Let This Cup Pass From Me?
What was the cup at Gethsemane?
Matthew 26:39 - And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."
Have you ever meditated on what this cup was? This cup that He asked the Father to let pass from Him? This cup that He drank after all, because He desired the Father's will? What was this cup?
Was it the crucifixion? We read in Psalms 22:14-16, I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.
Thousands had been crucified, and the horror was real, but was that the cup?
Was it death itself? Was it the shedding of blood as the sacrifice lamb?
Millions have shed blood and died. Wasn't there something more in the cup Jesus drank?
Yes. The cup that Jesus foresaw in the Garden of Gethsemane, and later drank for us was the very wrath of God!
There are many passages in Scripture that speak of the wrath of God, but take a look at two of them:
Romans 1:18 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. . .
Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. . .
The wrath of God is an awful thing. But. . .
Jesus drank the cup of the wrath of God for those who are His! He drank the cup of the wrath of God for His children, for those who are saved by grace through faith, not of works! He drank the cup of the wrath of God for those who are born again, and now love Him! And He did it before we even knew Him, while we were still enemies of God.
And even the awful crucifixion was as nothing compared with that wrath.
He was mocked by the crowds, but it was nothing compared with the wrath of His Father that crushed Him.
He was spit on by the soldiers, but it was nothing compared with the wrath of God that tore him apart.
He was stabbed by the crown of thorns, but it was nothing compared with the stabbing of his heart as the Father's wrath was poured out.
His hands and feet were cruelly nailed to the wooden cross, but even that was nothing compared to the fierce and awesome wrath of the God who is so powerful that He could create billions of galaxies with a word.
Jesus was deserted by His enemies and even His friends, but even that didn't compare with the terrible terrible deserting of Him by the Father, who turned His face away, broke the sweet fellowship they'd had forever, and poured and poured and poured and poured the bitter wine of His wrath on the Son He loved.
No wonder Jesus cried out, "Eli Eli, Lama Sabachthani!" "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
And it wasn't just the Son who loved us. It was the Father Himself. Together they made a covenant to redeem us. The covenant was solidified in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the horror of what to come caused Jesus to sweat drops of blood. And He knelt and said, "not my will, but yours, Father". Not my natural desire to stay in fellowship with you, but my supernatural desire to do all that we have planned through the ages, to drink of the cup of the wine of the wrath of God, and to drink it to the dregs.
"Dregs" are those little particles that settle at the bottom of a wine glass, or the cookie crumbs you drink at the bottom of your milk glass after dunking. And our Savior drank the cup all the way to the dregs. We probably can never fathom what He went through. But we know this:
It is finished!
So now. . .
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. - Romans 5:9
And now He is Risen! And we are risen with Him to newness of life! Doesn't it make you love Him more?
Listen to "Grace For Life" Radio Program.
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posted by Terry Rayburn @ 9:35 AM
8 Comments
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8 Comments:
Oh brother!
What a balm it is to the soul just reading on this. I meditate on this a lot. The horrors that Jesus faced when the Father satisfied his viscious eruption of wrath upon Jesus.
Oh blessed Jesus what horrors you went through for me.
It was eternal in scope as in the Fathers wrath He faced for us those dreadful words, "Depart from me ye accursed, into the everlasting flames!"
We will never have to face this and we can be assured as we hear the words, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
What a blessed truth that heals our souls and sets us on solid ground.
Oh, we don't meditate on this enough.
Great Blog Brother!
What a wonderful savior (Jesus)!
I could not have said it better myself.
Apart from 'God made a covenant with sombody else (Jesus),to save
us.'We have to remember," The Lord
thy God is one" cosequently He is
not two or three or plural.
We are truely blessed with every spiritual blessing in christ.It is finished indeed.The goodnews of the gospel of grace and peace renew's the mind settle's the emotion's and establish's the heart with grace,
Continue in his love,
kenneth,belfast N.ireland
Blessed be to the name of the LORD,for He has shown mercy n LOVE on us.
Thank you for the fantastic blog which unlock my curiosity,as today during my meditation,I was curious on what is the "cup" meant and i found your blog.
Again,praise the LORD!!
Billy Lim,Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Great perspective... however, here's a different perspective: Father's wrath is reserved for the wicked... and, I don't see evidence where God tortured his enemies... drowned them maybe, and that's pretty quick. I suspect it was the wrath of Satan who TORTURED Christ... but, Christ gave up the ghost maintaining control over death, part of the defeat of death I suppose.
To suggest God's wrath killed Christ is to suppose God killed his own son??? HMMMMMM I just can't buy that.
To suggest that God's wrath killed Christ is to suppose Christ was guilty of sin as though He committed the sin... are we calling Jesus a sinner, guilty, and worthy of God's so-called wrath??? HMMMM, I just have a hard time with that.
