BH Bulletin

1/4/2021

Thought for the Day by Rich Arnold
(Youth and Families Minister - Holy Cross)

The Cup: Luke 22:39-46

39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

What words would you use to describe what Jesus is like? Brave? Compassionate? Strong? Wise? Loving? Powerful?

I’m not sure many of us would say ‘emotionally fragile’, and yet here, in a moment of unimaginable anguish, Jesus seems broken.

It is the night before he dies. He has just shared the Passover meal with his friends. They’ve gone from there to the Mount of Olives- a quiet place which provided a good space to reflect and pray. There on that hill - in Gethsemane- Jesus leaves his friends, telling them to pray so they don’t fall into temptation. However, they are so emotionally and physically exhausted that they take a nap. If they knew what Jesus was about to face, they would be awake with him, supporting him and praying for him at his time of need.

Jesus is left to face this terrible anguish all alone: And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (v44).

We are used to hearing Jesus praying to his Father. But not like this. In fact, he’s so distraught that An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him (v43). We’ve never seen Jesus like this. He can barely endure what is happening. What could possibly cause a man like Jesus to be on his knees sweating blood as he prays?

It’s a cup: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me (v42)

The cup is a symbol of God’s anger and punishment (look up Isaiah 51).
The cup is full to the brim of God’s right and holy hatred for sin.
The cup is something we all deserve to drink from.

But here, perfect, glorious King Jesus is on the mountainside beginning to taste what is in that cup. And soon enough he will drain it to its dregs.

Think about that. Jesus the perfect son of God begins just to taste what it will be like to be treated like a sinner. Jesus the second person of trinity begins to feel what it will be like to be forsaken and abandoned by God.

What love Jesus has for us! If just a taste of God’s wrath was enough to make him fall to his knees and sweat like blood, how much worse was his actual experience on the cross the next day?

All of that was so that you would never need to drink a drop from that cup yourself.

No wonder that tomorrow really is GOOD Friday!