The Hour Had Come

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." [John 13:1 KJV] Jesus knew His hour had come. He knew Judas would betray Him. He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew His blood would be shed for the sins of many. The judgment and resulting punishment for the crime Adam committed was about to fall upon Jesus as the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world. It was time to face the unthinkable - the crisis has begun. There was much more to Jesus' suffering than just physical. He was to partake of the cup of sin and death, He was to be made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Was it the physical trauma from the beatings and the cross that killed Jesus? No, it was our sin that killed Him. The sins of the entire world, past, present, and future was laid upon Him. Jesus never sinned but He was "...the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." [John 1:29b KJV] On our behalf Jesus experienced the wages of sin and death to the fullest extent. In the Garden, Jesus begun to suffer the agonies of the lost. He would soon be reckoned among the transgressors. He was about to bear the sins of mankind and would temporally be forsaken by heaven just before He entered the belly of the earth for 3 days and nights. "And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." [Luke 22:39-44 KJV] The garden of Gethsemane was the setting of Jesus' spiritual travail before the crucifixion. The stress of what He was about to face was so severe that His sweat became mingled with blood. Bloody sweat is the result of intense mental contemplation, and passions such as terror, anguish, despair. While under conditions of extreme emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can rupture thus mixing blood with perspiration. While the extent of blood loss is minimal, this condition can cause the skin to be extremely tender and fragile, which would have made Jesus' physical sufferings even more painful. Gethsemane means - oil press. In Bible times, olive oil was a valuable commodity and had a wide variety of applications. Depending upon circumstances, the oil was produced by various methods. It was either beaten, or trodden, or put in a press or mill powered by people or oxen. Jesus was beaten and put in the olive press for us. Jesus' sufferings and sacrifice allowed the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit to be poured out on those who believe in Him. It appears that Jesus' mind, will, and emotions may have suffered even more intensely in the garden than on the cross. Jesus' suffering was not merely physical struggles with the horrible realities of the cross, His sufferings were supernatural. His suffering was the suffering of a sinless God-man who could only fathom the depths of the Father's righteousness and man's sinfulness. Jesus suffers a great injustice when likened to us, and when His sufferings are compared to what ours have been in this life. Jesus' suffering in the garden was so severe He agonized to the point of death and an angel from heaven had to come and strengthen Him. Jesus' crucifixion was not the cross of a martyr, it is the revelation of redemption. The cry on the cross, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" is not the desolation of an isolated individual, it is the revelation of the heart of God face to face with the sin of man, and going deeper down than man's sin can ever go in inconceivable heartbreak in order that every sin stained sinner who will come to Him might be absolutely redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus. No one could take Jesus' life from Him, He alone had the authority to give it and raise it again. Jesus freely gave His life out of love so that any who will call upon His name may live. Jesus said, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." [John 10:17-18 KJV] If you are not born again, and desire to be in right standing with God, you are invited to pray this prayer. As you read, make a conscious effort to speak these words in faith from the very depths of your heart. Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus, I present myself to You. I pray and ask Jesus to be Lord over my life. I believe in my heart and I say with my mouth that Jesus has been raised from the dead and I receive Him now as Savior and Lord over my life. I call upon Your name Jesus and I receive by faith my salvation and my new birth today. I give you praise and I give you thanks for the gift of life.