Study to shew thyself approved unto God . . . 2 Timothy 2:15

When the Holy Spirit introduces us to our Lord in any of the Gospels, He does so in a logical manner, consequently, Gethsemane is developed from that which has gone before and introduces that which follows. 

The Approach And Background 

The six days prior to the crucifixion had been filled with activity.  On one occasion He did a work, the like of which He had never done before, or after, during His earthly sojourn.  He cursed part of His own creation!  This seemed so out of character for Him.  It was one of two judgmental expressions at this time, the other being the cleansing of the temple.  (Mk. 11:15-17)

There had been nights alone, and nights in Bethany.  A supper had been made for Him in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus whom he loved, and by whom He was loved.  What a delightful oasis of fellowship and genuine warmth of affection their home and company was, especially at this juncture in His life.  How starkly it stood out against the envy, spite and hatred He was soon to know. 

The time finally came for the last journey prior to His arrest.  On one level his darkest hours, and yet, His brightest.  Leaving the flickering oil lamps of Bethany, the little band moves amongst the Roman soldiers in their armament and the international Jewish people from throughout the known world.  The bazaars were closed as people were en route, or in homes preparing to eat the Passover.  In many homes there would be set the empty chair for the Messiah.  One would say: “Perhaps next year”; the Hallel would be sung, the lamb eaten, and the remembrance of that night so long ago when the Lord brought their fathers out of Egypt.  What a deliverance that had been.  Now the Lamb of God was walking through Jerusalem’s streets.  The Great Antitype of all the Passover pointed to was in their midst, by the many unrecognized, unknown, and unwanted.  He, who was the Desire of all Nations (Hag. 2:7) was to experience just how deeply His own would not receive Him, and the depth of their not seeing any beauty in Him (Isa. 53:1).  It was only a matter of hours before Israel’s rejection would reach its zenith and in His being “cut off”.  (Dan. 9:26; Isa. 53:8)

The first major stop on this last journey was the upper room where solemn and sacred moments would be spent together.  Last words would be spoken and last illustrations given.  Who could describe, much less comprehend, the emotions that filled His heart and mind as He met with the disciples and Judas?

There is one thing that makes this journey to the upper room so different from the journey to Gethsemane.  It is that nothing is recorded of spoken words, indications, thoughts or meditations.  The thoughts of the heart and mind of the Lord are treasures that the Father has retained for His own pleasure.

The Sitting Down 

When the Lord sat down with them, it indicated infinite condescension, but when they sat down with Him, it indicated a glorious honor.  Concerning the elders of Israel we read: “And they saw the God of Israel . . . they saw God, and did eat and drink” (Ex. 24:10-11).  That was a glorious privilege.  When 5000 and 4000 were fed by the Lord and ate before Him, that was a glorious privilege (Matt.14:21; 16:10 ).  Similarly, when we meet at the holy convocation of the Lord’s Supper, we meet the risen Lord, our glorious Host, and we eat and drink in fellowship with Him and in remembrance of Him.  This is a profoundly sacred and holy privilege, and yet how easily it can become a mere formality. 

One of the effects of sin on man is He thinks primarily of himself, and this was manifested in the upper room.  Dark attitudes were seen in that sacred hour when the pride of life erupted from the disciples’ hearts, resulting in controversy as to who should be the greatest (Mk. 9:34).  This was not the first time the egotistic grasping for personal glory had been manifested (Lk. 9:46).  What is amazing is the spewing out of its self-centeredness at the very time Christ showed His exceeding thoughtfulness and humility.  In contrast to the disciples, as the hour of the greatest conflict and activity of love eternity will ever know drew closer to Him, instead of being filled with personal self pity, or egotistical greatness, He tenderly thought of others and that which lay ahead for them.

