Not My Will, But Yours Be Done

"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'" (Matt. 26:39, ESV).

I have tried to imagine what the world would be like if the Father had chosen to answer the first part of Jesus' prayer.  What would the world look like if the Father had removed the cup of his wrath, so that Christ would not have taken the sins of the world upon himself?  Death?  Destruction? Damnation? Darkness? Dread?

No one can say with any certainty, and in reality, the question is not worth asking.  The Father didn't let the cup pass.  Jesus didn't refuse to drink it.  He simply recommitted himself to the Father's will in that moment of unimaginable sorrow.

None of us can imagine what Jesus was going through.  How can we imagine going into the crucifixion with full knowledge of everything that was going to occur?  Christ Jesus, the God-man, knew how everything was going to unfold from the beginning.  Most likely, Jesus lived out the entirety of  his human life anticipating the cross.  How can we imagine what it would feel like to experience the "wrath of God," when he have never personally experienced that holy anger? Christ Jesus, the co-eternal Son of God, knew what "wrath of God" felt like, because it was his wrath, as well.  He knew exactly why the sinner should tremble before the holy burning anger of the LORD.

The turmoil was so severe within Jesus that he sweat blood.  His heart was breaking.  Yet, we was resolved to do the Father's will.  He doesn't say, "Father, remove this cup."  He says, "If it is possible. . . yet, not my will, but yours be done."  The request that the cup be removed shouldn't really concern us, but the commitment to drink it should.  By receiving the cup, Christ purchased our redemption.  His submission to the Father's will has forever changed the world, and our lives.