Passion Week > Monday : The Agony in the Garden

To observe Passion Week, I thought I would go back into the archives and share a devotional my dad, James Murphy, and I worked on together years ago. This devotional was created for his congregation, Hillcrest Chapel, where he has pastored for 25 years.

My dad wrote the reflections and compiled Scriptures to be paired with my simple pen + ink drawings.

Starting Monday, April 6, I will post one a day from this series — culminating with Good Friday's crucifixion. On Easter Sunday, look for a celebratory color painting — either new or from the archives.

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About Passion Week
The final events of Jesus' life are often referred to as his "Passion." We usually use that word today to denote strong feeling, emotional zeal. But it's obsolete meaning is "a state of being acted upon; a condition of suffering. In his Passion, Jesus allowed himself, the supreme actor, to be acted upon, and to be acted upon in the most extreme way — to the point of death.

In the observance of Passion Week and Good Friday, we're called upon to allow the sufferings of Jesus to "act upon" us. His Passion must also lead to our passsion. This remembrance becomes for us a time of compassion — a time to feel with Jesus the pain and sorrow of his sufferings. In so doing, our joy for his resurrection is all the greater.

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The Agony in the Garden
Reading: Mark 14:32-42

Reflection: Gethsemane — the name means "oil press." This is the place where Jesus was pressed. Within a few hours he would be tried before men, but here at Gethsemane he was tried before God. He was pressed to his limit as he pondered the price he was being asked to pay — and he passed the test. He submitted to the will of his Father, and started down the arduous road through suffering to triumph, through his prayer: "May your will be done."

Prayer: Jesus, we're in awe of your obedience. We worship you because, although you were a son, you learned obedience from what you suffered, and, once made perfect, you became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey you. Amen (Heb 5:8)

—James J.E. Murphy

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About Passion Week
Reflection for Tuesday, 04.07 {The Scourging at the Pillar}
Reflection for Wednesday, 04.08 {The Crowning with Thorns}