The devil, having entered into Judas, and he being driven by greed, went out to fulfill the pledge he had made to the chief priests two days before (Matt. 26:2-4; 14-16).  The Holy Spirit, through the Scripture, records: “and it was night”.  (Jn. 13:30)

It is not until the Jewish day of the crucifixion, at the last possible moment, the Lord said: “Behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table” and again, He does not say who or whom (Lk. 22:21).  Even yet, in the last few moments of the disciples being together, and minutes before Judas went out, the Lord will still hold back, only saying that it is the one to whom He will give the sop. 

We sense the tenderness of the Lord’s heart when speaking of Judas, when He said: “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had not been born” (Mk.14:21).  How deeply the Lord must have felt for Judas, a man who, for whatever reason, had been ensnared by money, and it was going to cost him his soul in a Christless eternity.  Truly the words of the Lord were personified by Judas, and only God knows how many since, when he said: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mk. 8:36).  Dark, tragic, wastage of life; living as it were in a sunken submarine and striving to gain all there is in it.

It is impossible not to be impressed by the self control of the Lord not to allow the knowledge of who the betrayer was to effect His relationship with Judas, nor the relationship Judas had with the other disciples.

When the Passover and institution of the supper was over, they sang a hymn.  Singing is something we do when we are joyful.  It is very hard to sing when facing or experiencing great darkness and grief.  Possibly the Lord led His own in the singing.  I wonder if He thought of a time yet to come when He would rejoice over His own with singing.              

            “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
 he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” (Zeph. 3:17)

            “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church
 will I sing praise unto Thee.” (Heb. 2:12)

The Lord would have sung this hymn in deep and thoughtful contemplation. With intense personal affirmation, would He have sung the sentiments of the “Hallel of Egypt" ⃰  of Psa. 115-118?
  ⃰  The word “Hallel” means praise and this Hallel was sung at the passover. The first two Psalms, 113-114, were sung before the supper and Psalms 115-118 afterward.  It is different from the “Great Hallel”
     which is Psalm 136.
It is with astonishment we can listen as He would have sung the words:   

“Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: He is their help and their shield.” (Psa. 115:11)

“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.  The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.  Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.” (Psa. 116:1-4)

“I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.  Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid.” (Psa. 116:14-16)

“I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.  This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day, which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.  Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.  Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the house of the LORD.  God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.”  (Psa. 118:21-28)

Arise And Let Us Go Hence

Profound contemplations!  After singing, the Lord says: “Arise, let us go hence,” and they possibly leave the room for the walk to Gethsemane.

With reference to John 14:31, whether the Lord actually left the upper room is an open question.  Most writers state that what the Lord really meant was to arise and go to another development of truth, but remaining in the upper room.  It has even been suggested that it was a task to get eleven people ready to leave at the same time, so while they were lingering, the Lord kept on speaking.  I do not see this as a good exegesis of the words of the Lord.

The only time the Lord did not use the word “arise” in a literal sense, was when He said: “Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?” (Lk. 24:38).  In the passage being discussed a consideration of the Lord’s words and a true exegesis of the scripture will show that it must be taken literally, however, that does not necessitate it happening immediately. 

Illustration: When at someones home one might say: “Well it is time to go” and preparations are made, they do not get up at that moment and go but they do go.

My understanding is that the Lord said: “Arise let us be going”, and while still in the room, He gave His last thoughts and prayed with them the glorious prayer of John 17.  I cannot see this happening in the open street with the disciples all standing around.  I would consider this to be too sacred for an open forum.

The Lord knew that nothing he had said or done could be used by Satan to hinder or divert Him from being the Sacrifice for sins, and rising from the dead.  Furthermore, His motive and goal was not self aggrandizement but purest love and obedience.

In a world where saints will speak of their love for the Lord so freely, it is remarkable since this is the only time the Lord says it.

