The disciples didn’t know what was coming. They couldn’t imagine it. Jesus was facing an end of life unlike anything they could even think of. It wasn’t just the crucifixion Jesus faced, which would be extremely nasty, but it was also bearing the sins of the world while on the cross—becoming a curse so we could be blessed.

Imagine the compassion Jesus had on His followers as He looked at them: “They don’t know what I’m facing, but I’m going to do it for them.”

As the Lord entered the garden of Gethsemane, He said to His disciples, “‘Sit here while I pray’” (Mark 14:32, NIV).

Jesus—perfect, Emmanuel, God with us in human form—felt a necessity to pray. But today we have churches, pastors, and Christians who barely pray—they’re on their phones five hours a day but can’t take even twenty minutes to pray. That doesn’t sound right.

So Jesus “took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled” (Mark 14:33, NIV). Jesus, the Son of God, had to pray to get strength to go through what He was facing. He saw the cross looming ahead of Him and the burden of the sins of the world that were going to come on Him.

We can’t understand that. How would we, as regular human beings, understand what Jesus felt coming on Him? Darkness? You and I don’t even know what darkness is! It was all going to fall on Him, and God had to strike Him and punish Him as our substitute so that we would be blessed. He would take the curse. And Jesus sensed it coming.

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” Jesus said to His disciples. “Stay here and keep watch” (Mark 14:34, NIV). He almost died from the stress inside. He almost didn’t make it to the cross. Oh, we don’t know what He was going through.

“Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me’” (Mark 14:35–36, NIV). It was so horrible—the cup Jesus had to drink of judgment, wrath, punishment, and holy anger against sin—that He not only felt He was going to die from a heart attack or some bursting of His inner being, but He told the Father plainly, “Take this cup from me.” Jesus said those five words.

His human side, seeing the suffering coming, cried, “Let me out of this.” We don’t understand the mixture of divinity and humanity. But can we at least get some feeling of it? “Take it from Me. I can’t endure it. I’ll die before I get to the cross!”

But then Jesus, faced with this agony, this anguish, the unspeakable, prayed, “Nevertheless—even though all things are possible for You—not My will but Yours be done” (see Mark 14:36).

This shows us that some prayers are not answered. Jesus said, “Take this cup from me,” and God’s will was done: Jesus went to the cross. The cup was not taken from Him. The Father’s will was, “No, that’s why I sent You.”

What would have happened if He had avoided the cross? Thank God for Jesus. The pain, the suffering, was all because of us, not anything Jesus did. And what He went through made the way for us to be saved. Oh, what a love.

But on the other side of the suffering, the Father’s will was, “I’ll raise You from the dead and give You a name above every other name.” It bothers me sometimes when churches want their names remembered. Enough of our churches and our denominations and our pastors’ names—including my own! Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

How about for you? Let’s honor His name today and worship it all day long.

Prayer

Lord, we don’t love You enough today. Thank You for Your unfathomable love and sacrifice. Help us to lift up Your name and not our own.

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