The Suffering Servant

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.”— Matthew 26:36–44 (NIV) This passage is one of the most profound moments of Jesus’ time on earth, and it’s one of the clearest examples of what a believer’s prayer life should look like.  One of the Most Profound Moments in Jesus’ Time on Earth We’re told Jesus “began to be sorrowful and troubled,” that His “soul [was] overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” to the point where He prays, “May this cup be taken from me.” What cup? The cup of God’s wrath.  We love talking about the love of God and generally avoid talking about His wrath without realizing they go hand-in-hand. Because of His great love for us, Jesus endured the righteous wrath that we deserve.  But didn’t He always know this moment was coming? So, what caused this great anguish now? Let’s understand what He was about to endure. 

• Physically, He would be inhumanely tortured, beaten, and crucified.
• Mentally, He’d be mocked, insulted, and blasphemed against by the very people He was dying for!
• Spiritually, He would personally carry “our sins in his body on the cross” (1 Peter 2:24 NLT). Jesus bore the weight of literally all the sins of humanity for all time upon Himself. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) tells us, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Think about that: Every rape, murder, war, adultery, abuse, wicked thought, evil action, and all the worst, most depraved moments in history. Jesus took them all and put them on. He became sin on that cross so as to suffer and pay for that which caused a break in our eternal fellowship with the Father. 

So, you can bet that no matter how strong the spirit is, knowing this would take place would cause anyone’s flesh to hesitate. And yet, “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2 NLT). Let that knowledge of the full suffering He endured wash over you the next time you wonder if God is done with you. Remember all Jesus endured on your behalf and be comforted in knowing you’re secure in His love and grace! Clear Examples of Prayer In the request, “If it is possible,” we see the natural, necessary limits of Jesus being fully human during His time on earth. But then Jesus says the most important words we’ll ever utter, rest in, and live by as believers, the words that MUST define our prayer life: “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” True discipleship is a surrendering of all things—goals, agendas, plans, comfort, convenience, safety, finances, relationships, life, etc.—to follow Him for the sake of Christ and His kingdom. And here, Jesus shows us how that permeates our prayer life.  In times of trouble, triumph, decision, confusion, doubt, conflict, and everything in between, the constant prayer of our hearts in everything must be that God’s will be done as we lay down our will. And know that His will is perfect, always for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), never to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11), but to accomplish His good purposes (Psalm 138:8). Wherever you are today in life, in ALL things pray as Jesus did—not your will, but God’s will be done. And “keep watch,” for true strength, encouragement, comfort, and power are found in watching and praying. Pause: How should Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane change us? How should it affect our everyday lives? Practice: For the next 21 days, I encourage/challenge you to pray over and over again in everything for God’s will and not yours. Ask fervently that His will be done in and through your life—and mean it sincerely! Make this prayer a habitual outcry of your heart to the Lord.  Pray: Jesus, I’m moved deeply to my core knowing the all-encompassing sorrow and suffering You endured on my behalf. And I’m overcome by gratitude to You for loving me as You do, that You willing took upon the full weight of all sin in my life and all the world and history. Thank You, Jesus! Thank You for first loving me and calling me to Yourself. Thank You for satisfying the righteous wrath of God, for justifying, saving, and daily sanctifying me. I pray in all things now and forever for Your will, that it be done in me and all around me, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.