In the garden
in the middle of the night
Jesus rose from his wrestling prayer
with God,
these words on his lips,
“Not my will but yours be done.”
Moving through fear into love,
The battle was over.
Resolute, calm, facing towards his destiny,
he waited and watched
as tiny pinprick lights of torches grew larger,
a crescendo of swords clanking and hushed whispers,
footsteps approaching.
He stood to greet the unruly and armed crowd that had materialized
out of the darkness
in the garden.
Startled out of their deep slumber,
the disciples jumped up awkwardly,
rubbing sleep out of their fearful eyes,
blinded by the torchlight.
They watched in stunned silence.
A kiss.
A sword.
A rebuke.
Jesus, the only calm one in this scene,
is betrayed, arrested.
He did not resist.
He did not call out to His Heavenly Father to defend him.
Strengthened by love,
he gave himself up even more
than he already had.
He let the unfair actions against him play out
as the arrest took place
in the garden.
“Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave….he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal death on a cross.”
Philippians 2:5-8 NLT
Jenny, I love these Holy Week reflections you are writing! they really evoke a sense of what the scenes were like.
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Thanks Lisa! I was thinking they need illustrations by an artist I know!!
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They have come to me as I have been following the Ignatian readings in which we are to enter and walk with Jesus through this time of His life.
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