the last passage i would like to look at is matthew 26:36-46. this is Jesus’ prayer in the garden with Peter, James, and John following the last supper. i’m sure that we have all looked at this passage at one time or another, maybe even in recent weeks. but i would like to take a look from a different angle, perhaps different than any other?
the first thing i see in this story is Jesus, being fully human. He is facing a time of great crisis, and we find Him with His three closest friends asking them to pray. then He tells them that His soul is crushed with grief. Jesus asks His Father to take the “cup of suffering” away from Him. Jesus is suffering physically, mentally, and emotionally because He is fully human. not only that He was handling the situation as you and i would or should.
but while Jesus was fully human, He was also fully God. and being fully God, Jesus was aware of what He was about to endure with the physical beatings and suffering as well as with the seperation from His Father. not only that, as Jesus was praying to the Father and asking for the “cup of suffering” to be taken from Him, He knew what the answer would be. Jesus knew that He had to follow through with giving His life. yet He prayed this three times for that to change.
in the end we see that Jesus is the perfect example of how life is not about me or you, but about doing the Father’s will. He prayed, “yet I want Your will to be done, not mine.” (vs. 39) His prayer didn’t change things, and Jesus was fine with that. being fully God He could’ve done anything at that point…He could’ve provided another sacrifice…He could’ve wiped out all of those who were trying to take His life. but in that moment Jesus knew that it wasn’t about Him, but about doing His Father’s will. He was so dedicated to doing the Father’s will, doing what God had for Him to do, that He gave His life.
i pray that we would be that dedicated and focused on doing what God has for us to do. i pray that we would be focused on LIVING as children of light and making disciples…bringing in the five o’clock workers…making that dinner huge!
thank You Lord for Your example!
