The Cup Of Gethsemane

The Cup of Gethsemane

When you’re faced with a serious situation such as a family member in the hospital, what do you want? You’ll want your family and friends to be with you and comfort you during such a stressful time! You’ll want to pray and you’ll want to get very close to God. Sweet hour of prayer.

We are coming up to the time of Easter, that is, Resurrection Sunday!

And solemnly we should ponder on the tough journey that Jesus had to take on the way to the cross!

Today we will talk about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He chose to go to this olive garden to step back and pray before the events that were soon to unfold. He was very distressed (stressed) and needed to make some hard serious prayers!

In one epistle it says that He even sweat drops of blood! Imagine what He must have been going through.

Keep in mind that all of this He went through, He was going through for us! He could have just said, “Nope”, peace out, and that would have been that, we would have had no hope, but our only hope, Jesus, went all the way to Calvary just for us!

It’s said that “Gethsemane” means “Olive Press” and the stress that we will see that He is having to go through, the name is very appropriate.

Matthew 26:31-56 The Garden of Gethsemane

31 Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 But Peter replied to Him, “Even if they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away!” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter *said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” All the disciples said the same thing as well.

Jesus was telling them their future, and they could not accept it. They thought it was preposterous that they would turn on Jesus!

You too probably think it’s preposterous that you would turn on Jesus!

But they did just as He said they would!

Every one of them were like, oh no Jesus, we got your back! We’re your best buds!

Wouldn’t you say the same thing?

What if you met someone who could foretell the future. What would you think about that person?

The Garden of Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”

Only Jesus really understood what was about to happen.

During this stressful time, He wanted to be surrounded by His friends!

39 And He went a little beyond them, and 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.”

Jesus was wrestling with this difficult decision. It was a situation that no one not even He wanted to go through. However, it was apparently the only way to save the world. He prayed and wanted to find any other way, but ultimately there was no other way.

This verse is one of the most stressful for Jesus in almost all of the Bible.

He came to this earth just for this purpose! To take our place and accept God’s wrath for our sins. He had to go to the cross.

Hebrews 9:22 No forgiveness without the shedding of blood

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

In Jeremiah it talks about “the cup” it was the cup of God’s wrath that the nations will drink. Scholars say the cup that Jesus was asking to pass was that same cup of wrath that we are due because our sins.

Jeremiah 25:15 The cup of God’s wrath

15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

Jesus knew that His purpose was to be born a perfect person, the only person ever who was not doomed to a devil’s hell. Yes all have sinned and hell is what we deserve.