The Lord had bequeathed to His disciples commands to keep (Jn. 14:15) and a peace to enjoy (Jn. 14:27).  There is nothing now to do but to move onward to Calvary.  Thus Christ says: “Arise, let us go hence”. (Jn. 14:31)

The words: “The Prince of this world cometh” (Jn. 14:30-31) are words which, as appreciated, cause wonder and worship.  At that time, the Prince of this world was preparing for his attempt to turn the Lord away from the cross. It was not the Prince of Grecia or Persia, nor the government of principalities and powers and ruler of darkness (Eph. 6:12).  It was the Prince of this world coming personally, that is Satan himself.  He knew full well that when Christ was raised from the dead, he, the evil Prince, would ultimately lose dominion of the world, be shown for what he is, and would lose many of his earthly adherents.  This he would stubbornly oppose.

Having prayed together, they move together over the Cedron or Kidron, into the garden called Gethsemane.

The conflict was approaching, but it had not yet focused on Jesus.  I say “Jesus” because in Matt. 26:36 it is Jesus who comes into the garden for the conflict.

Gethsemane was the beginning of the Lord’s darkest hours.  The Lord said: “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Lk. 22:53).  That hour had not yet fully come, but the powers of darkness were assembling on several fronts.  In Jerusalem, the last details were being finalized under the spirit rulers of this world and at the same time, the Prince of this world was en route to the Lord.  The hour of darkness would soon come, but not yet. 

The Crossing Of The Kidron

Great as David was, Christ is the superior Overcomer.  He overcame every temptation by Satan (Matt. 4:1-10);  “I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33).  He was soon to face death, the very citadel of Satan, but He would overcome that too (Mk 16:9), and Satan Himself (Heb. 2:14), and every work of the Devil (1 Jn. 3:8).  In Revelation He is the glorious Victor, overcoming the armies of the earth. (Rev. 19:11-19)

The main point in this context is: David was the God-appointed Shepherd King who, in rejection, moved over the Kidron, which means “dark”.  David crossed the Kidron weeping, having been cast out by his unrepentant son to whom he had shown such kindness.  His son had in fact committed the ultimate act of treason against the King and against God, for David was God’s anointed King.  Solemn it is to read how that Israel rejected God as King despite all His grace and kindness to them (1 Sam. 8:7).   One aspect of David’s greatness is that in his rejection, he stopped to worship God (2 Sam. 15:30, 31, 32).  One cannot help but see the similarities between David and the Lord.

For over three years the Lord had consistently shown kindness (Titus 3:4), and yet soon they would shout: “We have no king but Caesar” (Jn. 19:15).  Christ was the rejected Shepherd King, who knowing the full intensity of His rejection, goes over the Kidron, and in His grief of soul He worships God.

Christ went over and began to weep.  When David went across there were those who went with Him weeping (2 Sam. 15:30), but there was no one weeping with and for Christ, He was bearing the burden alone.

Jacob wrestled close to the brook Jabbok (Gen. 32:24) but the wrestling the Lord experienced, close to Kidron, had an intensity Jacob knew nothing about.

He wept in Gethsemane, knowing the sorrow of unrequited love from the nation, and the horrors which lay ahead of its inhabitants and Judas? 
 

The Place Called Gethsemane

It was the place where He and His Father had enjoyed deepest intimacies of fellowship, when He would have had the worship of the Father as a priority.  The Lord Himself had said: “Father seeketh such to worship Him” (Jn. 4:23), and the Lord would have had great delight in doing that. 

There is no doubt that worship would have included thanksgiving.  The life of our Lord was always directed by the scriptures and in them is the exhortation: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise” (Psa. 100:4).  His thanksgiving would not have been pious platitudes, but genuine gratitude.  For the Lord, worship meant His continual personal affirmation of the exclusiveness of God’s Godhood. 

This time it was different!

How things had, and would change.  There he had known depths of glorious fellowship with His Father that none could ever know.  

“And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.”  (Lk. 21:37) 

 “And every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple.” (Jn. 7:53-8:2) 

It was still His closet, still the place of fellowship and communion but tomorrow there would be no going to the temple, no verbal teaching the disciples, no ascension or manifestation of mighty victory.  Tomorrow the great chasm would be entered into, the greatest conflict of His life.

