“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)1
Aren’t you glad He said “nevertheless”? It shows the nature of love. Love is a choice. That word “nevertheless” is shocking if you think of its implications. It means that Jesus could have chosen to go back to heaven without us. All of our blessed assurance is hinged on that word! He drank the cup of suffering and sin and sorrow and pain and sickness and shame and condemnation and wrath. All for us. But none of that was the worst part of taking that cup. Do you know why He asked God to let the cup pass from Him if it were possible? It wasn’t because of the physical suffering. It was because of the inevitable separation from His Father that He would have to endure because of our sin. He was saying to God, “Father, is there any other way We can do this?” The answer: “No, Son. This is the only way.”
Because of our sin, Jesus suffered God’s withdrawal in a way that we can’t possibly imagine. As our sins were put on Him, He cried out in deep anguish,
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)
Jesus wasn’t separated from the Father as the Son of God. He was separated from the Father as the Son of man – humanity that He literally became for us, laden with all the effects of sin and the curse. God was not angry with His Son – ever. Jesus experienced separation from the Father on the cross – not because God was angry with Him, but because that’s what SIN demanded.
You’ll never know how much God loves you until you know how much He loves His Son. Why? Because He gave His Son for you.
Jesus received the full force of God’s uncompromising wrath FOR THE SIN of mankind because the uncompromising love of the Trinity for us. Jesus experienced forsakenness so that we wouldn’t have to. Today we hear the Father say, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” When we think of the cross, we might imagine scenes like in the graphic depiction of the crucifixion in the movie The Passion of the Christ where Jesus was beaten mercilessly at the whipping post, spit upon by the soldiers, hung by the nails hammered through His hands and feet. Or we might envision the devastating image of His last breath and last words. However, these scenes that we are privy to from the scriptures, only skim the surface of the sufferings that were not described in the Gospels. When Jesus gave up His Spirit, darkness covered the earth, and God shielded from our eyes the absolute humiliation of His Son as all of the eternal condemnation and punishment for all sin for all time was somehow compressed in time and poured upon the Lamb of God.
Why does the Father love the Son so much?
“My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.” (John 10:17)
“Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 5:2)
(from pages 312-313 of Unveiling Jesus)
Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!
Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.
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1All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
