Why Gethsemane?
Smelling the daisies, beholding the oaks or resting among the birds would not be for Jesus in this garden. Gethsemane is His gateway to decision. Jesus knows all its gruesome detail, every iota. In a trouble and distress no other man in world history has known, He peels open His raw soul:
My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. (Mark 14:28)
Gethsemane offers no pillows. It is a man's first step to self-death, the exact opposite to self-love.
As with Adam and Eve, the battle is won or lost in gardens. There is no cross in a garden.
Four men entered that olive grove, only one remained alert.
Imagine Jesus turning to three followers three times, when He needs support they could not even support their eyelids.
The cold morning and Jesus' clear instructions are little match for weary flesh. A disciple's inability to rule his flesh is a timeless human failing. This malaise still afflicts the closest of followers.
Gethsemane captures a window into discipleship’s humanity - a dependent Savior sadly looking to independent disciples. He needs them there for Him but they are still there for themselves.
Gethsemane is the measure of a man. It searches the soul, shouting will YOU too pick up your cross?
The Last Word:
Gethsemane invites reciprocity, but the Cross demands it.