The fact that it was a garden brings to remembrance two other gardens: the garden where sin entered, and the garden where our Lord was buried.  In the garden of Eden the first Adam was placed, and the last Adam in the garden of Gethsemane.  They are a study in contrast. 

In the life of our Lord there was never an iota of time when He reconsidered that which he had come to do; neither was there ever the slightest degree of wavering.  Therefore, now that the hour had come, He will in triplicate, confirm His devotion to God’s purposes.  This was a place of crisis for the decision that was made in past eternity to provide salvation, the time had now come.  He was, as a man, “officially” accepting the cup.  It was where the hour of the power of darkness began, but not the judgment for sin.  That did not begin until the darkness in the three hours of darkness. 

We discover another glorious contrast when we set Gethsemane beside the garden where our Lord was buried and rose again.

“Gethsemane”, or “Gat shmanim” in Hebrew, means “the oil press”.  The Hebrew word comes from two Chaldean words, “gath”, which indicates pressure, and “shemei”, often translated “oil” or “ointment”, where the context is fellowship.  Thus, by its name, Gethsemane indicates a place of pressure and or, a place of fellowship.    The enormity of the pressure by Satan to have the Lord turn away from the cup, and so sin is beyond human comprehension or experience.  In that same measure the depths of fellowship with His Father was met.

In this garden the Lord prepared Himself for the darkness that lay ahead by reaffirming His devotion God and prayer before the storm clouds burst.  Man had before sought to take Christ, but His time had not yet come.  But this was now the hour.  He had finished one work the Father had given Him to do, that of giving the disciples God’s word and declaring to them His name (Jn. 17:14, 26).  He had instituted the Supper, thus indicating the ending of the old dispensation and beginning of a new.

Few saw His agony in Gethsemane, but in the other garden, Mary, the women who were returning from the tomb, and Peter and John went and saw the evidence that Christ was raised from the dead.  With what exuberance of joy we can sing:

Beautiful are these truths for when we face storms and temptations on every hand.  Prior to, and in those storms, let us learn from the Master the necessity of getting alone with God to pray and bow in true devotedness to the will of God.  In Gethsemane, the Lord knew that He was going to meet God in His moral perfection of holiness(and as the representative substitute for sinful man).  It is to the extent that we appreciate the preciousness of the sacrifice of our Lord, seeing there the holiness of God and the total corruption of self, that we will plead the blood of His Son for our acceptability.  Approaching God in thanks, worship or prayer, and mentioning the name and blood of our Lord must never be allowed to become a formality, but be the expression of one’s heart and spirit.  Gethsemane must teach us that there is no place for a casual attitude, a little indulgence, or a nonchalant attitude when it comes to sin, for my sin caused the Lord agonies in Gethsemane, and these much less than Calvary.
 

The Prayer Postures In Gethsemane

The man with the lunatic son knelt before the Lord (Matt. 17:14) as did the leper (Mk. 1:40).  They knelt, beseeching the only One who could help them in their distress.  Now the Lord kneels in His distress to the only One who could help Him.  Yet God is silent.  The Holy Spirit, in drawing the curtain aside, presents a sight that causes a mind disturbing, numbing reverential fear.  The Lord of glory lying prostrate on the ground.

The Lord lifted His eyes to God (Jn. 11:41), now His face is on the earth.  This is the manifestation of utter prostration and heartbreaking implications.  None but those who have been there know anything of this experience of unspeakable agony, and our highest experience of such is only a faint shadow of that which He knew.  What an amazing sight that must have been to the angelic hosts, the mighty God, lying in unutterable grief on the ground His hands had made.

It is a wonder as to which is the greater wonder, the One who is the Mighty God needing strengthening, or not using His divine power to strengthen Himself.  How infinite is this Gethsemane marvel, the One who lived in the fullness of joy experiences weeping in its bitterest level.
 

