“He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.”
When Jesus came to perhaps the darkest moment of His life, he took His 3 chosen friends with Him…… but only so far.
Coming to the garden of Gethsemane, after sharing a last meal with His disciples, Jesus knew He was facing His toughest test.
He had to face it alone, but He needed the sense that His chosen friends were there for Him.
He knew they were close by, but He did not take them fully into the depth of His darkness…… that was for Jesus to face alone.
He alone must experience the distress, the anguish of His troubled soul.
Jesus went further into the shadows of the garden than He asked His friends to go, further into the shadow of His pain. There is a message here for us.
We need never feel that we are abandoned as we face the pain and grief that life sometimes throws at us.
We are never without companionship, for whatever struggle or anxiety holds us in its grip; whatever shadow threatens to overwhelm us……. If we will but look up, we will see Jesus ahead of us…… deeper in the shadow watching and waiting for us, already experiencing our pain and ready to hold us in our need.
Joan.