And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed. Luke 22:41
How far is a stone’s cast, or stone’s throw, as we usually call it? It depends on how we look at it. For example, it’s short enough so that we can see pretty much anything that happens at that distance, but it is long enough for people to hold a private conversation without being overheard. Matthew’s gospel describes this distance that Jesus went from His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane as ‘a little farther’ (Matthew 26:39). In Mark’s gospel we read ‘He went forward a little’ (Mark 14:35). It was a distance that the Lord Jesus went beyond what His disciples could go, but not so far away that they could not see, or hear, what was happening. Going beyond where others go was always a characteristic of our Lord. And it should be a characteristic of us as well.
We know it would have been impossible for the disciples to enter into what our Lord endured during those hours of prayer in the garden. As Golgotha loomed and as the temple mob drew near, He fully appreciated all that was to transpire. The agony of the anticipation was far more than the disciples could ever grasp. Nor could they understand the depth of His commitment to His Father’s purpose, even if they had understood what was about to occur. One of the great wonders of our salvation is that the Lord Jesus was willing to endure the wrath of men and of God for our sakes. It is a wonder that will endure for all of eternity as He unfolds to us the riches of His grace. He surely went a stone’s cast beyond our comprehension, not only in what He endured, but in His willingness to endure it.
Just as the Lord Jesus could, and did, go beyond what those around him were able and willing to go, so His followers should do the same. As far as worship and service for our Lord are concerned, we know that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit with capabilities that the unregenerate around us know nothing about. Their religion and good works bear no relationship to the reverence and homage of the redeemed. We go beyond because the Lord has brought us beyond, and we should appreciate and take full advantage of these capabilities as children of God. But there are other ways in which Christians do and can go beyond those around us. For example, our love toward others ought to be as much as possible like the love of Christ. Our love for lost souls will be worked out in our Gospel efforts, and our love for the saints will be worked out in fellowship and service. We also go further than the unsaved in our characters, displaying honesty, fairness, compassion, and faithfulness to all of those around us every day.
When the Lord Jesus had withdrawn from the disciples about a stone’s cast, He kneeled down, and prayed. Let us pray, too, to be more like Him. -Jim MacIntosh