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It is remarkable how important prayer was in the life of Jesus. In the Gospels, we often see him praying or teaching his followers about prayer.
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Our Lord has set aside time for prayer, especially in the early morning hours. He also had a specific place where he often hid to pray. Perhaps his favorite was the garden or olive grove across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem. There he was able to commune with his heavenly Father in a secluded place. This place was called Gethsemane (meaning “oil press”).
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On that important night, when Jesus was about to be betrayed and brought before the Jewish Governing Council, he went to Gethsemane with his three closest disciples. He asked them to support him in prayer, but they were exhausted and soon fell asleep. The Lord Himself “went a little beyond them and fell down and prayed” (Matthew 26:39). He neither stood nor sat down, nor knelt down, but lay on his face, no doubt an outward sign of his inner distress.
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Jesus’ prayer was born out of deep suffering. “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” I sensed the horror of crucifixion, a particularly painful form of execution. This was reserved for the lowest type of criminals. Instead, Roman citizens were to die instantly by beheading.
The Savior prayed fervently three times to be spared the trial of the cross. Here is the mystery of the incarnate Christ, the eternal Son who took over our humanity. As a human being, he is capable of suffering and shrinks from that suffering. His soul is wracked with fear and cries out to his father to save him from what is coming his way.
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Many others faced death seemingly without great fear. Socrates was sentenced to be poisoned, but he calmly drank the hemlock. Christian martyrs died horribly, but peacefully. Was Jesus inferior to these men and women? Or was he afraid of something darker than crucifixion?
The clue is in the word “cup”. When Jesus spoke of drinking the cup, what was he referring to? Jeremiah 25:15 says, “The LORD God of Israel said to me, ‘Take this cup of the wine of my wrath out of my hand, and take it from all the nations that I will send to you. let them drink it.’” Isaiah says: , Ezekiel and Habakkuk also associate the “cup” with judgment. The cup that Jesus hesitated to drink was the cup from which the Holy Father condemned man’s sins. In the person of His Son, God sought to redeem sinful men and women and reconcile them to Himself. Being forgiven and accepted by God is free for those who trust in Christ, but it will cost the Savior spiritual suffering beyond our comprehension. That is the beauty of the Christian gospel.
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Our Lord naturally desired to avoid the complete suffering of Golgotha. Prayer for Jesus was never a way to manipulate God. It was to submit one’s will to the will of His Father. That is why, as sincerely as his cry for salvation, he prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done” (Mark 14:56).
How thankful we should be that our Savior persevered and submitted to the will of the Father in the time of greatest temptation. His love and compassion for sinners was such that he forced Kas to drink the cup.
Go to dark Gethsemane
You feel the power of the tempter.
Look at the struggles of your Savior,
Please watch over the bitter times with him.
Do not turn your eyes away from the Lord’s sorrow.
Learn about Christ watching over you and praying for you.
(James Montgomery)
John Vaudrey He is a retired minister and lives in Pembroke.
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