Pastor's Weekly Word

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew 26:36,39)

One of the truly poignant moments during our recent trip to Jerusalem had to have been the day we went to the Garden of Gethsemane. It sits just across from the outside of the city wall. While there, our group was given ample time to walk around the grove of trees and think about the importance of this place. We were told that, although the trees themselves have grown and regrown, some of the roots may well have been there in Jesus time. Here’s what caught me about being there, though. It wasn’t the fact that Jesus knelt in this same spot years ago or the thought that this is where they came to arrest him. What caught my attention was the loud noise of the cars.

Right next to the garden, just a few feet away, is a modern street filled with cars racing to their destinations. It was quite odd to stand there looking at this ancient site right in front of me while the hum of revving engines and the smell of exhaust filled the air right behind me. There in the place where Jesus expressed those prayerful human words, "Father, take this yoke from me, though not my will but yours be done," there, even today, the realities of the world continue to encroach on and crowd out the holy sound of God. That’s what caught me.