IN A GARDEN

Passover Lamb being inspected.

I love gardening, but this blog is not about gardening. It is about what happened in a garden. 

Two days ago I fell on my face. It shook me up and as I layed on the ground in the dark, I prayed.  So when I read this verse last night, it caught my attention. 

Matthew 26:39 -- And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

In A Garden

Two of the bibles most poignant and world changing events happened "in a garden." The first is of course in the Garden of Eden, the biblical paradise described in the Book of Genesis where God placed Adam and Eve. It was a perfect place with many trees and rivers, but the couple was forbidden to eat from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Their disobedience led to their expulsion from the garden. 

The second is from the Christian Gospels in the Garden of Gethsemane. We get an account of what happened there from four of the apostles: Matthew (26), Mark (14), Luke (22) and John (18). 

Those four chapter numbers have significance: 

• 26 is the value of יהוה (YHVH). 
• 14 is the value of  דָּוִד (David). 
• 18 is the value of חי (Life).
•  22 Reveals! 

The story found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is a powerful, detailed vignette that encapsulates the core message of Jesus' ministry: agony, love, mercy, and submission to God's will over human impulse and violence, even in the face of extreme adversity. 

Each of four Gospels adds a unique dimension to the same essential story. Therefore, to fully appreciate the full story one has to pause, listen and reflect on all of them. 

"Pausing, listening and reflecting" is a pattern I just wrote about when I studied the word "selah." That inspired me to study what happened "in a garden." 

It is an understatement to say a lot happened n the Garden of Gethsemane. From Jesus falling on his face and praying in agony, to a great crowd with swords and clubs from the chief priests and the elders, to Judas's betrayal and Jesus's last miracle.  

It was Jesus's "last miracle" before the crucifixion, when Peter cuts off Malchus's ear with his sword, and Jesus heals it, that caught my attention when I was writing about "Selah" yesterday morning. But this morning I realized the story of what happened "in a garden" was worthy of much more thought, thus this new blog post.

What happens in the garden takes place just a couple days before the Passover holiday and the korban Lamb sacrafice. Jesus's time to be delivered up for his trial and crucifixion has come. 

“INRI” -- Iesus Nazarenus Rex

As Jesus is about to be taken away he sends a message to the highest earthly authorities the high priests and King alike. It is no coincidence that the name of the servant who's ear is cut off and healed is named "Malchus." That is the Greek form of the Hebrew Malluch, meaning counselor or king.  Malluch" is a biblical name, while "Melech" (מֶלֶך) is the biblical word for "king". Malluch (מַלּוּךְ) appears in the Bible as a Levite, a priest, and a leader who helped seal the covenant with Nehemiah. Melech (מֶלֶךְ) refers to any earthly ruler, or in a theological context, to God. 

Added Dimensions:

At this point I am going to focus on something unique in each Gospel account. 

Matthew 26:

After Judas did his infamous kiss to identity Jesus, Matthew 26:50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me?

In Matthew 26:53-54 Jesus is explaining his willingness to be arrested, not because he is powerless, but because his arrest is part of God's plan for the fulfillment of scripture. He could have summoned a vast angelic army, but he chose not to.  It is notable the Jesus says "12 Legions." The message of these versus is that the 12 tribes and the 12 apostles were part God's plan, just as He is. 

Mark

Mark's description of the scene in the Garden (Mark 14: 33-50) powerfully accentuates Jesus' humanity and the depth of his suffering. Mark presents his experience not just as a model of steadfastness, but as a unique, agonizing struggle against the full forces of sin and death. The wording underscores that the "battle" against the temptation to avoid the cross was fought and won in Gethsemane.

The narrative emphasizes the failure of the disciples to "keep watch and pray" with Jesus, highlighting the theme of human weakness in the face of spiritual testing, which is a central point in Mark's narrative of discipleship. 

Luke

Luke 22.51

• Luke 22 reveals a few unique dimensions:
• Angelic intervention: An angel from heaven appeared to strengthen Jesus during his agony in the garden.
• Sweating blood: Luke is the only Gospel writer to describe Jesus' sweat as "great drops of blood" falling to the ground due to extreme anguish. (Luke 22.44)
• Prayer posture: Luke is unique in that it describes Jesus kneeling to pray in the garden, a different posture from the usual standing prayer.
• Healing the servant: After his arrest, Luke is the only Gospel that records Jesus touching the ear of the high priest's servant and healing him, highlighting his mercy even at his arrest. 

The angel and miraculous healing is revealed in Luke 22! The blood is revealed in 22! 

John 

Unlike the other chapters, John 18 opens right up in the Garden.  Here are some special aspects with John's account:

• Emphasis on control -- John's account highlights Jesus's sovereignty and control over the situation. He walks into the garden knowing he will be betrayed but does not alter his plans.
• Omission of Jesus's agony -- Unlike the other Gospels, John does not record Jesus's emotional and spiritual anguish in the garden. Instead, he summarizes this struggle into the single question, "Shall I not drink the cup?".
• Jesus disarms the soldiers -- When the arresting party arrives, Jesus steps forward and says, "I am he." The soldiers fall to the ground, demonstrating Jesus's power over them. (John 18:6)
• There is no mention of apostles running away.

John's Gospel uniquely emphasizes Jesus's authority and divine plan in the Garden of Gethsemane by portraying the arrest as a deliberate act of divine will, not a defeat. When Jesus says, "I am He," and the arresting soldiers to fall to the ground, Jesus demonstrates his power beyond their understanding. 

Conclusion:

When I "paused, listened and reflected" on all four Gospel accounts of what happened in the garden, the lesson I took away is how important "selah" is to understanding the scriptures.  The overarching message is the reversal of what happened in the Garden of Eden,