Point of No Return

Have you evern been in a point of no return. That time in your life where you cannot go back. That moment when the point of return for you has passed. That only thing that you can do is to move forward.

Such was the situation of Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane following his last meal with his disciples. His mind is made up. He will definitely follow the will of his Father. At this point Jesus heads to the garden with three of his disciples and begins to commune with his Heavenly Father.

The story of the garden brings out the following point: the loneliness of Jesus; the mental agony of Jesus; the spiritual agony of Jesus; and Jesus accepting the will of God.

In the garden we witness the Loneliness of Jesus. Here Jesus brings Peter, James, and John to be with him to share his vigil; but they were so tired that all they can do is sleep. Jesus had to go about his decision alone. This is like our Christian life and salvation. There are certain things which are between us and God. No one can do those things for us.

In the garden we also see the Mental Agony of Jesus. It must have been hard for a human being to discover that the end of the road for him has arrived at age thirty-three. No one ever wishes to die at thirty-three. For most people being thirty-three still means a lot to look forward to in terms of life. But for the Son of Man it meant the end. From the outside it looked as though Jesus' enemies were winning and his mission is looking like a big failure.

There is also the Spiritual Agony of Jesus. Of Jesus accepting something--his Father's will--that which he did not fully understand. Why it had to be the Cross? This is what it means to be a human being. To not fully know. To only know in part as the Apostle Paul once said in his first letter to the Corinthians. For the most part we always ask for knowledge before we can follow. Will we follow if what is out there is completely an unknown to us? But, like Jesus, we must go further than this. But how? In his book, Prayer of Jabez, Bruce Wilkinson puts it this way, we move further by 'jumping' into the river...by letting the loving currents of God's grace and power carry you along" and letting "God's great plan (for you) surround you and sweep you forward into the profoundly important and satisfying life He has waiting" (Bruce Wilkinson, Prayer of Jabez, p.17).

Finally, in the garden, we see Jesus Accepting the Will of God. Barclay contends that the most important thing in this moment was the way Jesus accepted God's will for his life. Here we find the essence of Gethsemane. The moment Jesus said the words, "Thy Will Be Done." Such words were spoken by our Lord perhaps in total surrender, in weary resignation, with no further resistance, with bitter resentment, and maybe in utter love and trust. But, more importantly, he said these words not needing to understand in order for him to submit. That he can take like and leave it in God's hands and be content.

In Gethsemane, our Lord passed the point of no return, and passed it in perfect submission and trust in God. The challenge for us is to do the same. For us to be in perfect submission to the perfect will of the Heavenly Father.

As the hymn Blessed Assurance tells us: "Perfect submission, all is at rest I in my Savior am happy and blest, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love."