And now, let us see, for a moment, how much good is done by telling to poor sinners this story of Gethsemane and Calvary, and of the sufferings of Jesus there. Here is an illustration of the power of this story, for which we are indebted to one of the Moravian Missionaries in Greenland.
Kazainak was a robber chief, who lived among “Greenland’s icy mountains.” He came, one day to a hut, where the missionary was engaged in translating into the language of that country the gospel of St. John. He saw the missionary writing and asked him what he was doing. Pointing to the letters he had just written, he said those marks were words, and that the book from which they were written could speak. Kazainak said he would like to hear what the book had to say. The missionary took up the book, and read from it the story of Christ’s crucifixion. When he stopped reading the chief asked:
“What had this man done, that he was put to death? had he robbed any one? or murdered any one? had he done wrong to any one? Why did he die?”
“No,” said the missionary. “He had robbed no one; he had murdered no one; he had done no wrong to any one.”
“Then, why did he die?”
“Listen,” said the missionary. “Jesus had done no wrong; but Kazainak has done wrong. Jesus had robbed no one; but Kazainak has robbed many. Jesus had murdered no one; but Kazainak has murdered his brother; Kazainak has murdered his child. Jesus suffered that Kazainak might not suffer; Jesus died that Kazainak might not die.”
“Tell me that again,” said the astonished chief. It was told him again, and the end of it was that the hard-hearted, blood-stained murderer became a gentle, loving Christian. He never knew what sin was till he heard of Christ’s sufferings for it.
The second lesson we learn from Gethsemane is—the lesson about sin.
The third lesson from Gethsemane is the lesson about submission.