Temptations of Christ
Then [Jesus] said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26:38-39, 42 (ESV)
What’s the worst physical pain you have ever experienced? What would you have given to make that pain stop? Most of us, when faced with extreme pain, would pursue every avenue to remove that pain. We would take any drug or undergo any procedure to alleviate our suffering. If you knew that pain was coming, what would you give to avoid having to experience it again?
The night of His betrayal, the night before He bears the weight of God’s wrath and faces brutal execution, we see Jesus wrestling with one final submission. Jesus knows full well what is about to happen. He knows His back will be shredded to ribbons by the Roman flagrum. He knows the crown of thorns that He will wear, the beatings He will suffer, the public mockery and rejection, the weight of guilt that He will bear, the isolation from the Father, and the excruciating death He will finally undergo.
Yet despite this foreknowledge, despite the breaking down of His physical body, we see Jesus submitting His will to that of the Father. We see Jesus submitting, one last time, to the plan of salvation. To escape, all Jesus had to do was walk down the other side of the hill. Instead, we see Him turn and walk towards the coming torture. “Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” (46)
“Yea, Father, yea, most willingly I’ll bear what Thou commandest;
My will conforms to Thy decree, I do what Thou demandest.”
O wondrous Love, what hast Thou done! The Father offers up His Son!
The Son, content, descendeth! O Love, how strong Thou art to save!
Thou beddest Him within the grave Whose word the mountains rendeth.
The Lutheran Hymnal 142:3