As Easter approaches, believers worldwide turn their eyes to the cross, remembering the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Yet, before the cross, there was the garden – Gethsemane – a place of sorrow, struggle, and surrender. It was here, under the cover of night, that the weight of redemption bore down on the Son of God. A dark night in a garden marks the pivotal moment of Christ’s suffering, where He wrestled with the impending cup of God’s wrath yet fully submitted to the Father’s will.

Jesus, fully divine yet fully human, bore the impending weight of sin’s penalty, knowing He was about to drink from the cup of God’s wrath (Rev 14:19-20). Yet, He did not shrink back, nor did He pray for His own will to be done. Instead, He fully surrendered: “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). This was a crucial moment in our redemption – Jesus, the spotless Lamb, surrendered His will to the Father so that we, through His blood, might also be redeemed to do God’s will…

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