Jesus was surrendered to his Father’s will. He came to earth as the rescue for God’s created people, with whom he desires restored relationship. In those moments before his sacrifice, however, Jesus had to surrender his human will to take those final steps…
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
Luke 22:39-46 NIV
In this moment, Jesus was at the most intense moment of his humanity. You might say the moment he was nailed to the cross was more intense, but bear with me. The fear of most things is worse than the thing itself. From a human perspective, I wonder if the anticipation of giving his life as a sacrifice was more intense that actually doing it.
This is also the most intense moment of Jesus’ surrender to the Father. Perhaps from his earliest memories as a child, Jesus knew this day would come. He always knew it was in his future, and so he had a lifetime of waiting for the day he would make this sacrifice. And in the moments before his arrest, he prayed for it not to happen. “Take this cup from me.”
The ultimate moment of surrender came after that statement with, “yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus committed, for the final time, to see his calling and mission through for the glory of the Father. It was only then that an angel appeared to strengthen him. We know it was intense, as his sweat was like drops of blood.
As he challenged his disciples to not fall into temptation, both at the beginning and end of this vignette, he showed them what it meant to face human temptation and to surrender to God.
And once he had surrendered in this moment, I believe Jesus faced every moment after until his death on the cross with unwavering resilience to completion his mission from the Father. As he was arrested and tried, beaten and shamed, and then crucified on the tree, Jesus did not struggle with his imminent sacrifice. Even though he could have removed the nails and climbed down from the cross, I do not believe after this moment on the Mount of Olives that it crossed his human mind again.
Jesus’ surrender was steadfast to complete the sacrifice for you and for me…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
marckinna 