Monday, March 4, 2013
Matthew 26:39 "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
LOVE AT GETHSEMANE
In some ways, Jesus' love for us is even more evident in the Garden of Gethsemane than the rest of His passion. When He was beaten by the soldiers and then nailed to the cross, we see the horrible suffering and death that Jesus endured and we know that it was His love that made Him willing to endure that. Yet in all of that, Jesus remained so strong and unflinching that it almost seems as if the suffering wasn't real. As if Jesus somehow used His divine power to block the pain or rise above it. We might think it must have been easier for Him since He was God.
I assure you that was not the case. Jesus never used His divine power to make life easier for Himself. Remember when Jesus was starving to death in the wilderness after having no food for 40 days, Jesus would not even use His power to turn a few stones into bread for himself to eat. He used His power to feed others but not Himself. When the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross they gave Him something that would deaden the pain, but Jesus refused to drink it. He endured the full torment of the cross for us. It was very real for sure. Yet He didn't even flinch so we don't get the full understanding of how difficult it was for Him.
Here, in the Garden of Gethsemane, however, we see the emotion and the agony of soul that Jesus endured. He said, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful." He was in torment dreading the suffering to come. It was so difficult for Him that Jesus pleaded with His Father to take this cup away from Him.
It is in that moment of deep sorrow that we see the depth of Jesus' wondrous love. His love for His Father and for us made Him willing to drink the cup of suffering completely. If that was His Father's will, if there was no other way, He would do it. That is true love, to do what you dread because you know it will save the one you love. See Jesus dreading to go ahead, praying to be delivered, yet willing to go forward because He loves you.
