³⁹And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

What could possibly prompt the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the second person of the Trinity, to utter this prayer? With the “Lord’s Prayer,” we know He was providing a model for His followers—He did not need to pray for Himself the way He taught His disciples, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” because He never sinned (see also Heb. 4:15, 2 Cor. 5:21). Here in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He dies on the cross, Jesus prays for Himself: “Let this cup pass from Me.”

What could cause the Lord to wince at the thought of what was coming? He who said, “I am the resurrection and the life …” and called the dead man Lazarus from the tomb (John 11:25, 43) would not cower before dying. He who sent the devil running with the words, “Be gone, Satan!” (Matt. 4:10 ESV), would not hesitate to battle with the serpent from the Garden of Eden who prowls the earth to devour the image bearers of God. Demons shuddered in His presence. The prospect of physical pain would not put off the One who prepared His closest disciples for a future of hardship: “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

So, what then caused Jesus to have such a strong reaction that He would ask for something not in the Father’s will? We don’t have space here for plumbing the depths of tension in the incarnation, and mystery of Deity joined together with humanity in one Person. Yet, we must recognize that the incarnation encompasses issues far beyond our ability to understand. Many great and godly minds have sought to address this issue.

But for a moment, let’s focus on the prayer itself; what is the cup that Jesus feared? While the Scripture refers to many cups, one image emerges with the common thread of God’s anger.

For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it.” (Jer. 25:15)

Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the Lord’s hand the cup of His anger; the chalice of reeling you have drained to the dregs. (Isa. 51:17 see also Isa. 51:22-23)

The most poignant moment in creation-history is about to take place. The only thing that can adequately explain His reaction is within God Himself. Will Jesus, as the incarnated God and whom Scripture calls the second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), follow through and take on the judgmental anger of God against all humanity (all of whom are guilty from the time of the first Adam until now), and complete the redemption He set out to procure? Will Jesus obey the Father’s will or not?

Of course, our Lord was determined to go to the cross. But, even so, why did He exhibit an extreme reaction to taking the cup? The answer, of course, will take an eternity to understand. But tone thing we can draw from this that should arrest us in our tracks. The anger of God for my sin, for your sin, for all the sin of humanity across the ages, was so great that even the incarnate Jesus Christ shuddered at the thought of taking it all on Himself. If anyone would know the weight of God’s anger, it would be God Himself! And if God Himself winces at taking on His own anger, where does that leave us?

I don’t have to understand it all, but this one thing I know: Jesus hung on the cross in my place and took the full force of God’s anger due to me. He stepped into the line of fire and took the divine bullet that had my name on it He stood in my place and received the full blow of God’s judgment that I deserved. I could never stand up to that blow; it would destroy me. Jesus took the anger of God, and it killed Him. Jeremiah was poignant when he wrote, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Jesus, as God, understood the truth of our spiritual and moral failure, far better than we do. The person who refuses to accept the truth of their sinfulness will never know and experience the love of God deeply.

The more we realize how great the price Christ paid for our sins, the more we are overwhelmed with His love for us—it is far greater than we can imagine or think. The apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, prayed that we would move to a greater understanding of our Lord’s love for us:

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father …that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge…” (Eph. 3:14, 17–19)

Lord, thank You for standing in my place and taking my punishment. I would be spiritual dead for all eternity. Only You could take on the punishment for my sin and then still live. And because You live, I spiritual live also. You deserve all praise and glory!