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Mark 14:35-36

And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Being man, he lost none of his deity. Being God, he lost none of his humanity. Being God and sinless, Jesus was the only one whose sacrifice would pay the penalty for sin. Being man and sinless, Jesus was the only one who could die on man’s behalf. There was no other one and no other way. And yet we get just a hint of the pain of the cross in today’s passage.

Jesus prayed fervently and passionately. He did not kneel or stand to address God but “fell on the ground.” Don’t miss the suddenness and emotion…almost, if I may say it, desperation. Jesus prayed both the desire of his heart and in submission to the Father. “If it were possible” demonstrated his willingness to surrender to the will of God. That surrender is solidified in the last sentence of our passage. The endearing Aramaic term “Abba” shows the intimacy between the loving Father and his obedient Son.

When we ponder the cross, we shudder at the physical pain. But much more is taking place here. Jesus would experience the Father’s wrath as he shouldered the sin of the world. And in some mysterious way, the Father, who cannot look on sin, would for a time turn his back on his Son. As excruciating as the cross would be, this period of God’s wrath would be beyond comprehension. We shudder at the physical pain, but we can’t begin to understand the depth of Christ’s agony.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your willingness to go through the pain of the cross—the physical agony and that mysterious depth of wrath that we cannot even begin to imagine. Thank you for becoming sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s Journey Message:

The Classic Pattern of Disobedience