The Participants in Gethsemane

We are told specifically of two groups of people in the garden and two individuals and a third one intimated.  “One group was composed of the eight disciples and the other of the three; Peter, James and John.  The two individuals were the Lord and the Angel who ministered to Him,  and the intimated one is Satan.

The Three Innermost Disciples

The Lord comes to them.  How often in life it is a blessing to have human understanding and sympathy; but Christ had no one.  It is very touching that the man who was the epitome of sympathy finds none in His hour of need.  The professors all slept.  This is one of the saddest pictures and commentaries on humanity in the scriptures.

The Lord tells them to "Watch and pray”.  Why?  “That ye enter not into temptation” (Matt. 26:41; Mk. 14:38; Lk.22:40).  Several observations are to be made.  The Lord does not say: "That we enter not into temptation”, this was a danger for the disciples alone.  They were to pray for their own preservation.

Zechariah prophesied: “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”  It does not say: “I will smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered” . Christ the Divine Author gives the interpretation saying“I will smite the shepherd”, showing that He knew the smiting would come from God.  The smiting had not yet come, but the offense of being associated with the Lord had arrived. “And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.”  (Mk. 14:27)

The words of Job could be spoken concerning Him: “Thou hast made me desolate of all my company”. (Job 16:7)

Satan

This is the activity of Satan, seeking to pressure Christ to avoid the cross and death but when the Lord will not be turned aside Satan will focus all his hated on Him by using humanity to afflict Him through shame and suffering.

All who are involved in standing for God against opposition are aware of the physical weakness after the struggle, and the need for strengthening.  This is not being strengthened before a temptation, but it is the strengthening for the enduring of the personal cost of doing the will of God, glorifying God.
 

The Angel

Amazing is the reality that because of the Lord’s condition of weakness, an angel was sent to strengthen Him.  God never sends angels for the sake of giving them something to do and whoever the angel was, it would have been with a profound sense of responsibility (Lk. 22:43).  What precious lessons we learn here.  For our Lord to be fully qualified as a High Priest, He must learn the need of strengthening from on high, not using His deity to strengthen Himself.  The One who is the Mighty God is strengthened by an angel.  Such a truth causes worship.

The truth is, this angel’s coming showed the sympathy of Heaven.  On earth the disciples were sleeping, unaware of that which was happening and going to happen.  In the city the chief priests, elders, religious soldiers and Judas were gathering together and coming to the garden.  They were intent on that which they were determined to happen; they cared not nor had any sympathy for Him.  In His loneliness, agony, and internal grief; heaven can hold back no longer.  God sends an angel.  The unspoken message is clear, while none on earth may care, there is a man in Heaven who cares and understands.  (1 Pet. 5:7)

It may be that an experience of Daniel can give us some insight.  Daniel had been given a vision of the glorious days of the beginning of the millennium (ch 9:24), but those days were a long way off.  Dark clouds were on the horizon.  Having been brought into a state of anguish and weakness (ch 10:8; 16-17) God sends an angel to strengthen him (vv.18-19).  “Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said: ‘O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong.’  And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said: Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me”. Daniel was weakened because of that which had been revealed to him (Dan. 10:1), and again by the understanding he was given (Dan. 10:15).

As the Lord knelt in Gethsemane He knew the kingdom was a long time off, and this combined with the knowledge of that which lay ahead of Him, and the struggle against satanic power may have added greatly to His weakness. 

An angel, and then a multitude of the heavenly host came to announce and celebrate His birth (Lk. 2:9-14).  They also came after His temptations (Matt 4:11); after His resurrection (Matt. 28:2), and after His ascension (Acts 1:10).  After the temptations they (plural) ministered unto Him.  In Gethsemane one angel strengthens Him.  How profound this is; He who is truly God is so completely human, going through experiences so deep that no earthly being can help, only help sent from God.   One wonders which is the greater wonder, the One who is the Mighty God needing strengthening or the not using of His divine power to strengthen Himself? 

Here He was not being strengthened before a temptation, but for enduring the personal cost of doing the will of God, and glorifying God.  In a way, the angel is prefiguring the High Priestly work of the Lord in strengthening us in the trial. 