I certainly agree that sin killed Christ, except for His last heartbeat/breath in the flesh since Christ gave up the ghost.
Remember, criminals were crucified... and to say Christ was "crucified" actually presumes He was guilty. From a Christian perspective, Christ was actually slaughtered analogous to the Passover Lamb. But Christ was more than slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb... Christ was tortured! I don't remember Moses torturing the lamb before it was slaughtered/sacrificed at Passover??? Moses slaughtered/sacrificed the Passover Lamb... so who tortured Jesus? Remember, Satan did not take Jesus' life... Christ gave it up!!! Christ was tortured as though he was worse than guilty! Christ bore our sins... but He didn't commit them.
Who "crucified" Christ from that perspective??? Who decided Christ was deserving a sentence worse than a murderer??? Christ must have really fried someeone's grits!!! And, He did... re-read for the first time Matt 23 where Christ totally and publicly defames and humiliates the scribes and Pharisees right there in the temple. To say Christ challenges their literal ancestry is an understatement!!!
Matt. 13 includes the parable of the Tares... Christ also there unveils the parable of the tares at the request of the Disciples... re-read the parable of the tares again for the first time, and try to not re-interpret Christ's own interpretation/unveling of His own parable of the tares.
The flood.... hmmmm, let's see two asians, two caucasians, two blacks, two mongolians... what possitilities!!! Later, Tim.
Thought I would comment just a bit further as an armchair theologian, myself. This cup is a subject of great conversation... in fact over 25 million hits on google. This is one of the really good topics, like Christ's last words, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
With all due respect, those of us who believe Christ thought God had indeed forsaken Him, likely also believe God's wrath was the cup which fell upon Christ.
Like I said in my prior response, I really don't find where God tortured anyone. To suggest God turned His back on His Son??? I just don't buy that... God is not a traitor and God did not betray His Son, and God doesn't torture His enemies. In fact, the Muslims teach that God turned His back on Christ because Christ was not the Messiah, that God would never turn His back on His Son!
Christ came "but for the lost sheep of Israel." Now, if you include the House of Judah Jews... they only accepted Christ as a prophet, like the Muslims, like the scribes and Pharisees... any link coming together??? Please continue.
And, undoubtedly many of those House of Judah Jews were present, among other people, during the "crucifixion." I hold this opinion, and it's not at all an uncommon opinion if you google it, that Christ was on the cross referring these House of Judah Jews (lost sheep) to Psalm 22 which was written about a thousand years prior by their very King David, King of the Jews, Star of David! That Christ's referral to Psalm 22 revealed prophesied events which were unfolding before them (House of Judah, Jews), and therefore Jesus must surely be the Messiah and not a prophet!
Reading Psalm 22 in it's entirety makes it pretty clear that David "felt" forsaken, but that David reflects on God's dependability. It is clear that David actually prophesied the crucifixion in David's words of despair about a thousand years prior.
I suspect Christ recited the entire Psalm 22 to the audience at His end. The Bible certainly is not a ver batim account of everything which happened, not an audio/visual recording in other words, and even that wouldn't capture everything.
So, please re-think what you're saying... are you saying what I'm hearing? God "tortures" His enemies? Are you saying God betrayed His Son? Are you saying God is a traitor? Are you saying Christ became Satan in every way except name? I have to pray that you at least give God and His Son the benefit of the doubt, the benefit of your doubt.
So, clearly in Matt. 23-24 in Christ's conversation with the scribes and Pharisees, that they were MOCKING Christ, not the first time by any stretch of imagination. They MOCKED John the Baptist. Remember? Agree???
Now, "they" declared themselves descendants of Abraham, and Christ agreed they were the "seed" of Abraham, but they were not the "children" of Abraham or they wouldn't be planning in killing Him! "They" said they were not born of fornication: the relationship between Abraham and Hagar was a legal relationship. "They" said they had never been in bondage to any man: correct, the descendants of Ishmael were never in bondage... the descendants of Isaac were enslaved by the Egyptian Pharoah... same Egyptians where Hagar came from and bore Ishmael!
This brings us to a very specific and common misbelief: Why did Sarah (wife of Abraham) want Ishmael and his Egyptian mother, Hagar, cast out? We're taught that Sarah was jealous. Sure, that was a contributing factor, but what was the absolute deciding factor? Isaac was weaned and Abraham had a village celebration for Isaac.
Gen. 21:8-9 "And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, MOCKING."
Ishmael MOCKING Isaac... Pharisees MOCKING Christ and John the Baptist! Is the picture coming together any better? This is a lot to try and absorb in 10 minutes of read time!
Let's see now, Jesus is telling the scribes and Pharisees (resemble pharoah??) that they are clearly descendants of Ishmael through Abraham. Those descendants of Abraham through Ishmael refuse to accept Christ as the Messiah because, by prophesy and by Mosaic Law, the first born has the right to inheritence. Therefore, Christ could not be the Messiah because Christ was not a descendant of the first born of Abraham: Ishmael! Christ was a flesh descendant of Isaac!!!
