Jesus, knowing the physical and emotional suffering He would endure, even in His overwhelming distress, chose to do the will of His Father. By coming to this world in the form of a man, laying aside His deity for a time, He could reveal the Father to us. He is the light of the Spirit of God which illuminates the path to the truth of eternal life that is given to man through Him.
Jesus intentionally gave His life in place of ours so that we could have the free choice of eternal, abundant life with the Godhead.
No greater love for the Father has any man than Jesus. He sacrificed His life for us because God so loved the world that they created! Jesus became a curse for us and took the brunt of God’s righteous wrath against sin.
Gethsemane (which means “Oil Press”) was east of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. In the place where olives were crushed and ground, the One anointed with oil was crushed and rent.
It was not the impending physical suffering, as terrible as it would be, that caused Jesus to pray this way; it was the reality of the sinless Son of God bearing the sins of the world and facing separation from His Father.
In the first century, the Jews looked for a Messiah who would deliver the nation from Roman domination, become their King, and rebuild the nation of Israel to its former glory. By looking for a military deliverer and a political Messiah, the Jews minimized the messianic roles of prophet and priest. Thus many Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah because He came as a humble spiritual Savior and not a conquering political ruler.
Matthew 26:36-39
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
John 12:27
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.”
Mark 14:36
42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Luke 22:42
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:8
No comments:
Post a Comment