The Cry of the Cup

Matthew 26:30-46 

The scene of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane has had a special place in Christian piety…the combination of human suffering, divine strengthening, and solitary self-giving has done much to make Jesus loved by those who believe in him. Most Christians, then, are annoyed to discover that outsiders have found the scene to be scandalous and ridiculous. --Raymond Brown 

What did Jesus experience in Gethsemane?

Why did Jesus have to experience it?  

What does it tell us about Him? 

What does it mean to us? 

And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” Matthew 26:37-38 

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26:41

For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. Psalm 75:8 

Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering. Isaiah 51:17

We are used to being sinful. But Jesus would have shrunk in horror from the cup of heart-venom, the soul-slime of humanity, he was asked to drink. While all his days he had lived for his Father’s will, now the divine will demanded that he become what he and his Father hated: sin itself.  As Paul writes, “He made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness (rightly related) of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21) --Gerrit Scott Dawson 

And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:44

The Son of God is about to initiate the decisive battle against the power of darkness…the one who will stand alone on the front line in our place, absorbing the full onslaught of Sin, Death, and the Devil.  --Raymond Brown 

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8 

The obedience of the Son was learned, not automatic.  How can Jesus’ will (“I want”) and his Father’s will (“you want”) be two different things and Jesus remain the sinlessly unblemished Son?  A struggled, learned, prayed for obedience is a true obedience.  --Dale Bruner

What does it mean to us?   

More Evidence for Gospel Authenticity 

But how could anyone have dared to invent a scene that was so disturbing to faith--the fear of Jesus in the face of death. --Peter Benoit 

Jesus is Greatly Relatable  

Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:17-18 

That in my severest tribulations I may be assured that Christ my Lord has redeemed me from hellish anxieties and torment by the unspeakable anguish, pain, and terrors he suffered in his soul both the cross and before.  Heidelberg Catechism 1563    

Jesus’ Amazing Love 

Why would God open up for Jesus the horrors of the cross like this here in Gethsemane? It was so we could see Jesus go to the cross voluntarily, knowing full well what he was about to experience, so that his love for us would be put on display even more. --Jonathan Edwards 

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Matthew 26:32    

Gethsemane assures us in a strangely comforting way that all will be well--definitely not because the disciples prove their mettle but for more substantial reasons. The horror of the cup has been overcome in its bearer. And the cupbearer forgives his disloyal friends. If Jesus is steady now, everything will be all right. --Dale Bruner  

Spiritual Inventory Questions

Have you understood the full implications of Jesus being fully God and fully human? How would your connection to Him change if your knowledge of Him grew? 

Have you been insisting on drinking your own cup, rather than releasing it to Jesus?