THE PRINCE OF PEACE

(Guest Post by: Colton)

Tonight is the night where everything we read in the book we love so dearly, ultimately came to fruition. It was in a garden where this whole story began, remember, and it is in a garden where the climax is reached, and ends with a kiss.

We always look forward to Easter, the holiday itself. But we forget Friday.

Friday is the entire reason for our salvation.

However, Thursday is where it all started. 

I used to work at a cemetery, and in this cemetery, there was a garden called Gethsemane. This garden consisted of four areas which were full of grass and graves, with a circle in the very center. In the center, there was a statue of Jesus kneeling, looking up to the Heavens. While I worked there, I was going through the hardest time in my life and was struggling with a multitude of unknowns.

However, every time I would walk to that garden, I always experienced a sense of peace and comfort. This statue, of course, is meant to give us a mental picture of Jesus when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to His Father. It always reminded me of what happened that night and the significance of that event. Tonight, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wept, questioned God, sweat blood, and was betrayed with a kiss. 

A couple weeks ago, in a Wednesday night bible study, a friend of mine shared an interesting fact about Jesus as He was in the garden sweating blood as He prayed. They explained that when you are under the amount of stress and anxiety that Jesus was that night, and your body begins to physically sweat blood, it’s actually the blood vessels in your skin bursting and pouring out blood.

When this happens, it makes your skin extremely sensitive. In fact, it makes your skin so sensitive that the slightest touch would feel extremely painful. Yes, Jesus experienced extreme pain with the flogging, hitting, and then the cross and all that entailed.

But the very first sense of pain He felt was the kiss of a friend.

“Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.  Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.” (Mathew 26: 49-50)

For Jesus, the garden was a place of betrayal and sorrow. For me, the garden is a place of peace and comfort only because of what He took on for me.

I consider that garden in the cemetery, where it’s literally surrounded by the dead, to be an example of life and power. It’s a constant reminder of the pain and agony that my Savior endured on my behalf.

But friends, you don’t need a garden like I have at the cemetery to have peace or comfort. You just need Him.

This Easter, look to Jesus and give your life, in full, to Him. He is the only place where true eternal peace comes. 

Praying everyone has an amazing Easter!

SO, WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= How are you preparing your heart for Easter?

= What are you going to do differently?