By Edwin White
After celebrating the Passover together and singing a hymn, Jesus and 11 disciples left the upper room. Judas had departed earlier to meet with the chief priests to complete the betrayal of his Master. The 12 traveled across the Kidron Valley to a grove of olive trees called the Garden of Gethsemane. There, Jesus said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray” (Matthew 26:36) and “Pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:40*).
Jesus then took his three closest friends, Peter, James, and John, and went a little farther. Matthew says the Lord began to be sorrowful and deeply disturbed. Jesus said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38). We can translate that as, “My soul is so burdened down that it is killing me.”
I do not believe it was a dread of the cross that bothered Jesus. It was not fear of the scourging or the mocking or the nails. When he knelt down and prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39), he was praying about the one thing that was most troubling to him, the acceptance of guilt for the sins of the entire human race. The Scriptures say he became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The Scriptures also tell us that our iniquities separate us from the Father and our sins turn his face away from us.
Jesus, the Son of God, had lived for all eternity in perfect harmony with the Father. Nothing had ever come between them, but when Jesus took the horrible stains of our sins on his spotless soul, it ripped apart that perfect relationship. The Father turned his face away from the Son because of my sins and yours. The Scriptures tell us he approached the Father with strong crying and tears. His heart was breaking, but he accepted that bitter cup of our guilt. He did even that for us. How could we not worship him?
When God could no longer go directly to Jesus, he did the one thing he could still do, he sent his angel to comfort and strengthen his Son.
We come to this table to remember Jesus’ magnificent sacrifice, to worship him, and to pledge ourselves anew to serving him. Let us bow down our hearts and worship him through the Lord’s Supper.
*All Scripture verses are from the New King James Version.
Ed White is a retired Christian minister. He earned degrees from Mid-South Christian College, Alabama Christian School of Religion, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He lives in Milledgeville, Ga. His book of Communion meditations, Come to the Table, is available from Amazon.
Author: Christian Standard
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