40 Days of Easter 2011 Devotional for April 6

40 Days of Easter - April 6, 2011

Written by: AJ Sharenberger

The Crushing Press of Gethsemane
Matthew 26:36-46
Focal Verse: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." v. 38

We tend to focus on Easter as a time of celebration of Jesus' victory over sin, death, and the grave. As I read the Gethsemane verses, however, I am convicted of not having stayed and kept watch with Jesus as He bore the sorrow of our sins and prepared with prayer to endure the wrath of God for my sins and the sins of the whole world.

As humans, we tend to celebrate victories but dismiss their cost. Even if we sometimes consider the physical pain our Lord endured for us on the cross, more often we overlook the spiritual wrath Jesus took upon Himself to make atonement with God for our sins. We have crosses to remind us of His physical crucifixion, but we have so very little comprehension of what it meant for Jesus to bear God's absolute wrath for all our sins.

"He had full knowledge of the infinite evil of sin, and of the immense extent of that guilt for which he was to atone; with awful views of the Divine justice and holiness, and the punishment deserved by the sins of men, such as no tongue can express, or mind conceive."
Matthew Henry Commentary

As He prepared to face this burden in Gethsemane, Jesus said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

Gethsemane was the place where olives were crushed in a rock press to yield olive oil. As I think about Gethsemane, I am reminded of Isaiah 5:3 which foretold that Jesus would carry the sorrow of all our sins and would be crushed for our iniquities:
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5

How about you? Will you celebrate His Resurrection but neglect to stay and pray with Him in the crushing press of Gethsemane?

Lord, help us to stay and keep watch with You.