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It's
been forty days and forty nights
Down
the road of many trials
And
I pray it's only for a season
'Cause
in the wilderness and in the flood
You're
the one I'm thinking of
And
I know You've brought me for a reason (Third Day 2003)
[Jesus]
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.” (Holy Bible: New American Standard
Bible, Matthew 26:39)
The film
The Passion of the Christ starts with Jesus praying in the Garden of
Gethsemane, his face drenched with sweat as He prays. Depending on how the synoptic gospels (Matt,
Mark & Luke) are harmonized, Jesus has predicted His death and resurrection
at least three times before the Gethsemane episode [First M16:21-26, M8:31-37,
L9:22-25; second M17:22-23, M9:30-32, L9:43b-45, third M20:17-19, M10:32-34,
L18:31-34]. Despite this, we are
confronted with an emotional and vulnerable Jesus praying in the garden. One could get lost in the mystery of the
incarnation; but one thing is clear, God the Son is pouring out His heart
before God the Father. Theologians have
debated what the cup is; is it the cross and its pain, the separation and
isolation, both of these things and more? Whatever it is, one thing is
absolutely clear: Jesus wants this “cup” to pass from Him without drinking
it. Yet, His prayer does not end with
His want, but with His submission. “…
not as I will, but as You [Father] will.”
Stop. Wait.
Don’t go past this event too quickly.
Jesus, the Jesus that healed the blind, the sick, and the lame. Jesus, the Jesus that turned water into wine,
walked on the sea and drove out demons by His words. Jesus, the Jesus that withstood all the tests
and tempting of Satan himself in the wilderness and won. This Jesus, who knows the Father and has seen
the Father and could at once call 60,000 angelic beings to His will (Matt.
26:53), ends His prayer by submitting to the Father’s will.
This cannot
be missed; the Son knew His mission. He
said, “… I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:30
NASB). Therefore, His prayer in
Gethsemane follows this pattern.
However, remember what was pointed out above. Despite having predicted His resurrection, He
is praying that the “cup” could pass Him by.
The Gethsemane episode is filled with conflict and we see Jesus in
turmoil. We know how the story goes; but
it does not lessen the tension that happened in the garden. The Son is pleading with the Father, He is
praying, “Is it possible that there could be a plan B?” However, the Son accepts the will of the
Father and submits.
Sometimes
it’s good to be reminded of purpose. The
purpose of Spiritual Formation is to allow Christ to be formed within us
(Galatians 4:19). Concerning this
Gethsemane episode see what Paul writes:
Have this
attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed
in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians
2:5-8 NASB).
Written by Pastor Ozzy
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1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible.
LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.
2003."40 Days." Come Together.
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