Grace Notes – Gracious Cup
“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, Sit down here while I go over yonder and pray. And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to show grief and distress of mind and was deeply depressed. Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me. And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire.”
Matthew 26: 36-39 AMPC
Grace Perspective:
After having Passover dinner with His disciples, Jesus withdrew to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asked eight of His disciples to sit and wait for Him at the garden entrance, perhaps to make sure He wasn’t disturbed as He prayed. Next, Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to come further into the garden with Him.
Asking His three closest friends to keep watch with Him, Jesus went a little further into the garden and cried out to the Father. The pain encompassed in these words, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but as You will and desire,” is incalculable.
What was in the cup that Jesus was about to drink? It was filled with the bitter dregs of humanity at its worst. Hatred, envy, murder, deceit, jealousy, drunkenness, lust, strife, malice, wickedness, unrighteousness, and sin of every sort filled the cup our Savior had to drink. The fullness of humanity’s sin was stirred together in an unholy mixture to be drunk by the only One who could swallow all it contained. Jesus knew what was in the cup and sought the Father’s strength to endure what lay before Him.
Jesus spent His life doing the will of the Father. Even in great distress, He submitted fully to the Father’s will, not seeking His own way but trusting the Father’s perfect will. Our Savior’s agony was real, palpable, and more profound than any human could have born. He was distraught, so much so that He sweat drops of blood. Christ was aware of the severe physical pain he was about to endure at the hands of the guards, soldiers, and, ultimately, the cross. Perhaps the deepest grief came from knowing that for the first time in all eternity, the Father would turn away from His beloved Son. That fateful evening, He cried out to His Father with anguish that is difficult to comprehend.
Yet, He embraced the Father’s plan knowing that this was the only way we could be saved from sin. Grace from the Father comforted and strengthened our Savior there in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, the Messiah, knew full well the pain that was coming soon upon the cross and chose it anyway for the Father’s glory.
A touch of grace:
What does it mean that Jesus drank from this bitter cup for you?
What is in the cup that God has prepared just for you?
Grace Application:
Dear friend, our Father in Heaven also has a cup for each of His children to drink. Though we will never drink the bitter blend Jesus drank, God makes a custom mixture for us. Our cup may be filled with painful relationships, heartache, sickness, poverty, rejection, the death of loved ones, or anxiety due to the stresses of life. God alone knows His plans for our sanctification, and His grace will enable us to partake of the cup. As we sip upon what has been blended, especially for us, we can trust that as the Father gave grace to His Son to drink from the cup, His grace will strengthen us to swallow what makes us more like our Savior. Grace is given as we spend time in the Word and prayer with our Savior, seeking the Father as He did in the garden.
Prayer:
Gracious Father, I come to You in the Precious Name of Jesus, my Savior, Who drank every drop in the cup You prepared for Him. He drank a cup that was filled with sin, including mine. I confess my sins before You and ask You to help me to turn from them with a heart that wants to obey You fully. Help me, Father, to drink deeply from the cup You have prepared for my sanctification. May Your grace strengthen me to swallow and endure all You know will make me more like my Savior. Amen
**Today, as you read this, I pray you will know for sure you are in Christ Jesus. If you have any doubts, please call out to God so that all doubt is gone. Today is a good day to be assured of salvation in Christ Jesus. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at graceisdawning@gmail.com**