Matthew 26:39a: “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.”
The scene for today’s verse is the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is in His final hours leading up to His mocker of a trial, scourging, and crucifixion. He is within minutes of being handed over to the Roman soldiers courteous of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal. He is in deep anguish as He knows what’s about to happen to Him.
Critics and liberal commentators of Jesus say this prayer is a point of weakness for Him. This is nonsense. As we just noted, He knows what is coming – John 3:16 makes it abundantly clear that Jesus knew His mission – there was no doubt in His mind where His life’s path was taking Him – to the cross. He repeatedly told His friends – the disciples – that He was going to be betrayed and killed. There is no point in Jesus’ life where He is not in total control and fully aware of His purpose and mission.
However, it is a reasonable question to ask that if someone who is so sure of His destiny and is supposedly in complete control, why would He utter such a prayer of deliverance? A significant component of Jesus’ ministry was to make us aware of the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is to be lived in the Spirit – not in the flesh. The flesh simply wants to satisfy – if not gorge – itself. Kingdom living is about denying the flesh, picking up our crosses, and following Jesus in the Spirit. Kingdom living is about sacrifice for God and for others. The flesh wants nothing to do with this type of living.
Consider the possibility that the prayer in today’s verse is Jesus giving us a blatant testimony of the folly of a life yielded to the flesh. What was God’s answer to this fleshly prayer? Silence. The Father might have well said, “No.” Prayers of the flesh are polar opposites of prayers in the Spirit. They typically take on the cravings of our fleshly desires. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t ask God for healing or help for the matters of the flesh. God loves us, and He seeks to bless us. Remember, you are more important to Him than a sparrow, whom He takes care of.
Today’s verse is a two-part prayer. The first part is representing the flesh. Operating fully in the flesh, of course He doesn’t want to go through what He is about to go through. But this prayer is not made in the flesh – it is made in the Spirit to demonstrate that while our flesh may want something, there’s a more important need than the flesh. What was the second part of Jesus’ prayer? “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
That is the prayer of the Spirit. In this prayer, Jesus is acknowledging the weakness of His flesh, but He is telling us that Kingdom living is yielding our fleshly desires to the Sprit – to the will of God. Why? Because God knows what is best for us. We may think we know what is best for us, but, typically, we don’t. Jesus’ fleshly prayer was that of deliverance, but His Spirit prayer was one of obedience because He knew the enormous blessings that would come about through His sacrifice and resurrection.
The next time you pray and you’re getting silence, perhaps the silence is God’s way of telling you He has something better for you than what you’re asking Him. He is a good God, and His thoughts toward you are for good – not of evil. In your trials and pains, you may not feel that, but that doesn’t make God’s love for you any less true. Keep looking at the cross, and you’ll understand why His will is the better way.