“Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is trusting God’s Word as if our life depends on it. Each lesson in faith tests our resolve to believe God’s Word. The ceremonial law uses symbols to show men in every language what is needed in true worship. Ellen White had a dream about a secret spring of water that flowed from the bottom of a stream that was crossed by a bridge. She didn’t mention where this bridge was or give it a name. She entitled the dream “Living Water.” “As we walked on, we came to a bridge over a stream of water when he abruptly left me and plunged out of sight into the water. I was frightened; but he soon arose, holding in his hand a glass of sparkling water. He drank it, saying, ‘This water cures all manner of diseases…. There is a secret spring in the bottom of this river, which cures all manner of diseases, all who obtain it must plunge at a venture, no one can obtain it for another, each must plunge for it himself.’ As he drank the glass of water, I looked at his countenance. His complexion was fair and natural. He seemed to possess health and vigor. When I awoke, all my fears were dispelled.” (Christian Experience and Teaching, 125)
What is our problem, which is delaying Christ’s return? “They forget the Man of Sorrows, who was acquainted with grief. The sufferings of Jesus in Gethsemane, His sweating, as it were great drops of blood in the garden, the platted crown of thorns that pierced His holy brow, do not move them. They have become benumbed. Their sensibilities are blunted, and they have lost all sense of the great sacrifice made for them. They can sit and listen to the story of the cross, hear how the cruel nails were driven through the hands and feet of the Son of God, and it does not stir the depths of the soul. Said the angel: ‘If such should be ushered into the city of God and told that all its rich beauty and glory were theirs to enjoy eternally, they would have no sense of how dearly that inheritance was purchased for them. They would never realize the matchless depths of a Savior’s love. They have not drunk of the cup, nor been baptized with the baptism. Heaven would be marred if such should dwell there. Those only who have partaken of the sufferings of the Son of God, and have come up through great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, can enjoy the indescribable glory and unsurpassed beauty of heaven.” (Testimonies for the Church, Volume 1, 155)
Ellen White described a Feast of Tabernacles during Christ’s life on earth: “The priest dipped from the flowing waters of the Kidron a flagon of water, and, lifting it on high, while the trumpets were sounding, he ascended the broad steps of the temple, keeping time with the music with slow and measured tread, chanting meanwhile: ‘Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem!’ He bore the flagon to the altar which occupied a central position in the temple court. Here were two silver basins, with a priest standing at each one. The flagon of water was poured was poured into one basin, and a flagon of wine into the other, and the contents of both flowed into a pipe that communicated with the Kidron…. This display of the consecrated water represented the fountain that flowed from the rock to refresh the Hebrews in the wilderness…. Suddenly Jesus lifted up his voice in tones that rang through the courts of the temple: ‘If any man thirst, let come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’ The condition of the people made this appeal very forcible.
They had been engaged in a continued scene of pomp and festivity, their eyes had been dazzled with light and color, and their ears regaled with the richest music; but there had been nothing to meet the wants of the spirit, nothing to satisfy the thirst of the soul for that which perishes not. Jesus invited them to come and drink of the fountain of life, of that which should be in them a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The priest had that morning performed the imposing ceremony which represented the smiting of the rock in the wilderness, and the issuing therefrom of the water. That rock was a figure of Christ. His words were the water of life. As Jesus spoke thus to the people, their hearts thrilled with a strange awe, and many were ready to exclaim, with the woman of Samaria, ‘Give me of this water, that I thirst not.’” (The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 2, 345-6)
Jesus with His disciples crossed the brook Kidron: “It was not a dread of the physical suffering he was soon to endure that brought this agony upon the Son of God. He was enduring the penalty of man’s transgression and shuddering beneath the Father’s frown. He must not call his divinity to his aid, but as a man, he must bear the consequences of man’s sin and the Creator’s displeasure toward his disobedient subjects. As he felt his unity with the Father broken up, he feared that his human nature would be unable to endure the coming conflict with the prince of the power of darkness; and in that case, the human race would be irrecoverably lost, Satan would be victor, and the earth would be his kingdom. The sins of the world weighed heavily upon the Savior, and bowed him to the earth, and the Father’s anger in consequence of that sin seemed crushing out his life…. Having made the decision and reached the final crisis Christ fell in a dying condition to the earth from which he had partially risen…. The Savior trod the winepress alone…. And yet he was not alone…. God suffered with His Son. Man cannot comprehend the sacrifice made by the infinite God in giving up his Son to reproach, agony, and death.” (The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 3, 95-96)
“The disciples were suddenly aroused from their slumber by a bright light shining upon and around the Son of God. They started up in amazement and beheld a heavenly being, clothed in garments of light, bending over their prostrate Master. With his right hand, he lifted the head of the divine sufferer upon his bosom, and with his left hand, he pointed toward heaven. His voice was like the sweetest music, as he uttered soothing words presenting to the mind of Christ the grand results of the victory he had gained over the strong and wily foe. Christ was victor over Satan; and, as the result of his triumph millions were to be victors with him in his glorified kingdom.” (The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 3, 101) “A few hours before, Jesus had stood like a mighty cedar…. He stood forth in divine majesty as the Son of God. But now He was like a bruised reed beaten and bent by the angry storm…. His presence roused them, and they looked upon his face with fear, for it was stained with blood. He...fell prostrate, overcome by the horror of a great darkness. The humanity of the Son of God trembled in that trying hour.” (The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 3, 98-99)
After Peter denied Christ three times, in bitter sorrow he went back to Gethsemane. He “there prostrates himself where he saw his Savior’s prostrate form when the bloody sweat was forced from His pores by His great agony…. His proud heart breaks, and penitential tears moisten the sods so recently stained with the bloody sweat-drops of God’s dear Son…. He left that garden a converted man.” (Testimonies for the Church, Volume 3, 416)
So, was it in Gethsemane that Christ defeated Satan? Yes, this is where the real battle took place; on Calvary the victory had already been won.
