The Cup

I was reading through Mark 14 this morning during my quiet time…and as I read the section entitled, “The Prayer in the Garden” I was reminded of this truth: Jesus had to die.

Verse 35 starts: Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.

Jesus called out to His Father. One whom He knew the absolute best. His creator, His friend, even Himself as part of the trinity.

Verse 36: And He said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

Jesus, being fully God and fully man, knew God was capable of anything and everything. He, after-all, created everything. He told the waves when to cease and where the stars to hang in the sky. He took away diseases and brought man back to life – looking at you, Lazarus.

Like we often do, Jesus sought the Father to remove this sentence upon His life – He knew what was coming. He wasn’t a stranger to his ‘why’. Why He had been sent to earth in the first place.

Thankfully, Jesus also knew that it would have to be the Father’s will and not His own. And even more thankfully, the Father didn’t remove that “cup” from Jesus.

God knew, in order for mankind to be restored to Himself, there had to be an Ultimate Sacrifice and it had to come from Himself. It had to be Jesus, the Spotless Lamb. The one who never sinned – not even a little white lie.

To think that there have been times when we have sought the Lord ourselves and begged for something to be taken away from ourselves, or a beloved family member or friend, and the Lord seems to have turned a blind eye or a deaf ear…

Maybe it’s for a bigger purpose? Of course Jesus knew the bigger purpose for why He had to suffer and die… But we often do not. Can you and I trust the Father as Jesus did. Can we remember that though He was betrayed, beaten and hung on a cross, left there to die….He DID rise again three days later. And He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

Praise be to God that He can see the full picture, the full story. He knows the ending…and wow, it is glorious.

Dear reader, whatever you may be asking the Lord to take from you today, rest assured that He knows how it will go. He knows the pain, the tears, the fear…and He knows what will happen. Seek His face today and rest in His goodness and unfailing love.