In the final sermon of this series, Thurman affirms that Jesus does not struggle with the fact of death but the fact of finality swallowing all future possibilities. When Jesus asked God whether the cup before him might pass, what he possibly considered, Thurman notes, is whether more time living might be better than dying. The test of faith, Thurman says, comes when life’s agony is not relieved. In Jesus’ yielding expression, “Thy will be done,” Thurman interprets God’s ability to intervene “in the midst of the breaking heart and the anguishing spirit” and inspire peace and resolve.
Part of the Collection, The Temptations of Jesus (1962, United Church of Canada, London, ON, Canada)
Tags: death, loneliness, peace, temptation, tempter
Description by ShaCarolyn Halyard
Recorded in United Church of Canada, London, Ontario
Citation: Thurman, Howard, “In the Garden, 1962 September 16,” The Howard Thurman Digital Archive, accessed July 9, 2024, https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/show/34.
