Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Mark 14:35-36 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
A REAL STRUGGLE
From the distance of millennia, the sufferings of Jesus seem just that, distant. It's the same with all history. That's why battle seemed glamorous to the soldiers who enlisted to fight in the "Great War." After seeing the actual trenches, they came home with a different view.
Jesus' experience in Gethsemane teaches us that this was no mere play-acting by the Son of God. The anticipation of what He was about to suffer brought Him to his knees, in more ways than one.
The Gospel writers tell us Jesus was overcome with sorrow. He told His friends that He was so overwhelmed that it was nearly killing Him. As He prayed, His sweat fell on the ground like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). God even felt the need to send an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43).
Jesus' struggle was real, because our sin is real. If He was to pay the full price for the sins of all mankind, He was going to have to experience the whole hell that man's sins deserve. It's not hard to understand why Jesus prayed that if there was some other way to save sinners, then let's do it that way.
Though unspoken, the Father's answer is shown to us in the events that followed. The answer: "No, My Son. There is no other way to free sinners from hell. You must suffer it in order for them to be forgiven." This was a crushing answer for Jesus, but the most liberating for you and me.
Dear Christians, struggle against sin. Fight against those daily temptations that war against your soul. But DO NOT for a moment think that you are struggling for your forgiveness. THAT struggle and suffering has already been done by Christ. And because it is, you stand completely forgiven.
