JESUS COULD HAVE SAID NO
The Garden of Gethsemane
I’ve been to the Garden of Gethsemane twice. Some of the olive trees there are 900 years old. For any sightseer, it’s beautiful. For a Christian, it’s surreal. Because there, in that Garden, Jesus made a choice that changed the world.
In the garden, Jesus prayed and wrestled with the heaviness of what was coming. He knew He would be betrayed, arrested, dragged through an unfair trial, suffer from gruesome abuse, and endure the agony of the cross.
Spiritually, it would be even worse. All of the powers of evil and the weight of the sin of the world would be on His shoulders. The events ahead were more than we could ever comprehend.
Which raises a question: If Jesus knew exactly what it would cost Him, why didn’t He walk away?
In Matthew 26, Jesus takes His closest friends to the garden and says, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38).
This wasn’t the first time Jesus had taken His followers to a special place for prayer, but this time, things were different. All week long Jesus had been preparing the disciples for this night. They had seen Him in some of His highest moments as He went toe-to-toe with the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Then, that night, things took a turn as they ate the Passover meal. At supper, Jesus had given ominous prophecies about betrayal and death. There was a dark mood over the evening as they came to the garden.
Then Jesus went off by himself and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
This moment is one of the clearest windows we have into the heart of Jesus. He was fully God but also fully human, and those two sides of His being were on full display in this vulnerable prayer.
Surely Jesus had seen this moment coming. His entire life had brought Him to this point. For three and a half years, He preached about a coming kingdom, and no one knew better than Jesus what had to happen for it to all come to pass.
Knowing what needs to be done and doing it are vastly different things.
Jesus knew exactly what was ahead, so He prayed.
Lest He say no.
He Prayed It Three Times
I’ve read this passage many times, but somehow I missed this important fact until recently. Jesus doesn’t pray just once. He prays three times.
Three times He faces the full weight of what is ahead.
Three times He asks to have it taken away.
Three times He finds His disciples sleeping instead of keeping watch.
Yet three times He surrenders, not my will, but yours.
If something is said or done three times in the Bible, it’s a sign that it’s very important. So, what’s so important about this scene?
Jesus felt the full weight of the cross and still said yes.
He Was Not Forced
We could stop there, marveling at Jesus’ resolve to do the right thing, but His decision is emphasized even more when we consider what happens next.
When soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus, He tells the disciples to back away from protecting Him. That, in fact, if He wanted to, He could call down twelve legions of angels to stop it.
If you’re fuzzy on your Roman military history, the legion was a unit of roughly 6,000 soldiers. Twelve legions would have been 72,000 angels. These are incredibly powerful spiritual beings! Every person who encounters an angel in the Bible falls on their face in fear. Yet Jesus, nonchalantly, could have snapped His finger and had 72,000 at His command.
But He didn’t.
Think of the restraint it took to hold back Hipower.
Imagine a giant lion, relaxing in the sun on the savannah. All over him are his little cubs. They’re growling and playfully attacking him as if they have a chance to beat him in a fight. He’s 100 times their size, but they’re nipping at his ears and swatting at his face like they have the upper hand. At any moment, that lion could destroy those cubs, but He holds back his strength because it’s not the time for a show of power.
On the surface, it may look like the soldiers came in with swords and spears to force Jesus to face trial. In reality, that’s not what happened at all. Jesus was the lion, and these soldiers were like mere mosquitoes compared to Him.
Jesus wanted His disciples to know, If I wanted to, I could end this right now. Instead, He chose to let it happen. He gave himself away.
This isn’t the story of what sinful men did to Jesus.
It’s the story of what Jesus willingly did for sinners.
His last words before the arrest were, Rise! Let us go! No more prayer needed. He had made His decision. He chose the cross.
Why He Said Yes
The question that stays with me is, Why? If He could have said no, why didn’t He?
He gave us the answer in the Garden. My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.
The Father’s will was His highest priority.
He trusted the plan.
He submitted to the process.
He restrained His power.
He chose the cross.
Understanding the garden helps us see the character of Jesus. It’s also a great guide on what we should do as we face the tougher moments of our lives. It’s ok to pray when life hurts. It’s ok to ask if God will take it away. Most importantly we can look to Jesus as the example of what it means to seek God’s will in all things.
Hebrews 12:2-3 might wrap it up best, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Take Action
Read Matthew 26:36-46. Don’t rush past the garden. Sit with Jesus in that moment and notice what He’s carrying. Let it be personal. He could have called 72,000 angels. He didn’t. Spend a few minutes this week sitting with the fact that the choice He made in that garden was made specifically for you.
He could have said no. But Jesus said yes.
All glory belongs to God!
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.
Watch the message “Jesus Said Yes” by Brad D. Jenkins at Anthem Church. YouTube