Drink

“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.” (Matthew 26:39 ESV)

We have all read this piece of scripture. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ falls to His knees on the night of His betrayal and asks the Father to take this cup from Him. Christ knew what was in the cup and asked that if it was God’s will may the cup be taken from Him.

Christ knew, as do we, that the wrath of God was in the cup. It was God’s plan of redemption shared within the Trinity, that Christ would complete the atoning sacrifice that would free humankind from sin and death through faith in Him and our repentance.

The imagery of the cup of wrath is written in Isaiah who referred to the cup from which came the wrath incurred by Jerusalem who had tasted the wrath of God, Isaiah 51:17 ESV, “Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger.”

Jeremiah also speaks of the cup of wrath in 25:15, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.”

We can drink from the same cup only this time, Christ having drained the cup of God’s wrath, we drink from the cup of salvation. The cup of the blood of the lamb, shed so that we may be rejoined with our God. Before Christ’s propitiation, humans lived under the law. Isaiah wrote, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2). This is no longer the case for those who believe in the Christ, in Jesus.

It is the gospel, my brothers, and sisters. Very simply, it is the good news. Christ came in human form yet still God. He walked with us, lived with us, and experienced humanity. Christ spread the gospel that the Kingdom of God, (He) had come near and to repent and believe. I have seen pastors who have said "Nowhere in the Bible is it written that we need to repent to be saved." Jesus, Himself, told us this in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Oops, there it is!

Christ died a physical death, beaten, humiliated, and nailed to a tree. He was made a curse so that through His resurrection we could be washed clean, cleansed of our unrighteousness, and rejoined to God. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, The Good News of the Lord.

Give thanks and praise to the Lamb of God!

Grace and Peace!