H. Hobbs, quoting Hobart, points out that apart from the Septuagint, the words, “to strengthen”, in this transitive sense only occurs in Hippocrates and Luke.  Luke being a physician, observes the bodily need for sympathy.

In Gethsemane the celestial, terrestrial and infernal met.  The angel came from God,  the disciples and Satan.
 

The Pathos Of Gethsemane

“Now is my soul troubled” (Jn. 12:27).  This was the beginning of the Lord’s distress.

His holy soul must have recoiled at the anticipation of these experiences.

Mere words can never convey the emotional, soul, and spirit agonies the Lord was going through. No matter how graphic, words can never convey the reality of what the Lord was enduring in Gethsemane.   Statements by the Lord, and comments by the Holy Spirit are recorded for us.

Gethsemane is where the hour of darkness began and the power of darkness began to manifest itself.  It was the hour when satanic rage was vented on Christ, and human sadism was fully manifested.  It was in this “hour” that man inflicted pain and humiliation on the Lord.
 

The Prayers of Gethsemane

The Lord prayed when facing the intensified pains and griefs of satanic spite, human viciousness, and being God forsaken. ⃰
 ⃰  At times we face the possibility of impending storms.  It may be the imminent death of a beloved child, major surgery facing loved ones, the loss of a business, a job, a home, or personal health.  It is at times like
    these when we, like Christ, must go to God and find the strength to honestly say: “Not my will but thine be done”.  With the Lord it was not just a possibility but an assured reality.

The Prayers in General

Furthermore, His praying did not end on earth, but even now in the glory of eternal bliss, He is caring for His own and praying (Heb. 7:25).  Consequently, it is not to be wondered at that when facing the darkest hours, He prayed.

Unlike every other son of Adam, the Lord never presented Himself to God by virtue of the acceptability of another.  The people of the Old Testament could only approach God by way of a sacrifice (Lev. Chs. 1-6); and we by the Blood of Jesus (Heb.10:19).  Christ never needed a mediating sacrifice, for there was never anything that caused a disturbance in the fellowship between He and the Father, and never the grieving or quenching of the Holy Spirit.

Being well aware of the attitudes of those around Him, our Lord could have quoted the Psalmist: “For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer and they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.” How beautifully it says: “I gave myself to prayer” (Psa. 109:2-5).  In contemplating Gethsemane and the first cry from the cross, this is what He did. 

The Contrasting Of His Prayers

It is interesting to observe the distinction between the prayer of the Lord in Gethsemane and that in John 17.  In fact, the only point they have in common is the word “Father”.  In John the Lord does not say: “Abba Father or O my Father” but “Holy / Righteous Father”.  Tabulated they are as follows: 

The Triple Prayers

Distinctions In The Wording 

            It is no wonder the Lord was not comfortable, not “at home” in the garden.  He faced being forsaken by God and entering into death, which was unnatural for him.  The “cup” was the execution of the judgment of God against sin, which meant His being forsaken by God.  These are depths of which no created being has full comprehension.

The Plea

The earnestness with which they implored Him was clearly evident.  They were not concerned about what people thought of them, their only concern being they thought only of the loved one.  How quickly he responded to their cries, for their concerns were His concerns.^⃰  Now it is the Lord who is beseeching the God who gives only good gifts to his children.   How well He knew it was morally impossible for the love of God to man to be fully shown, God’s rights to be restored, Satan and his kingdom to be overthrown, and man restored to fellowship with God, except He drink the cup.
 ⃰  1 Pet. 5:7 states: “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you”.  The word “care” is a plural word, and the word “careth” is singular.  It is a beautiful truth.  Casting all your cares upon Him, for He only has one care and that is you.

He was not asking for a way out of drinking the cup.  That was the reason He came.  The prayer of the Lord was not pseudo-spirituality or theatrics.  The drinking of that cup was the bitterest gall, filled with the just judgment of God to the full measure of man’s sin. 

