Gethsemane - Lesson 7 - Christ's Week of Awe

Lesson 7

Gethsemane

John 17:1-26

Matthew 26:31-35, Mark 14: 27-31

Luke 22:21-38

            We are still in the upper chamber with Jesus and his disciples.  The Last Supper has been eaten, Jesus has washed the disciples' feet, Judas has been named as the betrayer and left, Jesus has taught great discourses on love, the two comforters,  and the Holy Ghost. 

            Now as Matthew records, they sing a hymn together and leave the upper chamber for the Mount of Olives.  At the Mount of Olives, Jesus continues His teaching of the disciples.  Here He gives the Great Intercessory Prayer, also known as the Lord's High-Priestly Prayer.  This  prayer is only recorded by John.  “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” (John 17:1-2)  He prays for eternal life, He formally offers Himself as the great sacrifice for our sins, and He gives a prayer for the apostles, and a prayer for the saints.  John 17 is an amazing chapter in John.  He concludes with, “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)

            When he had finished the Intercessory Prayer, they traveled over the brook Cedron to where there was a garden.  Today we refer to this garden as the Garden of Gethsemane, which is on the slope of Mount Olivet.  Gethsemane means “oil-press.”  As they enter the garden, Jesus asks eight of the disciples to stay at the entrance, then Jesus, with Peter, James, and John, went farther into the garden, where He left the three together.  He is consumed with great sorrow, and

“He went a little further, and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39)  He then came back to the disciples and they were asleep, having given in to their exhaustion.  He returned twice to them between His prayers, and they were each time asleep.  He awoke them, and they were ashamed that they could not stay awake, and the third time He went away to pray. “Luke tells us that 'There appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him'; but not even the presence of this super-earthly visitant could dispel the awful anguish of His soul.  '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.'” (Talmage, p. 568)  He returned to the three, who were again sleeping and said, “Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” (Mathew 26:45)

            Oh, the sacrifice of sacrifices!  “Undoubtedly, the author of Hebrews 5:8-9 had in mind this very moment in Gethsemane when he wrote: 'Though he were a Son [meaning God's literal Son who occupied a special position], yet learned he obedience by [or because of] the things which he suffered....and...he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.'  This passage portrays the doctrinal essence of Gethsemane.  Just as Jesus became the author of eternal salvation by obeying the Father, all of us must obey Jesus if we want to partake of that salvation and become like the Father.” (Skinner, Gethsemane, p. 68)

            The Atonement is given!  The sacrifice of all sacrifices, that we through His grace may have eternal life!

            The sacrifice was of such mortal pain and love that the Father himself sent a messenger to be there for our Savior.  Bruce R. McConkie believed this messenger to be Michael, Adam himself, the first man on earth, the father of the human family.  (Ensign, Bruce R. McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane”, May 1985, p.9) 

            James Talmage enlightens us about this sacrifice: “He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible.  It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing.  No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and welcome oblivion.  In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors of Satan, 'the prince of this world' could inflict....In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world.” (Talmage, p.569)

            “Gethsemane,” the oil-press, we need to understand it better.  What is this symbolism?  We are told that Jesus bled from every pore. (D&C 19:18)  Andrew Skinner tells us a little more about this.  “ Such a condition as Jesus experienced is not unknown.  A remarkable article in the Journal of the American Medical Association discusses the rare phenomenon called hematidrosis (bloody sweat) as the very real condition described by Luke.  It has been known to occur in persons with bleeding disorders, or, more significantly, in persons experiencing extreme distress and highly emotional states.  As a result of extreme stress and pressure, the small blood vessels just under the skin hemorrhage.  Blood mixes with perspiration, and the skin becomes fragile and tender.  Thus, in the cold night air, this condition may have also produced chills in Jesus.“ (Skinner, Gethsemane, p.76-77) 

            Another thing pointed out is that Luke is a physician and because of this, he would notice the effects of what was going on to the Lord's physical body. 

