A stone’s throw
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:41-42)
The Spirit of God led Luke to mention the short distance the Lord Jesus placed between Himself and His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane – a stone’s throw. As the Lord prayed, He was in sight of His disciples. He asked Peter, James and John to watch with Him as He felt in His heart the weight of Calvary. A little later, an angel would come to strengthen Him. C.A. Coates’ hymn brings before our souls the Good Shepherd who was about to die for His sheep:
Thy grace, O Lord, that measured once the deep Of Calvary’s woe, to seek and save Thy sheep, Has touched our hearts and made them long for Thee, Thyself our treasure and our all to be.
The Garden of Eden teaches us about the rejection of God’s will. For thousands of years the consequences of that decision had afflicted the world. In Luke 4, in the first words of His public ministry, Jesus described a world filled with the poor, the broken-hearted, the enslaved, the blind and the oppressed. It is a world that has not changed. The words of Jesus measured the distance people were from God. Kneeling down in Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus measured the cost of our redemption.
Before David entered the Valley of Elah, he had killed the lion and the bear. Before Jesus went to Calvary, He had destroyed the works of the devil. He had healed, set free, opened eyes, forgiven and brought peace. But these beautiful works could not save the world. He had to take the cup which the Father had given Him. At the Lord’s supper, we remember the Saviour’s love that took Him down into the ‘valley’ that was Calvary.
David went to meet Goliath from his father’s flock, dressed as a shepherd, but in all the power of the God of Israel. The Saviour rises from the Father’s presence, not in weakness but in all the power of divine love, to say, “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” (John 18:11).
We have been longing for lockdown restrictions to be lifted, and looking forward to being able to enjoy normal Christian fellowship again. The steps towards this are being carefully considered. We have so much missed being able to sing together. As we remember the Lord Jesus next Lord’s Day, may a song rise from our hearts that goes beyond any physical restrictions placed on us, to tell the Lord we are filled with gratitude for His redeeming love. He measured the distance we were from God. He measured the cost of removing that distance. He gave Himself for us. Now there is not a stone’s throw distance between the Lord and us. We are in Christ. We cannot be nearer. And nothing can prevent the new song He has put in our hearts being heard in joy by Him.
