WHAT a glorious example of unwavering trust and complete reliance on his Father's unerring wisdom the Psalmist expressed in these precious words: "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart"! Unquestionably, it was Christ Jesus' life-mission to do the will of his Father. A close study of the Gospels reveals the fact that his whole life, his teaching and works, including his victory over death, expressed his obedience to the divine will and wisdom.
On the slope of the Mount of Olives, separated from Jerusalem by the Kidron, was a small olive orchard known as Gethsemane, literally meaning "oil press." On many occasions our beloved Master went here to seek communion with his Father; so it was natural that he should come here again, prior to his supreme trial. Here, in the garden of Gethsemane, witnessed in part by three of his disciples, Jesus underwent this great struggle and through silent communion with God gained an undisputed victory over human will.
As a student contemplated this scene in our Master's life, attention was arrested by the following passage in the twenty-sixth chapter of Matthew: "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, 0 my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." The words, "He went a little farther," mean literally a location; but to a student of Christian Science the statement holds a further priceless spiritual significance. Without doubt, Christ Jesus' whole ministry on earth centered on the overcoming of all worldliness. Invariably, in successive experiences, the humble Nazarene withdrew from material sense and went "a little farther" toward claiming his sonship with God, omnipotent good. Indeed, this recognition of his divine nature was the secret of his power. Consequently, he proved his dominion over all false material beliefs and was able to heal others of sin, disease, and death, and, finally, himself to come forth from the grave victorious.