WHAT IS THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE EXPERIENCE?
The first human ever to experience the Garden, was Adam. He saw a glimpse of the heavenly glory spilling through the Edenic gate right in front of him with an angel posted to keep him from entering. Adam had a Garden of Gethsemane experience. He saw what he had done to his Creator and to his posterity, and he began hating what he had done to billions of innocent babies, weeping bitterly for what He made Christ go through. But God revealed His great mercy to Adam: “To Adam were revealed future important events, from his expulsion from Eden to the Flood, and onward to the first advent of Christ upon the earth.” (The Story of Redemption, 48) His fig leaves were forever replaced by Christ’s righteousness, and we will meet him and love him in heaven. Adam was shown that Jesus would walk in his shoes so that Adam could walk in Eden again, and enter the gate of the New Jerusalem.
We have been given specific counsel on this point: “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit.” (Desire of Ages, 83)
The word ‘Gethsemane’ literally means ‘Olive Press,’ the place where the olives were beaten for their oil. The only time that Christ’s human nature looked for sympathy for Himself was in Gethsemane. He shows us that He was willing to take the wrath that would have been ours upon Himself. He says to us, “Weep not for me…but for those who will not hear.” (Luke 23:28-31) When Jesus came to the disciples and found them sleeping, it would have strengthened Him if He knew they were praying for Him. “His visage was so marred more than any man.” (Isa 52:14) Now Jesus is speaking to us: “Ye know not what ye ask; can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Mark 10:38) In this fallen-nature life that we must live, we must drink the cup and be baptized with His baptism of blood. We can only praise God that it will be a baptism mixed with mercy. It is living His experience, which is justice mixed with His mercy.
The Gethsemane experience is waking up and seeing Christ being cut off from the Father because of our sins. He feared being cut off from the Father personally and knowing that every one of us has lived in that cut-off experience. He wants us to live forever, and has walked the path that we must walk if we want to be part of His eternity. We need to walk the Gethsemane experience with Him. When we participate in Communion we need to live in the upper room with Him before we go out to our Gethsemane experience and witness the struggle through which we have obtained mercy.
When the cup was put to His lips, He saw it all. He felt the bitter anguish of separation from His Father. He saw and felt it all. He saw what it means to stand alone and experience the wrath of God against sin, when God hides His face of forgiving mercy from undeserving sinners. He became sin for us so we will never have to know that separation. He then carried every one of our sins to the cross and dealt with them there so we will never have to face them again—not for all eternity.
We can have but faint conceptions of the inexpressible anguish of our Savior in Gethsemane, as He realized His separation from His Father because of taking our sin upon His shoulders. The withdrawal of His Father’s grace is something we must never experience. We must never say, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” Instead we can always say, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”
This will be our experience: “I saw them perplexed; next I heard them crying unto God earnestly. Day and night their cry ceased not: ‘Thy will, O God, be done. If it can glorify thy name, make a way of escape for thy people! Deliver us from the heathen round about us. They have appointed us unto death, but thine arm can bring salvation.’ Soon after they had commenced their earnest cry, the angels, in sympathy, desired to go to their deliverance. But a tall, commanding angel suffered them not. He said, ‘The will of God is not yet fulfilled. They must drink of the cup. They must be baptized with the baptism.’” (Christian Experience and Teachings, 178)
Then Jesus comes to save His people from their hell on earth, and they dwell in heaven for a thousand years with God, getting all their questions answered. And then the final scene in the great controversy…. ”After the judgment of the wicked dead had been finished, at the end of the one thousand years, Jesus left the city, and the saints and a train of the angelic host followed Him…. Then, in terrible, fearful majesty, Jesus called forth the wicked dead; and they came up with the same feeble, sickly bodies that went into the grave…. Then Jesus and the holy angels, accompanied by all the saints, again go to the city, and the bitter lamentations and wailing of the doomed wicked fill the air.” (Early Writings, 293)
In summary, in front of those who refused to spiritually enter the city before, the gate is closed, and fire destroys all traces of the history of sinful rebellion, and the faithful ones will never have to lock a door, fear sickness or accident or discouragement for the endless years of eternity. One final promise will be fulfilled: “The infinite sufferings of the Son of God in Gethsemane and on Calvary were endured that He might rescue His people from the power of the evil one.” (Ye Shall Receive Power, 359)
Even in His torment in the Garden, while cut off from communion with His Father, Jesus comes to our side and comforts us with an overwhelming peace. He takes my shame and gives me His mercy. My sins are placed on Him and His righteousness is placed on me. After receiving forgiveness, we stand cleansed with Him.
One last word from inspiration: “The garden of Eden, with its foul blot of disobedience is to be carefully studied and compared with the garden of Gethsemane where the world’s Redeemer suffered superhuman agony when the sins of the whole world were rolled upon Him.” (Manuscripts 1, 1892 / S.D.A. Bible Commentary, Volume 5, 1103)
Are you following Him into the Garden of Gethsemane right now? I guarantee, He will never desert you. We will be forever cleansed, forever pure, forever holy, because of Him.