Saturday, 26 December, 2020

Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?"
Matthew 26:39 MSG

Jesus is a very open person. Its amazing to see a man like Jesus pray such a prayer.  Jesus talked about His death all the time. He said it in parables and occasionally He said it plainly, and yet, the time when he was supposed to die, He wasn't so sure about going through with it. 

 The Bible says, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this." 

"And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."
— Matthew 26:39 (KJV)

In the King James Version, the Bible says, "Let this cup pass from me." Jesus didn't want to go through with it. Not because He had suddenly changed His mind. But because for the first time, He was going to be separated from His Father. 

"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."
— Isaiah 59:2 (KJV)

 Sin separates us from God. That's why, the Bible teaches us to ask for forgiveness when we sin. Forgiveness restores relationships. When God sent His Son to die, It was His way of restoring the broken relationship that existed between man and God. 

 This also means one man took the sins of the entire world. If Jesus took all our sins, it then means for those three days that He lay in the ground, He was separated from His Father.

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
— 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

Jesus didn't just carry our sins. He became sin. Jesus' cup was so great that it separated Him from the Father. Hence He prays, "Let this cup pass from me." Jesus knew He would be separated from God.  But then the verse doesn't end there does it? The Bible says, "But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?" That's in the message Bible version. But let's also read it from the King James Version. 

The bible says, "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." ( Mathew 26:39)

Jesus was in the garden praying for the will of God to be done in His life.  The will of God is always confusing. But Jesus shows us how to fulfill God's will in our personal lives. He shows us through the means of prayer. If we have to pray for the will of God to happen, then it sure isn't automatic.  Jesus prayed the same prayer three times. He prayed for the will of God to happen three different times in the same place. 

Even after thinking about what would happen, He still went on and became sin as the Bible records. God's will won't always be the easy one to pursue, but its better than what we always want. If Jesus hadn't fulfilled God's will, none of us would be saved. Our salvation was dependent on one man's decision. Even in our lives, one decision that's in sync with God's will can cause the lives of so many others to go well.

 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

— 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

Let's think about the bigger picture. Because Jesus chose the will of God over His own will, we can enjoy righteousness. Before Jesus, none was righteous. And if no one was righteous and still managed to accomplish  all those great things we read about in the Old testament, how much more now that we are in the perfect relationship with God through Christ? 

The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses' face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn't we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?
2 Corinthians 3:7-8 NLT

 Jesus gave us everything we need to live out our best lives in Him. The Bible says, "Shouldn't we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?"

This is all because Jesus fulfilled God's will.May we learn to pray for the will of God in our lives and fulfill it. 

In the name of Jesus, Glorious Father we thankyou. We bless your name. We magnify your name. Father, let your will be done inour lives. May you help us to live in your will! This we ask in the name ofJesus Christ. Amen.