Today, Holy Thursday in the Christian tradition, is the time we remember Jesus’ agony in the garden. Greek root words for agony are “struggle and “contest.” We understand that such struggles are usually accompanied with great mental suffering, anguish, and even terror. As I wrote in an earlier reflection this week, Jesus voluntarily entered into the darkest aspects of the human condition to transform it from the inside out, bringing life out of death once and for all. Gospel readings tell us that Jesus prayed, that he sweated blood, and that angels came to minister to him. Let’s understand these one at a time.
Yes, Jesus prayed, yet his prayer was in actuality a form of wrestling with God. He prayed that there might be another way other than suffering a torturous death on the cross. In this way, Jesus showed us that it is ok to wrestle with God; it is even necessary to wrestle with God. If we can’t be real with God, we limit God‘s ability to be real with us. Furthermore, if we can’t be real with God we can’t be real with ourselves. The end of Jesus’ wrestling match with God was his surrender to God’s will as he prayed, “Not my will, but thy will be done.” We might use the words, “As you wish.” Jesus was able to make such an act of faith because he intuitively knew that God‘s will always serves our highest good, even if we don’t understand it.
We are told that Jesus sweated blood. From a Jewish perspective, blood is sacred; it gives life. The blood of Jesus would have contained his soul force, his transforming power. Thus, as droplets of his blood fell to the earth, they seeded the soil with the lifeblood of God. Jesus was sanctifying creation, infusing it with Divine Life.
Finally, we are told that angels ministered to Jesus. Like Jesus, the entirety of our lives are encircled within a spiritual dimension which is filled with spiritual forces, angels that watch over us, protect us, and strengthen us. They came to Jesus after his act of absolute surrender. When we surrender, the struggle is over. When the air is no longer filled with our tension, agitation, or drama, the angels have a clear pathway to us. Angels operate best in the rarefied air of peace, acceptance, and faith in God’s providence. On Holy Thursday, Jesus showed us that the ultimate spiritual practice is not a technique, but surrender to God‘s loving providence.
Beloved Master Jesus,
Thank you for teaching me
Through your hours of agony.
