It is written, “He (Christ Jesus) came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 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.
45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,
46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.”1
What a precious example of humility, grace, love our Master revealed to all! Even though he didn’t want to go through the upcoming extreme ordeal, he humbly served His purpose, the example of eternal Life. But God, Love, didn’t leave him there in the garden to toil with fear and dread alone! Love sent an angel to Jesus’ side to strengthen him and give him Peace. This Peace carried Jesus all the way through, giving him the Word, the guidance, the strength to endure. This Peace, eternal Life, and Love is given to us all. But how important it is for us to not fall for the temptations of trivialization!!!
What is this ‘temptation’? It is the temptation to trivialize the meaning of the crucifixion, to miss the reason for the crucifixion. We are to stay awake, stay alert to the realization of WHY Christ Jesus obediently went through this extreme ordeal, man trying to kill infinite Life. Have we fallen asleep to the wiles of triviality, forgetting the why of the crucifixion and the celebration of Easter, Resurrection?
The man, Jesus, dreading what he knew was about to happen, in simple request that the experience be passed from him. A request many if not all of us would make as well. But the servant of God, Christ Jesus, knew the necessity of obedience to this and all Divine activity. He knew that each step needed to be revealed. Through the moments leading up to, the crucifixion itself, and the glory after, it taught us more than we are aware through slight investigation. When one studies the hours leading up to the crucifixion and the hours afterwards, they are life changing. Jesus was aware of what was to become of his mortal body and what was going to elevate all mankind through this activity. He was teaching by example that the mortal material experience called life isn’t to be compared to the realization of eternal Life. His example revealed God’s all-inclusive Love for His Idea, Man. Each step revealed God’s healing hand of Love and protection. Each step was vital for us all to see and consecrate in our own lives.
We must take this time to acknowledge this activity as a Divine expression of deep Love. Not by trivializing it, but by revering it, exploring it, studying it, and immolating this deep expression of Love. Are there times when we wish that the ‘cup’ may be passed from our lives as well? Of course, but then where would be the glory, the praise of God, and the revelation of His ever-presence? By being a witness to Christ Jesus’ precious ultimate example, doesn’t it lead to higher examples in our own lives?
We must not miss the opportunities to serve God in whatever capacity that we’re required. We mustn’t be tempted to run from our service to God and the revelation of His greatness in our lives. We must not fall asleep, but face our responsibility as the children of God, to be examples such as Christ Jesus. How important it is for us to pray continually to be alert, awake to the false claims of temptations. By leading our lives with higher purpose and examples of this precious Christ, Truth, we are helping others around us do the same. The Angels of His Almighty power are with us. They strengthen us with His Love, His power, His presence.
On Easter, let us celebrate Jesus’ demonstration of eternal Life that was for us all. Let us also celebrate that we too get to be not only the witnesses of eternal Life as receivers but as examples of eternal Life as well. This cannot be trivialized by candy and ‘easter’ egg hunts. This is a Holy Day that must be revered and celebrated with deep contemplation. It is a day that the pagan rituals that have trivialized the day must be removed and the Holiness regained and revered.
Let us truly celebrate and immolate this Holy example.
“Let us sing of Easter gladness
That rejoices every day,
Sing of hope and faith uplifted;
Love has rolled the stone away.
Lo, the promise and fulfillment,
Lo, the man whom God hath made,
Seen in glory of an Easter
Crowned with light that cannot fade.”2
Let this Easter gladness lift us to higher examples of our own resurrection! This is truly the sweetness of our Life.
Hugs
1 Luke 22:39-46
2 Christian Science Hymnal
No. 171 vs. 1
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