Only God knows how he did this.

Evil, self-centered men ruled Jerusalem, the temple was corrupted, pseudo religion joined with corrupt politics and self-will ruled.  If the purpose of God was to be fulfilled, then the One who was the Lamb of God Himself must first submit to the will of God, and do so willingly.

Throughout His life, Christ manifested unflinching devotion to God and fulfilling the will of God.  How then can we equate his devotion with His cries for the cup to be removed?  In Gethsemane there is the expression of His dread of that which lay ahead, but there was not any wavering of devotion, or of the fulfilling of the will of God.

The Lord had made it clear that He would drink the cup, and that He had come for this hour, HOWEVER, readiness to fulfill the will of God, and pledging to do such, does not mean that one delights in that which is to be done or experienced.

In the first prayer, there is no mention of the cup, but of the hour (Mk. 14:35).  This was more than the hour of darkness when the Lord was given into the hands of men, it may be part of it, but it is more.  In the second prayer, the Lord brings before God that with Him all things are possible (Mk. 14:36), yet this must be understood in the reality of God’s will and morality. ⃰   Yet it was the will of God “to bruise Him” (Isa. 53:10).  What infinite love!  Because of this tension, God’s morality was such that there was no other way.
 ⃰  The things God cannot do, Appendix. 2

Luke seems to take up the second prayer in Mark: “If thou be willing”, that is, if it is according to thy will.  But He came, not to do His own will but the will of Him that sent Him.  Of Him it was written: “Lo, I come . . . to do thy will, O God” (Heb. 10:7).   The will of God was that we should be sanctified: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb. 10:10)

The Decisive Point

At the crucial point, a decision had to be re-affirmed.  Having the freedom to make choices and decisions is one of the God given blessings.  Christ was a real man and had freedom of choice.  In human assessment, some of His decisions were questionable because of the natural or prevailing attitudes.  For instance, in not going to Lazarus when He was sick nor to the funeral; or when He deliberately went through Samaria, a matter compounded by speaking to a woman of dubious character.  Again, what of choosing Judas, or letting a sinner woman wash his feet?  The decisions of the Lord were not always the “accepted” ways.  In all these there was, from the human perspective, His decisions were not the wisest, but wisdom is justified of her children (Matt. 11:19). 

The personal cost of this decision to the Lord was beyond telling, for He was willing to have taken from Him that which He treasured beyond all other things, His companionship ⃰  with God.  This critical moment is emphasized by the repetition of variations on the clause: “Nevertheless not my will but thine be done”. (Lk. 22:42)
 ⃰   Herein is one of the greatest mysteries of all eternity, His fellowship and relationship with God was never broken, but even when forsaken by God,  He was still in perfect fellowship with Him.

The magnificence of the word “nevertheless” cannot be over emphasized.  On this statement hangs the glory of God, the unity of the Godhead, the redemption of humanity, the defeat of Satan, and the fulfilling of the purposes of God for time and all eternity. 

No words in any language could describe the resulting horrors if the Lord had declared the slightest reluctance to drink that cup.  Furthermore, even if He had not declared a reluctance, but it was in His heart, the consequences would have been unspeakable.  In Rev. 8:1 there is silence in Heaven.  It was the calm before the storm of the Lord’s appearing in judgment.  I am sure if there ever was another deafening silence throughout the spirit world, it must have been when He said: “O My father take away this cup from me” (Matt. 26:39, 42).  What must that sight have been to angelic and demonic personages as they saw the Lord of glory utter His impassioned plea, waiting for the response, not just of His lips, but also of His heart?  

