TIME IN THE GARDEN

No, this is not going to be another one of my stories about planting peas, or lining up rows or gathering tomatoes from my garden.  It seems, looking back at some of the stuff I have written, that I do a lot of writing and story telling about my garden.  But this is another "garden" story.  This is the story that many of you know very well.  It is the story of the Garden of Gethsemane. I guess with the Easter season quickly approaching, this story is appropriate.

Often, when we talk about the Garden of Gethsemane we focus on Jesus and His agony and struggles there.  There are many lessons we an learn by looking at the things said and done there. I think this is one of, if not "the" most decisive moments in the life of Jesus.

I know the cross was awful.  I know the tragedy of the shameful, painful, death that He took for us.  But I believe that Gethsemane prepared Jesus for Golgotha. There is a lesson there that I hadn't even thought about mentioning. 

You and I will face our Golgotha in our lives.  We will come to that awful, tragic, difficult, time, that to us will seem unsurpassable.  But if we will learn a lesson from Jesus, if we will learn to spend time in Gethsemane first, then we will have the strength and determination to face our Golgotha. Jesus led us to Gethsemane so we could see where our strength came from.  Time with the Father, time to get our priorities right, time to die out to self, is time we need before we face the fire. 

But that wasn't the point I wanted to make. 

I want us to look at the disciples and learn a lesson from them. Here in the garden we see the response of Jesus and learn about who He is but we also see the response of the disciples and who they are.

After the time in the upper room, Jesus took all of His disciples (except Judas) to the garden where He often went.  As they arrived at one point in the garden He left some of His disciples there.  Then He asked Peter, James and John to follow Him, to go with Him even further into the garden. He expressed to these three closest friends that He was troubled, He needed friends, He needed their help.  “Will you watch (will you help me) and pray with me?”  

Just this week I’ve spotted something about this request from Jesus.  Notice that Jesus didn’t ask them to do something supernatural.  He didn’t ask them to do something that would require a miracle.  Oh, He had asked those things before if you will remember.  He asked them to feed 5000 from a sack lunch.  He asked Peter to pay their taxes when he had no money by looking for money in a fish's mouth.  He asked Peter to step out of the boat and walk on the water.  Miraculous things, things that could only be done with God's help.  But this time Jesus didn't do that.  That is not what He needed from them. 

Because you understand, Jesus didn't need miracles that night.  There is an old song that says "He could have called 10,000 angles".  Miracles would not have been hard for Him.  But tonight He simply asked them to watch, to stay, to help and to pray with Him.

Folks, sometimes in your life God might actually ask you to perform a miracle. There may be a time when you are called on to do something that only a God anointed man/ woman can do.  But I believe that would be the exception instead of the common rule.   

That night Jesus needed His friends and His followers to do nothing more than faithfully stay and pray with Him and they failed Him, totally and completely.

How awful of them.  How could they do such a thing?  How could they put their comfort, their rest, their pleasure before the thing that Jesus needed? 

I don't have to say it do I?  Before you go and point a finger at these disciples consider how long you have prayed this week. Consider how long you have waited, how much time you have spent with Jesus. 

I can’t blame the disciples.  If I would have been there I probably would have gone to sleep long before they did.  I might have filled my belly and taken a nap right there at the table in the upper room.  I may have “begged out” of going to the garden completely.  “Jesus you know I have to go to work in the morning”. 

Folks, at that time in His life, Jesus needed “friends”.  He needs friends at this time in our lives as well.  How much time are you willing to give this week for Him?  How much sleep are you willing to lose this week in order to pray for your lost children?  Will you pray “one hour”. 

Another point I want to show you in this story is found in Matthew 26:41.  Look at what Jesus told the disciples.  “Watch and pray that YOU don’t enter into temptation”.

Who would be the beneficiary, who would benefit from the disciple’s prayer?  The disciples themselves. And who will benefit from the time you spend with Jesus this week?  You will.   

I hope you will consider these points.  I hope you will see that you and I need to spend more time in the garden.