The Agony at Gethsemane

Luke 22:39-46, Matthew 26:30, 36-46, Mark 14:26, 32-42, John 18:1

“And when Jesus had spoken these words, and when they had sung an hymn, he came out, and went, as he was wont, over the brook Cedron, to the mount of Olives, where was a garden which was named Gethsemane, into the which he entered; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Sit ye here, [and] pray that ye enter not into temptation; while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James and John), and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went forward a little, and was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and fell down on his face, on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him, saying, Abba (O my Father), all things are possible unto thee; if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not mywill, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, and said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Could ye not watch with me one hour? The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, and spake the same words, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy, neither wist they what to answer him. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, it is enough, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.”

Gethsemane (meaning “oil press”) was an olive tree garden beyond the Kidron Valley, East of Jerusalem, near the Mount of Olives. The “oil press” garden filled with the twisted branches typical of olive trees vividly portrays the intense agony that Jesus went through as He thought of “this cup,” i.e. His impending death on the cross. The agony was so great that He sweated drops of blood. Christ shed His blood not only at Calvary, but also at Gethsemane. Here we have a display of His passive obedience. Although He struggled in His flesh fearing the pain, suffering, and death to come, yet He was determined to obey His Father’s will to go to the cross. Hebrews 5:7-9 makes clear, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”

At the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Now at the end, He was tested again, this time by His humanity. Indeed Christ was tempted and tested to the uttermost so that He might be our sympathetic great High Priest who “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).

Some think it contradictory that Jesus should pray that the cup of the cross would pass from Him since He had already made up His mind to drink it (John 18:11). How could the Son of God be so scared of death? Here is Calvin’s answer, “Those who pretend the Son of God was immune from human passions do not truly and seriously acknowledge Him as a man. When the divine power of Christ is said to have reposed as it were in concealment for a time … to allow Him to fulfil the Redeemer’s role of suffering, this is so far from being an absurdity, that the mystery of our salvation could not have been fulfilled otherwise.”

Did the Father answer the Son’s prayer? Indeed He did. His prayer was answered because He prayed obediently, “not my will, but thine, be done.” Jesus as the Theanthropos—the God-Man— has two wills—the divine and the human. His human will would like the cup removed, but His divine will which was the same as the Father’s would have the cup drunk as eternally decreed. That was why Jesus said to Peter, “the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). Jesus subjected His human will to the divine will. His prayer that the Father’s will be done was answered (Heb 5:7). Although there was a holy tension between His human will and divine will (the dynamics of which we are unable to fathom), His divine will was in perfect harmony with His Father’s—“I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).

Devotional Thoughts on Gethsemane

Dn Tan Beng Lee

During our recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we visited a garden in Gethsemane on the first day of our stay in Jerusalem. Located in the Kidron Valley, near the Mount of Olives, this is believed to be the place where the Lord Jesus Christ spent His last few hours before His betrayal by one of His 12 disciples, Judas Iscariot, for 30 pieces of silver. Here He was arrested and led away to be tried separately by the Sanhedrin, Herod and Pilate, and subsequently sentenced to death by crucifixion by His own people, the Jews.

It was to this garden that He brought three of His disciples, Peter and James and John, and with a heavy heart told them, “my soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with me” while He himself agonized in prayer with God the Father crying, “if thou be willing, remove this cup from me.” The extent of His agony was so great that we are told “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” and “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Lk 22:43-44).

From the above account, we witness the humanity of our Saviour, that though He was 100% God, He was also 100% Man. While he was on this earth, he experienced human emotions like us—hunger, thirst, grief (he wept at the tomb of Lazarus). In this instance He was put to the ultimate test—submission to the Father’s will, which meant dying on the cross through a slow and painful death. He knew the excruciating pain, the intense suffering and the shameful humiliation He had to endure. Jesus Christ, the pure and spotless Lamb of God, who had no sin in Him, had to bear the sins of the world. For it was God’s will for Him to be crucified on the cross, to shed His precious blood for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. And so Jesus Christ went “as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” Thank God that “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15).

