There’s a principle that I want to look at related to what I
call the real Lord’s Prayer. (The other
one I’ll call the Disciple’s Prayer.)
This is the prayer of Jesus in the
It’s the same principle as:
Exodus 3:5
5 Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
Notice Jesus doesn’t let the disciples enter.
Luke 22:39-42
39 And He came out
and proceeded as was His custom to the
40 When He arrived at
the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
41 And He withdrew
from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray,
42 saying,
"Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from
Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."
He’s talking about the cross. Notice He’s TROUBLED!
John 12:27
27 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, "Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
While Jesus is a great example for us of how to live, that’s not the main reason He came to this earth! He says the purpose is to go to the Cross.
Remember, Jesus was omniscient (having all knowledge) just like God the Father. He knew what was coming on the Cross, where He would bear the sins of the entire world.
** It is impossible for us to understand what He had to go through for us.
Luke 22:43-44
43 Now an angel from
heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
44 And being in agony
He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood,
falling down upon the ground.
Jesus is in agony, sweating blood! He’s not in fear of physical death, but spiritual death, which we cannot understand. Martyrs and Christians have gone to face physical death singing songs, and they are not greater than Jesus Christ!
He was heading for something much worse than physical
death.
Mark 14:34-36
34 And He said to
them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and
keep watch."
35 And He went a
little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were
possible, the hour might pass Him by.
36 And He was saying,
"Abba! Father! All things are possible for You;
remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will."
His soul was deeply grieved to the point of death – we can’t understand it!
We cannot understand the agony, we cannot identify with the pressure He was feeling.
He KNEW WHAT WAS COMING!
NOTICE: There are no tears or loud crying during the physical suffering, but here in the garden, when He is thinking about the spiritual suffering that’s coming.
What is this cup?
Luke 22:20
20 And in the same
way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is
poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.
The cup is the spiritual death on the cross.
We can’t possibly know what He went through on the cross. It’s not the physical suffering, but the spiritual that was such a burden to Him. Throughout all the physical suffering He went through, He never cried out. But when God “turned out the lights” and poured the punishment for the sins of the world on Him, He cried out continually, saying “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
What Jesus went through for us was something far worse than physical death. We should take comfort in knowing that because of Him, we will never have to suffer the unimaginable agony of spiritual death.
Hebrews 12:2
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.