The "cup" Jesus is referring to is a reference specifically to divine judgment. It is the cup of God's wrath. All of God's holy wrath and hatred toward sin, iniquity, and transgression, is about to be poured out. Psalm 75 says " In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to it's very dregs."(I’m not to thirsty myself.)
He is in the Garden of Gethsemane praying with the disciples. "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me." This is the turning point for Jesus, because what is now unfolding is unfathomable. Father God is pouring the weight and the punishment of the sins of the world onto Jesus. God is starting to withdraw Himself and turn His eyes from Jesus, because He cannot look upon evil. (All of the above; sins, iniquity, and transgressions are evils) The mental and spiritual battle Jesus is now experiencing was intense, for lack of a better word. Luke 22:44 says, "And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground." The spiritual pressure that bore down upon Jesus' soul was so overwhelming that the Bible says it was agony. It was so strenuous that it involved all of Jesus' spirit, soul, and body. Those of us who know the effects of spiritual warfare on the body and mind can't even comprehend what Jesus was feeling. Imagine how he felt in his spirit? He hasn't even gone to the cross yet.... Again, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me."
This was the only way, the only bridge between God and humanity."The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent His own Son in a human body like ours, except ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished..." Romans (8:3-4) Jesus was sinless, therefore meeting every requirement of the law. All have sinned and fallen short, except Jesus. He was and is the spotless Lamb of God, the ultimate, final sacrifice and judgment for the sins of the world. Past, present, and future.
Without going into a whole lot of detail, sacrifices were offered to God for the forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament. God is righteous, so when some one sins the penalty needs to be paid for, paid in blood. Honestly, I don't know why it has to be blood. Perhaps because it represents life and sin leads to and represents death? "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life."(Leviticus 17:11) The Old Testament sacrifices pointed to Jesus, as being the ultimate sacrifice in the New Testament. What was offered to God had to be animals without spot or blemish for this reason. This explains why God was infuriated with the Israelites offering sacrifices from lame, blind, and spotted animals. Everything God does is perfect, holy, and in divine order. No one other than Jesus could have satisfied the penalty for our sins because He is divine and holy and contains no part of our sin stained nature. Sin separates us from God. It's the wall that every human being has between themselves and God, Jesus being the only way to remove it. Not ourselves, our conduct, anyone or anything else.
What I didn't mention here is the crucifixition itself. The Bible says He was beaten beyond recognition. Salvation is free, but it wasn't cheap. This is THE GOSPEL. The just and loving Creator of the universe looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin, in the resurrection so that all who trust in Him will be reconciled to God forever. We are helpless to change our nature and to do anything about eternity, which is why the world needs Jesus. To help us appreciate Christ's victory over sin and death, lets think about what the outcome would be without Him...Jesus would be dead, our faith would be worthless, and our message to the world a lie. Jesus would be a liar since He claimed that He would rise from the dead. There would be no forgiveness of sins, no fellowship with God, and no hope of heaven. Without the resurrection everyone's destiny would be hell. This however is the TRUTH...Our Savior LIVES, are sins are FORGIVEN, death has been DEFEATED, and we have the ASSURANCE of eternity in heaven.
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| "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are headed for destruction. But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God." 1Corinthians 1:18 |
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