TGIF
Last year during Lent God made me aware of a book that had been published in 2013 by one of my favorite Christian authors Max Lucado. The title of the book is On Calvary’s Hill, and the book stated that it provided “40 readings for the Easter season”. The Easter season of Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends by Easter. This time represents the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the gospels, before beginning his public ministry. I strongly recommend the book to others interested in a focus on Jesus and his last days on earth before returning to His Father in heaven.
Last year, I used the book to provide three TGIF messages during Lent. This year, I plan to use this book throughout Lent for my TGIF messages because I believe the stories Max tells are so strong and thought provoking. The first message I will use this year is titled In The Garden, and begins with the following scripture:
Mark 14: 32-33 – Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.
Max then shares Go with me for a moment to witness what was perhaps the foggiest night in history. The scene is very simple; you’ll recognize it quickly. A grove of twisted olive trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark night.
Now, look into the picture. Look closely through the shadowy foliage. See that solitary figure? Flat on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on His forehead? That’s Jesus. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Maybe you’ve seen the classic portrait of Christ in the Garden. Kneeling beside a big rock. Snow-white robe. Hands peacefully folded in prayer. A look of serenity on His face. A halo over His head.
The painter didn’t use the gospel of Mark as a pattern. When Mark wrote about that painful night, he used phrases such as these: “Horror and dismay came over Him,” “My heart is ready to break with grief,” and “He went forward a little, [and] threw himself on the ground (14:32-42).
Mark used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see “a man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3). We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief. We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.
The next time the fog finds you, remember Jesus in the Garden. The next time you think that no one understands or cares, reread the 14th chapter of Mark and pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to Him pleading among the twisted trees. The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention.
It may be the closest you’ll ever get to God. Watch closely. It could be very well that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one.
Max then closes the message with a prayer – Man of sorrows, man of grief, it was for me that you stepped into the horrow of bearing my sin. It is incomprehensible that you would take my place and plead for my life. I give you thanks and praise for your ultimate sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I pray that each one of you will have a very special Lenten season and Easter this year. I pray that you will take time to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made enduring the cross for each of us, and to thank Him for His continuing presence in our lives, and guiding us and nourishing our bodies always to be in service to Him.