Not My Will

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

NOT MY WILL

Matt 26:36-39

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."  37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."  39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." 

NIV

 

It is interesting that he took Peter, James, and John farther into the garden of Gethsemane to keep watch with him. These were the same three who were with him when he was transfigured, and Moses and Elijah showed up. Now they are here to observe, to keep watch, while Jesus makes this transformation into the sacrificial Lamb of God. He had been the authority over all creation, healing many, raising some from the dead, controlling the weather, driving demons away, and now he has come to the time to offer his body to be tortured and crucified. Now he tells these three that his soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. It is interesting in the Greek manuscript there are two words for sorrow. It says Jesus said that his soul was distressed, very distressed, heavily distressed. It would seem right to look at this as being overwhelmed, being very difficult to endure. Although some of the older manuscripts do not include these words that Luke records, Luke says that Jesus was so distressed that it was like he was sweating drops of blood. Why is Jesus in such a state of sorrow? This was the whole purpose of his coming to earth, to be the perfect Lamb of God, to redeem his people, to bring an end to the penalty of sin, and the end of sacrifices for sin, and to establish this new covenant forever and ever. He knew from the foundation of the earth, which he formed, that this was the path he would take. Here Jesus prays to the Father if there could be any other way for Jesus to redeem mankind. Jesus is divine, yet within this form he had taken, the form of flesh, having the feelings, experiencing the physical sensations of the body, including being tired, hungry, and maybe even some amount of pain, sore feet, or knees, perhaps a little sunburn. Jesus was in the body, and he knew he was going to experience pain like he has never felt before, and it was all because of our sin. Couldn’t God the Father had chosen another way? After all, He is God, and He could have just spoken redemption into existence just as he did everything else. Ah, but He also gave his creation the ability to choose their own path, to have the freedom to walk with him or walk away from him. Therefore, knowing in advance the choice Adam and Eve would make and thus set the course of action that must be taken to redeem them, which He knew from the start. Nevertheless, here is Jesus now at the point of the death of this fleshly body, through the most excoriatingly painful method, all because of our sin. This is love divine, beyond the ability of humanity. We are going to see more of this moment in time, but for now, let us consider just how much Jesus desired to do that which the Father willed. Maybe, just maybe, we should have that much desire to do that which the Father wills.