Matthew 26:36–46 recounts Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane, before He was betrayed, arrested, and faced the agony of His death. He prays to the Father three times to “let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44). The "cup" is a metaphor for the suffering and anguish He was about to endure. Other passages also present the cup metaphorically (Mark 10:38–39; John 18:11). Earlier, during the Passover meal Jesus shared with His disciples, He had given them the cup of wine representing His blood (Matthew 26:27–29). He infused the cup with new meaning that represented the new covenant. In doing this, He drew on God’s promise in Jeremiah 31:31–34 of a new covenant with His people. Just as the old covenant required the shedding of blood (Exodus 24:8), so did the new (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus, as fully God and fully man (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7; Colossians 2:9) dreaded the suffering in His human nature. Even so, He deferred to God’s will in His Gethsemane prayer, demonstrating His readiness to fully drink the cup of suffering for the new covenant (cf. Philippians 2:8). Scripture shows there was no other way to redeem and save humanity than for Jesus to drink the cup of torment (Isaiah 53:3–6; Hebrews 9:22). Jesus’ prayer to the Father in the garden of Gethsemane shows us the tremendous sacrifice He made. Christ modeled deference to the Father’s will in the most severe of trials.
The cup referring to His blood that Jesus shared with His disciples during their last Passover meal together was a cup of honor and a cup of celebration of the new covenant that would save humankind. But it was also a cup of suffering. It represented the torment Jesus would endure, the blood He would shed for us, and the instituting of the new covenant. Jesus once asked two of His disciples who wanted the honor of ruling with Him in heaven if they could drink from the same cup (Mark 10:25–40). All Christians should think about our Lord’s question. One day, we’ll face a choice between compromising our faith or staying true to Christ and drinking from the cup of suffering (Matthew 5:10–12; John 15:18–20; 2 Timothy 3:12). It may be job loss, relational loss, social ostracism, or even physical harm. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). The cross means death; following Jesus means we are willing to die—physically for our faith, spiritually to our sinful desires, and also to self as we learn to live for God instead of ourselves (John 13:34–35; Romans 6:6–11; Philippians 2:3–11). Peter encouraged, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12–13; cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3–7). Similarly, Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). We can follow the example of Jesus. We need not seek suffering, but neither do we need to fear it or shy away from it. Whatever our cup of suffering is, we can trust that our Lord will be with us in it (John 16:33). We can entrust our hearts and lives fully to the God who loves us and who works all according to His good purposes (Romans 8:28–30).
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