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| Passover Lamb being inspected. |
Preface
Two days ago I fell on my face. It shook me up.
As I layed on the ground in the dark, I prayed. So when I read this verse last night, it caught my attention. I paused and reflected.
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
I love gardening, but this blog is not about gardening. It is about what happened 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. One could call the Garden of Gethsemane "holy ground" from a the perspective of anyone who believes the story of what happened there.
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 too much significance to be simple coincidence:
- 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 of what happened in the garden, one has to pause, listen and reflect on all of them.
"Pausing 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 that a lot happened in 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.
Jesus's "last miracle" before the crucifixion, when Peter cuts off Malchus's ear with his sword, and Jesus heals it, struck me when I was writing about "Selah" yesterday morning. 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.
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| “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 name "Malluch" (מַלּוּךְ) meaning counselor or king. "Melech" (מֶלֶך) is the biblical title for "king." There is one letter difference, the Vav (6), a nail. A "nail" changes a "man" into a "king." Malluch appears in the Bible as a Levite, a priest, and a leader who helped seal the covenant with Nehemiah. Melech refers to any earthly ruler, or in a theological context, to God.
Added Dimensions:
Most Christians are familiar with the overarching story about the Garden of Gethsemane. I decided in this blog to focus on what is unique in each Gospel account. They are in biblical order.
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?
Matthew is written for the Jew and 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 that 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. (See my
blog post about 12 to better appreciate this point.)
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
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| Luke 22.51 |
Luke 22 reveals a few unique dimensions:- An angel from heaven appeared to strengthen Jesus during his agony in the garden.
- 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)
- Luke is unique in that it describes Jesus kneeling to pray in the garden, a different posture from the usual standing prayer.
- 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 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. It seems to me that what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane was God’s way of repairing what happened in the Garden of Eden because God loved the world.
Epilogue:
It is fair to say that the Garden of Gethsemane is "holy ground." I am reminded of another Yehoshua יהושע (Joshua) who fell on his face.
Joshua 5:13-15 -- When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”
Gematria assigns numerical values to each Hebrew letter or the name יהושע (Yehoshua).
The calculation is as follows:
י (Yod) = 10
ה (Hei) = 5
ו (Vav) = 6
ש (Shin) = 300
ע (Ayin) = 70
Total: 10 + 5 + 6 + 300 + 70 = 391
Using the gematria (and mathmatical) practice of reducing a number, we get 3+9+1=13. The number 13 is a significant number in Judaism, often associated with concepts such as eḥad (oneness) and ahavah (love), both of which also have a gematria of 13.
Love (13) your fellow + Love (13) God = 26. 26 is the value of YHVH (י-ה-ו-ה).