            Andrew Skinner teaches us more: “That Jesus bled from every pore in Gethsemane is significant in two ways.  First, the literal significance is that he shed his blood for us twice: in the garden and on the cross. His atoning blood in Gethsemane was not less important than his atoning blood on the cross. Thus, Jesus approached death twice: in the garden and on the cross—which is where he finally yielded up his life.  But Gethsemane was also slow agony—death by degrees—and the results of Jesus' trauma in Gethsemane came back to torment him during his trial. When he was striped of his clothing before he was crucified (Matthew 27:26-28), the dried blood from his pores would have been pulled away from the tender flesh and inflicted even more pain. Second, the symbolic significance of Jesus shedding his blood in Gethsemane has to do with the very place where it all happened. Gethsemane, the garden of the “oil press” on the Mount of Olives, is where olives were crushed to harvest their oil.  Under extreme weight and pressure, Jesus bled from every pore. In Gethsemane, not only did Jesus become us but he became the olive.  In the garden of the oil press, where olives were pressed out, Jesus himself was pressed out. This symbolic correspondence is no accident, and there are many parallels between Jesus and the olive and between the Atonement and the pressing process that are not mere coincidences.  (Skinner, Gethsemane. p. 77-78)

            Olive trees are used for many things and are regarded as a necessity of life.  The olive tree is used for oil-- cooking, medicine, lighting, and anointing.  The tree is used for constructing buildings and furniture, tools and trinkets.  It takes twelve or more years of care to get yields from the olive tree, and it only produces heavily every other year. 

            Elder Christofferson explains of the oil press, “It is poignantly symbolic that “blood [came] from every pore” as Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, the place of the olive press.  To produce olive oil in the Savior's time, olives were first crushed by rolling a large stone over them.

The resulting “mash” was placed in soft, loosely woven baskets, which were piled one upon another.  Their weight expressed the first and finest oil.  Then added stress was applied by placing a large beam or log on top of the stacked baskets, producing more oil.  Finally, to draw out the very last drops, the beam was weighted with stones on one end to create the maximum, crushing pressure.  And yes, the oil is blood red as it first flows out.  (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, October 2016 General Conference, “Abide in My Love.”)

            In conclusion James Talmage offers us this beautiful paragraph: “From the terrible conflict in Gethsemane, Christ emerged a victor.  Though in the dark tribulation of that fearful hour He had pleaded that the bitter cup be removed from His lips, the request, however oft repeated, was always conditional; the accomplishment of the Father's will was never lost sight of as the object of the Son's supreme desire.”  (Talmage, p.569)

            His sacrifice, the atonement,  given in Gethsemane has now taken place.  Jesus then is betrayed by a kiss from Judas. Peter cuts off the right ear of the high priest's servant. Illegal trials are conducted at night, one before Annas and one before Caiaphas. The morning is coming and before the rooster crows, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times.

            Christ's week of awe, the Pascal week, the Holy Days of Awe.  Feeling this, experiencing this, enveloping this, really brings the word Awe to a full and complete meaning.

Gethsemane

Prepare

Mathew 26:31-35, Mark 14: 27-31

Luke 22:21-38

Oh what a story to tell.

There are different levels of telling of Gethsemane,

simple to extensive, tell the story as it would apply to the

ages of the members of your family.

How does this apply to you?  What is the atonement?

How does the atonement apply to you?

How can the atonement be used personally in your life?

What is another name for Gethsemane?

What are the similitudes of the oil press and what Jesus

did for us in Gethsemane?

Remembering

Picture of the Savior in Gethsemane.

Picture of the oil press (giving blood red oil)

Singing the song Gethsemane or listening to

a version of the song.

Gethsemane

Jesus climbed the hill
To the garden still
His steps were heavy and slow
Love and a prayer
Took Him there
To the place only He could go

Gethsemane
Jesus loves me
So He went willingly
To Gethsemane

He felt all that was sad, wicked or bad
All the pain we would ever know
While His friends were asleep
He fought to keep
His promise made long ago

Gethsemane
Jesus loves me
So He went willingly
To Gethsemane

The hardest thing that ever was done
The greatest pain that ever was known
The biggest battle that ever was won
This was done by Jesus
The fight was won by Jesus

Gethsemane
Jesus loves me
So He gave His gift to me
In Gethsemane

Gethsemane
Jesus loves me
So He gives His gift to me
From Gethsemane

Written by Melanie and Roger Hoffman

Act of Service

What act of service can you do to remind you of

Jesus in Gethsemane?  Jesus gave His all for us in His

act of service for us.