Our Lord asked: “If it be possible take away this cup”; “What was that cup?”  In Matthew, Mark and Luke they all, within 22 verses, refer to two cups.  “He took the cup” (Matt. 26:27) and in verse 39: “let this cup pass from me”. “He took the cup” (Mk. 14:23) and in verse 36: “Take away this cup”.  “This cup is the New Testament” (Lk. 22:20) and in verse 42: “Remove this cup”.  It is clear there is a relationship between the first and last references to the “cup” in each gospel.  There is a distinction between the cup the Lord told us to drink and that which He drank.  Ours is the “cup of blessing” (1 Cor. 10:16); “The cup of the Lord” (1 Cor. 10:21; 11:27).  His was the cup of the execution of divine judgment.

What Was The “Cup”?

It is emphatically stated that there is at least one thing this cup was not.  It was most definitely not His being “satanized”, being made a sinner, nor afflicted by Satan or Satanic hosts in hell, as some have taught.

Did the Lord become “satanized”?  Never!  When our Lord was made an offering for sin, He was most holy.  In the directions God gave for the sin offering He instructed the Israelites: “It shall not be baken with leaven.  I have given it unto them for their portion of my offerings made by fire; it is most holy, as is the sin offering, and as the trespass offering” (Lev. 6:17).  Prior to this the Lord had said: “The Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me”.  Therefore, before Calvary He was holy, and on the cross He was holy.  Then what was that “Cup”?

That cup was: “the cup the Father gave Him to drink”.  The Lord said to Peter: “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup, which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it” (Jn. 18:11).  The drinking that “cup” was the ratification of the New Covenant, His suffering for sins, and in that, His being forsaken by God.

What did Jesus do?  He reached out and took our cup.  Ours was the sin, the rebellion, the wrath of God.  Ours was the curse and eternal separation from God and all was in that cup.  God gave this cup to his Son who prayed and took it.  He, who will in a day to come, take the book out of the right hand of the Throne Sitter, now takes the cup” (Rev. 5).  He had done so symbolically:

“He took the cup” (Matt. 26:27; Mk. 14:23; Lk. 22:17; 1 Cor. 11:25)
 This can be developed with the emphasis on each word:
He took the cup
He took the cup
He took the cup
He took the cup

It must be stated emphatically that the cup was never in the hand of man or Satan!  It was the Lord who laid on Christ the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:4-6).  Jesus took the cup, not from the hand of the devil, but from the hand of God himself.  Why did he take it?  Because He loved us.   

Because He took the cup we can take in our hand the cup of blessing (1 Cor. 10:16) based on the Blood of Christ. 

With rejoicing hearts we say with the Psalmist: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?   I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD"                   (Psa. 116:12-13).

When we appreciate that “cup” and its precious blessings to us personally: “Shed for you” (Lk. 22:20); applicable for the whosoever for it is: “Shed for many” (Mk. 14:24); and praise God it is for: “the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28);  we worship such a Saviour who could drink such a cup.  There is a wonderful verse in Isaiah: "Thus saith thy LORD the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again.” (Isa. 51:22) 

He cries to God: “This hour might pass (parechomai, go) from me” (Matt. 26:39); “let this cup pass (parechomai) from me”: "Take away (paraphero, bear away) this cup” (Mk. 14:36); “Remove (papaphero, bear away) this cup (Lk. 22:42).

The tense of these words are such that they are a plea for something that, if possible to begin now, yet, in it there is the feeling of complete dependence, leaving all to the will of the Father.

The Kiss Of Judas

The Lord’s Going Out

Now the Lord says dark words: “This is your hour, and the power of darkness”.  The hours of satanic venom to be directed on the Lord, in an all-out attempt to have Him turn back from fulfilling the will of God, have now begun in earnest.

The Practical Lessons Of Gethsemane

 
Appendix No. 1

 Those Who Satan Is Directly Associated With

The possibility that I could consider myself to be too insignificant, then consider:

Note:  The only ones not applicable to us are Christ and the man of sin.

Appendix No. 2

The Things God Cannot Do

God Made A Promise
God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began (Titus 1:2)

May God grant us good understanding as He, by His Holy Spirit, deigns to guide us into all truth.
John 16:13

Copyright © 2011 by Rowan Jennings, Abbotsford, British Columbia