Isaac... the miracle conception in Sarah's old age... the child God himself promised Abraham and Sarah... and along comes this Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, and throws a real twister in God's plan! Really confuses things, huh? Who's the master of confusion?
These same scribes and Pharisees had infiltrated the synagogue/temple of Judah... so guess why the House of Judah only perceived Christ as a prophet... just like the Pharisees, just like even the Muslims of today!
Apostle Paul was a Pharisee!!! And, Paul even approved the killing of Stephen! Paul was converted... Well, guess what? Paul declared himself a descendant of Benjamin. Benjamin son of Isaac (house of Israel)... one of Isaac's sons... Isaac'sson... Saxons... hmmm... Anglo Saxon... hmmm.
So, do you still believe God is a traitor? Do you still believe God tortures His enemies? Do you believe Christ became Satan in every way except name? I don't, and I do pray for your illumination.
Tim... white anglo saxon protestant from Georgia
Tim,
It's difficult for me to answer you without sounding offensive, which I don't want to do.
You seem very confused mentally.
I can't even follow your essential points, and I am a very smart guy :)
Let me just clarify what I believe the biblical teaching is regarding what the Father did to the Son on the cross:
1. God loved us before the foundation of the world.
2. Our sins separated us from Him, however, and caused the storing up of His wrath against us, His enemies.
3. While we were yet His enemies, He gave His Son Jesus to die for us, that is, to pay for our sins by His own death on the cross.
4. His death was obviously not just physical, however. When He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for God to remove "the cup" from Him, if it were possible, He surely wasn't just referring to physical death.
5. When you couple that with His cry, "Why have you forsaken me?", you have to put 2 and 2 together and conclude that God did truly punish Him for our sin, fulfilling His justice.
He didn't just "forgive" us without justice being served, and the only justice for our sins is His wrath.
6. I fully admit that there is mystery in this process of Jesus "becoming sin" for us, and the Father "forsaking" Him, but it's still a REAL "forsaking", which you seem to deny.
Otherwise, Jesus would have been in error in bringing it up, an absurdity.
7. Regarding all your other ramblings about Ishmael and Isaac, etc., I must admit I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about, even though I've studied the Scriptures for over 30 years.
I know what it SOUNDS like you're talking about, however:
some obscure racist anti-Jewish nonsense that you've heard from some other racist anti-Jewish teacher.
If so, remember that one can never conclude those things without an intense twisting of Scripture, and it always ends in some kind of bitterness and hatred. This is anti-Christ at its core.
Anglo-Saxon? Good grief!
Terry,
thanks for your explicit and candid response. Please forgive me that I didn't realize that I was blogging a church... the last two churches I membered were FBC's here in GA... I just happened to run across your site surfing.
It just sort of cuts me to the core when I hear someone saying Christ was on the cross and became sin... that's saying Christ became Satan in every way but in name... Terry, I certainly don't believe that, and my conviction is that anyone who believes that needs to bend a knee.
Also, it just cuts me to the core when someone says God turned His back on His Son, calling God a traitor... That's what I hear you saying Terry. So, you really don't have to ask me why I quit going to church altogether 10 years ago... And, I encourage my 17year old daughter to be very cautious of anyone who call Christ the devil and calls God a traitor!
So, Terry, you can question my mental aptitude, and I can get over it, you'll have to get in line... But, I might suggest reconsideration of your position here, and consider another interpretation which doesn't ridicule God and Christ at the moment of ultimate and willing sacrafice. Christ told Peter that He could call in 12 legions of angels...
Regarding your comment that I might be mentally confused... I might assume if one is confused, that it might very well be mental! Ha! So, if I have spoken in "tongues" without interpretation... Paul specifically addressed that, and for that I am truly begging your apology, that I have said something you don't understand, that I should be more clear.
Sir, I can appreciate your 30 years of studying the Bible... I've also heard the expression of one year's study thirty times is not the same as thirty years of study, so let's maybe take another look see? Besides, I suspect it's more of an "ears to hear and eyes to see" kinda thing.
As far as anti-Jewish hater thing, Clearly we are instructed to love our bretheren of the House of Judah.
Nonetheless, in or around Rev 2:9 and Rev 3:9 Christ, as the Holy Spirit, suggests that He understands there are those who say they are Jews, and are not, but are liars and are the synagogue of Satan...
Terry, am I missing something here? There are liar Jews? Christ is obviously not referring to the House of Judah Jews... true Jews. So, who are the liar Jews, Terry? And, that's a good starting point... who are these liar Jews?
