2-21-2018

Good Morning All,

      Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 

     We are in the Lenten season.  Here we often focus on the passion or the suffering of Christ.  While we do that, it is important to look not just at the suffering and spending a lot of time discussing the efficiency of Roman torture; we really should focus on the humanity of Jesus.

     Jesus was tempted by the devil in many ways, some so subtle that we miss them.  Jesus is greatly tempted during the final hours of his earthly life.  One of those temptations is to come off the cross as a sign of his power over all.  Another temptation is in this prayer which Luke records as part of the Gethsemane prayer.  Jesus asks the Father to “remove this cup” as in don’t make me suffer like this.  (The cup here refers to God’s Cup of wrath from the OT.) It is a completely human reaction.  No sane person desires to be tortured and killed.

    Yet it is that last part which causes us to stumble the most, “not my will, but yours, be done.”  Jesus prayed it and meant it.  He knew the Father’s will, intimately.  He knew the plan was to show God’s love by dying for the creature to buy it back and not from a display of power or force.  We even say this in one form or another in our prayers.  The Lord’s Prayer has “Thy will be done” and most preachers teach that we should always add this in some form to our prayer.  I often think we do it to entice God to think that our will is His kind of like when someone says “it’s common knowledge or common sense to take this course of action” when it really isn’t that common.

    How often do we experience God’s will and we not only ask that the cup be taken away but we take it and throw it away?  We may not face death and torture but what bout ridicule and shame?  Are we silent when we should speak up?  Do we turn and look the other way?  Jesus warned us that it wouldn’t be a piece of cake to be a Christian.  Sometimes it will be tough.  Yet we cling ever so tightly to the promise of salvation which He gives to us.  It is only by his strength that we can ever say this prayer.

     God’s mercy for us provides us a way to survive.  He gives us the comfort of his Spirit and the hope of his grace.  He keeps us in his loving arms and carries us on our way.  We may taste the bitter cup of man’s wrath, the discomfort, the rejection, the contempt.  But we will never taste the cup of wrath from God.  Jesus did that for us.  Many in this world can’t or won’t say this.  They reject God’s grace and will face his wrath.  We won’t have to.  So as we pray, “Thy will be done” we can do it confidently knowing that God’s will for our salvation is complete and that his will for us is our salvation.  So when you are given those times which seem to weigh mightily on us we can take heart that God’s will for us is eternal life with him.  For this we can give thanks.

Gracious Lord, we often look at your will and question it and think that ours is better.  Forgive our arrogance and foolishness.  Keep us in your tender care and give us courage when our “cup” comes around.  Give us the strength to endure in Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret