三月二十四日
就因他的虔诚蒙了应允。（来5:7）
这虔诚（或译恐惧）或许是因为恶魔暗示他已被完全离弃而发生的。或许有比这更苦的试炼，但完全离弃确实是最厉害的一种。撒旦说：“你看，你的朋友都哪里去了！你父的慈面已经不再光照你，他的天使不再伸手帮助你。天堂已远离你，留下你独自一人。看看你的知交，都有什么用呢？玛利亚的儿子，看看你的好友雅各，看看你所爱的门徒约翰和勇敢的使徒彼得，正当你受苦时不都打盹睡觉吗？看哪！天上地下没有一个同情你的，地狱也都攻击你。我已倾巢而来，我已发令叫一切黑暗的君王现在都来对付你，我们一矢不费，单用阴间的权势就能制服你。你这孤伶人，你该怎么办呢？”或许，这就是当时的迷惑。我们想是的，因为有一位天使从天上显现，加添他的力量，挪去他的恐惧。他在恐惧中便蒙了应允，他不再孤独了，整个的天堂与他同在。这或许就是他三次来到门徒那里的缘故——哈尔特（Hart）的诗说：
“他三次往返，似求人臂援。”
或许他要看看到底是否一切人都离弃了他，他看到他们都睡着了，但他想到他们的沉睡不是因为负义，而是因为忧伤过甚，或许因此得到些微安慰。他们心灵虽然愿意，肉体却软弱了。无论如何，他在恐惧中蒙了应允。耶稣在他悲伤至极时蒙了应允；我的心哪！你也必蒙应允。
March 24
“He was heard in that he feared.” –Hebrews 5:7
Did this fear arise from the infernal
suggestion that He was utterly forsaken. There may be sterner trials than this,
but surely it is one of the worst to be utterly forsaken? “See,” said
Satan, “thou hast a friend nowhere! Thy Father hath shut up the bowels of
His compassion against thee. Not an angel in His courts will stretch out his
hand to help thee. All heaven is alienated from Thee; Thou art left alone. See
the companions with whom Thou hast taken sweet counsel, what are they worth?
Son of Mary, see there Thy brother James, see there Thy loved disciple John,
and Thy bold apostle Peter, how the cowards sleep when Thou art in Thy
sufferings! Lo! Thou hast no friend left in heaven or earth. All hell is
against Thee. I have stirred up mine infernal den. I have sent my missives
throughout all regions summoning every prince of darkness to set upon Thee this
night, and we will spare no arrows, we will use all our infernal might to
overwhelm Thee: and what wilt Thou do, Thou solitary one?” It may be, this
was the temptation; we think it was, because the appearance of an angel unto
Him strengthening Him removed that fear. He was heard in that He feared; He was
no more alone, but heaven was with Him. It may be that this is the reason of
His coming three times to His disciples–as Hart puts it–
“Backwards and forwards thrice He ran,
As if He sought some help from man.”
He would see for Himself whether it were really true that all men had
forsaken Him; He found them all asleep; but perhaps He gained some faint
comfort from the thought that they were sleeping, not from treachery, but from
sorrow, the spirit indeed was willing, but the flesh was weak. At any rate, He
was heard in that He feared. Jesus was heard in His deepest woe; my soul, thou
shalt be heard also.