1. So, I am obligated to ask you with your years of study to help me understand who the Jews were Christ is referring to who said they were Jews but were liars? Isn't someone who says they are something, yet their actions reveal they are something else a hypocrite?
2. On or about Rev 3:9 Christ, via the Holy Spirit, suggests the church of Philadelphia has... "kept the patience of my word." When did Christ lose His patience? And, what aspect of Christ's ministry tested His patience? Because that's certainly what sounds like was going on when Christ turned over the money changers tables in the "church". Do you think that Christ's impatience was revealed when Christ repeatedly called the scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites!, blind guides!... time and time again and over and over again in Matthew 23? With exclamation points... undoubtedly yelling? Yelling to these synagogue leaders... teachers... Rabbi's... "preachers" of the day, if you will?
Terry, do you "see" or "hear" any link between the Jews who say they are Jews, but are liars in Revelation with the Hypocrites and blind guides, those scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23? Can you at least humor me over this point for the moment if you consider this a mute point?
Terry, do you see or hear any link between the scribes and Pharisees who say they are descendants of Abraham, as Christ affirmed in John 8:37, as their declaration that they are in fact Jews?
The scribes and Pharisees (predominately) are clearly descendants of Abraham, but they are NOT the descendants of Isaac and cannot then be the descendants of Judah... and, therefore in the strictest definition... the scribes and Pharisees (majority possibly, but not all) are NOT Jews in fact, but are liars and Hypocrites, right? However, I cannot include ALL scribes and Pharisees as descendants of Ishmael... one of TWO sons of Abraham!
Clearly Paul was a devout Pharisee before converting, and later saying he was a descendant of Benjamin, son of Isaac, son of Abraham... Hebrew.
Terry, you might consider that this is a mute issue, and a totally mute point that they are in fact NOT Jews? So, please, decide right now... do you or don't you see or hear any link? Because this point very clearly substantiates what I'm trying to convey.
We have living in Jerusalem at that time descendants of Isaac and descendants of Ishmael, correct? No... The scribes and Pharisees declaring themselves descendants of Abraham and affirmed by Jesus... scriptural
John 8:33 "We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?".
So, we know we have Christ affirmed descendants of Abraham, fact. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Are we together here? Yes? The descendants of Isaac (the House of Israel) came under bondage to the Egyptians, right? Yes, indeed.
Did the descendants of Ishmael come under bondage? No. Let's see if there is more evidence to corroborate that the scribes and Pharisees are substantially the descendants of Ishmael. We are totally clear thus far that they are at least the descendants of Abraham.
How do I conclude the scribes and Pharisees (not 100% of them) are descendants of Ishmael?
POINT A.
Those scribes and Pharisees said they were descendants of Abraham, Christ affirmed, and "they" told Christ they'd never been in bondage. Real suspect here that they are descendants of Ishmael since his half-brother Isaac's descendants were absolutely enslaved!
POINT B.
The scribes and Pharisees said:
John 8:41 "...We be not born of fornication." Ok, they are Abraham's seed, and not born of fornication. Well, that's pretty clear: Sarah was Abraham's wife, so clearly Isaac was not born of fornication. Hagar, the Egyptian maidservant bore Ishmael... a legal relationship despite being contrary to God's promise. So, pick one... Ishmael or Isaac, which might have been born of fornication according to God's promise to Abraham and Sarah.
So, Terry... back to the main point why this is important and how all this fits together: Understanding Christ's word which tried his patience was that the scribes and Pharisees are liars, hypocrites, and are absolutelly NOT Jewish at all, not even Hebrew... because understanding this mute point illuminates fully the magnitude of what Christ was saying on the cross... Matt 27:46"My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?"
Terry, with his last breaths in the flesh, Christ was witnessing to the House of Judah who were lost and confused following along these liar Jews, the scribes and Pharisees, unfornicated and never enslaved descendants of Ishmael.
With His last breaths Christ referred the House of Judah Jews, true Jews confused and lost by the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees, to Psalm 22 which is a prophesy of the crucifixion of the Messiah, written by King David, King of the Jews... King of the House of Judah.
So, Terry... I really hope you can see that I'm not a Jew hater in the strictest sense and definition of the word Jew. But, maybe you're lost and confused as to your definition of Jew?
Consequently, maybe you just love and follow the wrong Jews like Paul did before Paul converted?
If you believe that on the cross Christ became sin, Satan in every way but name... then you are certainly denying Christ's name.
If you believe God turned his back on Christ... then you are calling God a traitor who betrayed His own son...
Terry, I don't think we worship the same Jesus, or worship the same God. Course, that sort of challenges the obviously brilliant mind with 30 years of Bible study.
I have no more to say, but I am grateful for your response. I had hoped maybe that my blog would have just been left in archives... but like I said... I didn't realize I was blogging a whole church.
May Christ's message be in all your endeavors.
Tim
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