Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
March 23
MORNING
ÒHis sweat was
as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.Ó — Luke
22:44
The mental pressure arising from our LordÕs struggle
with temptation, so forced his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores
sent forth great drops of blood which fell down to the
ground. This proves how tremendous must have been the weight of sin when it was
able to crush the Saviour so that he distilled great
drops of blood! This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. It is a very
pretty observation of old Isaac Ambrose that the gum which
exudes from the tree without cutting is always the best. This precious camphire-tree yielded most sweet spices when it was wounded
under the knotty whips, and when it was pierced by the nails on the cross; but
see, it giveth forth its best spice when there is no
whip, no nail, no wound. This sets forth the voluntariness of ChristÕs
sufferings, since without a lance the blood flowed freely. No need to put on
the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers
to cry, ÒSpring up, O well;Ó of itself it flows in crimson torrents. If men
suffer great pain of mind apparently the blood rushes to the heart. The cheeks
are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish
the inner man while passing through its trial. But see our Saviour
in His agony; He is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of His agony
driving His blood to the heart to nourish himself, it
drives it outward to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours
Him out upon the ground, pictures the fulness of the offering which He made for men. Do we not perceive how
intense must have been the wrestling through which He passed, and will we not
hear its voice to us? ÒYe have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against
sin.Ó Behold the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession, and sweat
even to blood rather than yield to the great tempter of your souls.
EVENING
ÒI tell you that, if these should hold
their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.Ó — Luke 19:40
But could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if
He who opens the mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up their voice.
Certainly if they were to speak, they would have much to testify in praise of
Him who created them by the word of His power; they could extol the wisdom and
power of their Maker who called them into being. Shall not we speak well of Him
who made us anew, and out of stones raised up children unto Abraham? The old
rocks could tell of chaos and order, and the handiwork of God in successive
stages of creationÕs drama; and cannot we talk of GodÕs decrees, of GodÕs great
work in ancient times, in all that He did for His church in the days of old? If
the stones were to speak, they could tell of their breaker, how he took them
from the quarry, and made them fit for the temple, and cannot we tell of our
glorious Breaker, who broke our hearts with the hammer of His word, that He
might build us into His temple? If the stones should cry out they would magnify
their builder, who polished them and fashioned them after the similitude of a
palace; and shall not we talk of our Architect and Builder, who has put us in
our place in the temple of the living God? If the stones could cry out, they
might have a long, long story to tell by way of memorial, for many a time hath
a great stone been rolled as a memorial before the Lord; and we too can testify
of Ebenezers, stones of help, pillars of remembrance.
The broken stones of the law cry out against us, but Christ Himself, who has
rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre,
speaks for us. Stones might well cry out, but we will not let them: we will
hush their noise with ours; we will break forth into sacred song, and bless the
majesty of the Most High, all our days glorifying Him who is called by Jacob
the Shepherd and Stone of Israel.