Why did Jesus pray this would "pass"?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Stope

Puritan Board Sophomore
Why would Jesus have asked God to let this cup pass from Him? I assume the cup means the entire passion. But if thats the case, Jesus knew it was the only way, so why then would he have asked for a way put?
 
Jesus knew it was the only way, so why then would he have asked for a way [o]ut?

Jesus was a man, and as a man, he was absolutely horrified, terrified of what was to shortly come upon him. I have meditated on His sufferings enough to know that I don't know anything at all about the mental suffering he endured as he contemplated the cross.

Even though he suffered so, it still was not much time until his, “if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:” turned into, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” The price he paid was infinitely powerful as he was God, but Jesus suffered as a man.
 
It is a prayer of consecration. He is separating Himself from a common to a sacred use. He is His own person, with His own thoughts and feelings. These are consciously offered up to the Father. He is wholly giving Himself over to the Father's will. The cup was not in any sense forced upon Him. It was willingly received. The sufferings did not choose and take Him; He chose and took them. It shows the sincerity of His voluntary undertaking to suffer in submission to the Father and to sanctify Himself for the sake of saving those whom the Father had given Him.
 
There are many verses in the Bible which tell us about Christ's sufferings. It tells us all the reasons why he suffered and for whom he suffered. It's interesting to read these verses and meditate on them. I find this verse highly encouraging. It shows us that Jesus was able to express to his Father his emotions and he did it sinlessly. As a man, he struggled with the thought of taking on our sins even though he had agreed with the Godhead to do so. I think it's a small lesson to us that it's required of us from God to go to our Father and tell him how much we are struggling with his will. That underneath it all we so desire to do his will, and to please help us accept his will as our own. If we don't run to him when we struggle with fulfilling his will, we'll run to sinful things. We can't hide the fact that sometimes we don't want to do his will. When we try to hide it that's just pride and self-righteousness. We then end up falling on our face in sin because we depended on our own self-righteousnes and pride.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top