsemane, which means “olive press.” Perhaps the olive trees that spread their dark branches above Jesus reminded Him of the tree where Adam and Eve first fell into sin, which led inevitably to this moment. This is, after all, a garden. In the Garden of Eden, humanity chose to rebel against God. In the Garden of Gethsemane, humanity choose to betray God to His killers with a kiss and to run away in fright and shame (Mark 14:51-52).

Perhaps the nearby olive presses where the olives were beaten and crushed to produce oil foreshadow for Jesus that He too will be beaten with rods and His body crushed under its own weight as He suffocates on the cross. Perhaps the words of Isaiah’s prophecy that He is fulfilling come to mind, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities…”

#2: TOTAL SURRENDER – Notice Christ’s position here. He is on His knees in what appears to be total submission to His Father. How fitting that He is leaning on a rock – He who is the Rock of Ages will let Himself be rejected and crushed by the Father’s wrath. Notice His hands are spread before Him as if in desperate pleading. We know the words He prays: “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). Then He prays again, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” (vs. 42). And then He repeats it a third time (vs. 44). In between each prayer, He finds His disciples sleeping. Their eyes are heavy with sleep, but His spirit is heavy with sorrow, “even to death” (vs. 38, 43). But in spite of His sorrow, He still surrenders: “Your will be done.” He models for us how prayer can be desperate but also dependent, straining but also surrendered.

#3: LIGHT IN DARKNESS – I love the very prominent beam of light descending onto Jesus’ face in this window. It’s the one bright spot in a dark scene. But what does it represent? His prayer to the Father? The Father’s response to His prayer? Or perhaps the angel who strengthens Him (Luke 22:43)? Whichever it is, we know that He is not alone in this season, in spite of how it appears. When it seems like all His friends have either switched sides or are sleeping, Christ still has His Father’s blessing. The shadow of Jerusalem’s cross weighs heavy on Him. It is indeed an hour for the “power of darkness,” but when He looks toward heaven, there is light in a dark place. The Father will be glorified through His Son, even as He places all of our sin upon Him. In fact, that’s what makes this so amazing! The Father loves the Son, is well-pleased by Him, and yet pours out His wrath upon Him! Amazing love – how can it be?

Viewing these scenes, the lyrics of a beautiful song come to mind…

How in that Garden He persisted

I may never fully know

The fearful weight of true obedience

It was held by Him alone

What wondrous faith to bear that cross

To bear my sin, what wondrous love

My hope was sure, when there my Savior prayed

“Father, not my will but Yours be done”

On your darkest day, when the weight of anxiety presses down upon you, think of Christ in the Garden, taking on your sin, your griefs, your sorrows, and yes, your anxiety, so that you could be free! He went through total agony so that we would never have to. Let’s never forget this moment! Let’s use this old hymn as a prayer for this lead-up to Easter: “Lest I forget Gethsemane, Lest I forget Thine agony, Lest I forget Thy love for me, Lead me to Calvary.”