Why did He have to go through all these? It is because He loved us despite our sins. He loved us unconditionally and sacrificially for He left heaven’s glory to purchase our salvation. I am reminded of this great act of love for me even as we gather to worship Him this Good Friday evening, that while the free gift of eternal life is offered freely to all and given to those who trust in Him, it cost the Lord Jesus Christ His life. Thank God for the privilege to be His child and I pray that we will follow in the steps of our Saviour, humbly submitting to God in every aspect of our lives—“not my will, but thine, be done.” Amen.

Old Chinese Bible Based on the Textus Receptus and KJV

An Email to FEBC from the Rev J C Smith of Kaoshiung Lutheran Mission, Taiwan, March 17, 2008

The most common Bible version used within the Chinese speaking church today is the Chinese Union Version. We can understand some of the problems with its text in Chinese by looking at the HOW and WHY of its existence.

The Chinese Union Version (CUV) was commissioned by the Shanghai Missionary Society in 1890 and published in 1919. What most people don’t know is that there was already an excellent Chinese Version of the Bible based on the King James Version that the Presbyterian Mission in Shanghai had already commissioned and was in print and in use by 1880.

So we need to ask a question. Since an excellent Chinese New Testament already existed, thanks to the Presbyterian Mission in Shanghai, why did the Shanghai Missionary Society decide to commission a new translation? What had changed between 1880 and 1890?

Students of the history of the Bible already know the answer: It was in 1881 that the false Greek Text and Revised Version in English by Westcott and Hort was published in England and America.

The Chinese Union Version takes Westcott and Hort’s Revised Version in English as its source text, which itself is not based on the King James Version or the Textus Receptus. Despite all the lies and deception to the contrary, Westcott and Hort refused to use the King James Version of the Bible or the Textus Receptus.

The new translation commissioned by the Shanghai Missionary Society was named the “Chinese Union Version” as a reflection of the fact that translators from all the major denominations of the time came together and worked in co-operation with each other in order to produce the finished work. Unfortunately, those “translators” did not use the historic Textus Receptus or King James Bible. They instead used Westcott and Hort’s Revised Version in English of the Bible.

The Chinese Union Version has now been available for nearly 80 years and has the longest history of use and the widest distribution for any Chinese translation of the Bible within the Chinese speaking church today. Other contemporary translations of the Bible into Chinese, “Today’s Chinese Version” (TCV) and the Bible by Lü Zhen Zhong has are also based on Westcott and Hort’s corrupt Greek Text.

You should know there is no Bible Society on earth that publishes a Chinese version of the Bible that agrees with the King James Version or Textus Receptus.

However, the Kaohsiung Lutheran Mission has recovered the lost 1880/1885 Chinese and English New Testament which is based on the King James Version.

You can freely download the 1880 Version from our website.
Peace,
Pr. JC Smith
Kaohsiung LutheranMission – Taiwan
www.lutheranchurch.cn

Editor’s Note: Although the Chinese Union Version (CUV) is based on the corrupt Revised Version of Westcott and Hort, it does not slavishly follow it. It is important to note that entire verses omitted in the NIV like Matthew 17:21, 18:11, 23:14, Mark 7:16, 11:26, 15:28, Luke 17:36, 23:17, John 5:4, Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 28:29 are found in the CUV (in the text itself albeit in parentheses). The CUV like the faithful KJV upholds the deity of Christ in 1 Timothy 3:16 calling Jesus “God” (Shen), “God (Shen) was manifest in the flesh.” However, it must be noted that the CUV omits the Trinity in 1 John 5:7 following the modern versions. Presently, FEBC alumnus—Rev James Sun—is working on improving the CUV based on the Textus Receptus and KJV. FEBC Bookroom has produced excellent photocopies (handy-size, perfect bound) of the abovementioned TR/KJV Chinese Bible which is on sale tonight at the book table for $20.20. Get also Rev James Sun’s Master’s thesis, “Correction to the Omissions, Mistranslations, and Additions of the Chinese Union Version NT Bible” at $10.10.