A-Poem-a-Day Until Resurrection Day
JESUS AT GETHSEMANE—
THE
OLIVE PRESS
I’m
thinking about Jesus
and
the agony He endured
in
the Garden of Gethsemane
following
the Passover meal
the
evening He was apprehended, bound
and
brought before Caiaphas, the high priest
Peter,
James and John were with Him
He
asked them to watch and pray
for
His anguish was exceedingly great
Gethsemane
means olive press—
and
I imagine His torment
felt
as if He Himself were in that very press
being
crushed and squeezed nearly to death
From
the depth of His soul
Jesus
fell on His face and cried out
Abba, My Father
if it is possible
let this cup pass
from Me
yet not as I will, but
as You will
Sweat
and drops of blood
ran
in a stream down His flesh
and
dripped upon the ground—
draining
Him of strength
Jesus
pulled himself up
and
approached His disciples
but
they couldn’t keep their eyes open
and
had fallen asleep
He
asked them again to watch and pray
that
they not be tempted
then
returned to the place
where
He had been
to
continue praying fervently
Perhaps
Our Lord’s greatest agony
occurred
then and there in the garden—
greater
even than the excruciating pain
of
the Crucifixion
as
the staggering weight
of
atoning for the sin of all the world
bore
down heavily upon Him
unrelentingly,
like pressure
upon
olives in a press
In
Our Lord’s unimaginable distress
an
angel from Heaven
came
to minister to Him
Jesus
went again to seek His disciples, but
found
them sleeping, as before
Alas,
He knew their spirits were willing
but
their flesh was weak
Suddenly
there was a commotion
as
a noisy crowd led by Judas Iscariot
approached,
carrying lanterns
swords
and clubs
Judas
called out
Whomever I kiss, He
is the one—
Seize him!
With
that, the betrayer stepped forward
and
gave Our Lord
a kiss
Maude
Carolan Pych
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