14:32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 14:33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 14:34 Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch." 14:35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 14:36 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." 14:37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 14:38 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 14:39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 14:40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 14:41 Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 14:42 "Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."

What Was In the Cup?

When we traveled Holy Land, we visited to a church in Gethsemane. At that time our tour guid begun to speak quoting "Take this cup away from Me." She said, "What were in the cup He mentioned? There were our sins in the cup. They were all of unclean things of our sins. The cup may smell bad. It was dirty as sewage or human waste."

We are sinners before the eyes of God. We are dirty, but we will be turn away our faces if such cup presents before our eyes. The cup filled with filthy things was brought to Jesus, Holy One. In the cup worms may live. Who can drink such cup. However Jesus was about to take the cup to forgive and clean our sins. In the cup there were God's wrath and judgment against sins as Jeremiah 25:17-18 says, "Then I took the cup from the Lord's hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me: Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day." Sin is awful, but God's wrath and judgment are more. The Holy God knows everything. No excuse works to Him. God will judge not only what we do but also what we think in our minds. When Jesus took our sins, He also took the judgment as well. Through Jesus we are saved from the judgment and serve God without fear.

Hebrew 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." Are you sure to be saved from this judgment when you will stand before God. You cannot have the confidence of salvation by your efforts. You can have the confidence comes only when you trust in Jesus Who took the judgment instead of you. Do you believe in the Savior? Have you already moved from the judgment to life? Do you neglect the agony and pains of Jesus that He took for you?

Why Did Jesus Pray This Prayer?

Jesus came to Jerusalem to die on the cross. But, He prayed, "Take this cup away from Me." Why? Did Jesus look back from His mission at the very last moment? No. He suffered the suffering of the cross beforehand. He was troubled by God's wrath and judgment that will reach the limit.

Jesus always enjoyed the intimate fellowship when He prayed calling God the Father. However He felt God's wrath and judgment at Gethsemane. If you know more about the love and grace of God, you may fear God's wrath and judgment more. When the love and grace become real, God's wrath and judgment also become real. If someone says, "There are no judgment," the person has never experienced God's love and grace.

The prayer, "Take this cup away from Me" shows that the awfulness of God's judgment and the greatness of Jesus' pain. Jesus suffered for our sins not only on the cross but also at Gethsemane. Jesus prayed, "Take this cup away from Me" for us. Jesus is the Son of God. But He never used His power to bear the sufferings for us. He became man exactly same as we are. He suffered as a human. He faced sufferings as only human who get tired and weaken. Therefore He can understand our pain, suffer with us, support us when we are in pains. He can lead us to the victory over troubles and sufferings. Hebrews 2:18 says, "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." How great is that our Savior knows our weakness.

What Did the Cup Show About Jesus?

Jesus prayed "Take this cup away from Me." But He conclude His prayer saying, "nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." What a wonderful prayer! Jesus could insist His will to God as the Son of God. But he selected God's will. Yes, He selected God's will consciously and positively; on His own initiative. We also mention God's will. However how many times did we use the word to express our resignation or despair? We may say, "Let things take one's course. It's God's will." It's not right. To believe never mean to give up. Believing in God is not becoming just passive nor walking according to the course of this world. God is the Lord, and we are servants. But we become His servants not against our will but from our hears.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was good example of our servantship. The angel Gabriel told Mary that she will conceive the Son of God. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God...For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." Mary just give her body for the miracle that God became man. She was passive in God's work. But she accepted God's will and selected to become passive for the Lord's work. Francis Sheafer called this "active passive" faith. To believe in God does not mean to be just passive. It's active and positive. As Jesus and Mary did, we actively dedicate ourselves to God. When we know God's will, we select it consciously.

Jesus started His prayer by calling God "Abba, Father." And He also prayed, "All things are possible for You." People of Israel use "Abba" to show intimate relationship or affection to their father. "Abba" is almost equal "daddy." Jesus confirmed His relationship to the Father by using this word and God's almighty power saying "All things are possible for You." Christians can say "Abba" to God. We do not know all of God's will. But we know that His will is not mechanical and lifeless. God is our Father. He is a person. He allows us to call Him "Abba." He will work His will in our life according His unlimited love and almighty power. Let's chose God's will in our daily life as Jesus did.