THIS was a deeply solemn moment. We have here precious lessons of Divine grace set before us. We can only look on, and worship. Jesus was drawing very near the cross. The great testimony of all the prophets was about to be accomplished. The Son of the Highest was about to enter into the lowest depths of humiliation. An eternal victory was to be achieved, and captivity itself led captive. The gate of heaven was to be thrown open by the bleeding hands of the Son of God. The Lord of Glory was drawing near to the shameful tree; and to show His disciples how willing He was thus to lay down His life, He said, “The cup which my Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?
We are reminded here of the Father’s love. The Father gave us to Christ, and chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The Father sent forth His Son to redeem His people. The Father gave commandment to Jesus what He should say, and what He should speak. The Father was always with Him; and now the Father presents to Him the bitter cup to drink, that we might not drink it, but be brought into blessed and unchanging nearness to Himself. Well might the apostle John exclaim, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (1 John 3:11Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1).) We had no claim whatever upon God. We were by nature dead in sins, whilst practically we were only sinners and ungodly: but the Father’s eternal purpose of blessing us in Christ must be carried out, and though it could only be accomplished by the blood-shedding of His beloved Son, yet He spared not even Him. He gave Him the cup of woe to drink. He laid upon Him our iniquities, and bruised Him; and
“He bowed His willing head,
He drank the bitter gall.”
The Lord Jesus must have felt that the eternal welfare of unnumbered multitudes was connected with His drinking that cup, as well as the glory of the Father of mercies; and however deep and bitter the cup might be, the intensity of Christ’s love knew no reluctance― “Shall I not drink it?” What breadths, and lengths, and depths, and heights of love are here! What unsearchable riches! What abounding grace When He knew that the time was near that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
“His love to the utmost was tried,
And immovable stood as a rock.”
Long had He anticipated the drinking of that dreadful draught, and now the moment was at hand. “He had repeatedly said to His disciples, “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the chief priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day;” and though He “knew all things that should come upon Him,” He willingly went forth. “The cup which my Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?”
“When the blood of a victim must flow,
The Shepherd by kindness was led
To stand between us and the foe;
And willingly died in our stead.”
But what was the cup? Who can tell but He who mixed and drank it? What angel or seraphim can tell the contents, or measure the depths of that cup? No mortal mind can grasp its infinite realities. The most spiritual of us know but little about it. There is, however, much instruction in the Scriptures on the subject; and sure we are that it was connected with deepest and unutterable anguish and sorrow to Him who drank it, and called forth from His pure and holy soul such bitter cries as, “My God, my God, why Nast thou forsaken Me!” “I sink in deep mire where there is no standing. I am come into deep waters where the floods overflow Me. I am weary of My crying, My throat is dried; Mine eyes fail while I wait for My God.... Thou hast known My reproach, and My shame, and My dishonor; Mine adversaries are all before Thee. Reproach hath broken My heart, and I am full of heaviness.... They gave Me also gall for My meat, and, in My thirst, they gave Me vinegar to drink.” (Psa. 69) “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts: all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over Me.” (Psa. 42) “My soul is full of troubles, and My life draweth nigh unto the grave.... Thou hast laid Me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.... I am shut up, I cannot come forth.... Thy fierce wrath goeth over Me, and Thy terrors have cut Me off.” (Psa. 88)
Our consciences acknowledge that our sins caused that cup to be mixed and drank, while we recognize in Him our Surety, and Substitute; One standing in our room and stead, One made sin and a curse for us, One bearing our sins, and suffering all the wrath and judgment they merited at the holy hands of Divine justice. Neither man nor angel could drink that cup. None but Jesus. One who was equal with God could alone satisfy Divine justice. For this cause it was that Jesus exchanged His Father’s bosom for this unparalleled scene of sorrow, that He might be the Daysman to lay His hand both upon the just God and the unjust sinner, and by the willing sacrifice of Himself, thus open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. What love!
Though Jesus had been long anticipating the drinking of this cup, it appears that Gethsemane was the place where it was presented to Him; for there we hear Him saying in the sore amazement of His spirit, “Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done,” and so terrible was the anguish at this moment, that “His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” But it is clear that the cup was not drunk then, however much the depths of sorrow and pain connected with it might have been anticipated, for it was after this we find that Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, when our Lord commanded him to put it again into its sheath, adding, “The cup which my Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?”
But the cup has been drunk even to the dregs. The spotless Sufferer drained it to the last drop, saying, “It is finished.” That bitter cup which would have been to us an eternity of unmitigated woe He freely drank. The sword of justice which so long cried for vengeance for our sins was sheathed in His own heart. Our unnumbered transgressions were laid upon Him; He answered for all our sins; the cup of fierce and righteous anger that they justly merited Jesus drank, thus accomplishing our eternal redemption, setting us free from all condemnation, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
We also have a cup to drink; but there is not one ingredient of wrath in it. It overflows with love, peace, salvation, and victory. “Jesus took the cup; and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank of it; and He said unto them, This is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many.” (Mark 14:23, 2423And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. (Mark 14:23‑24).) This is the cup Jesus has left us to drink, the cup of blessing which we bless indeed, which we never could have tasted had not Jesus drank that cup which the Father gave Him. He drank the bitter, and has left us only sweets. He tasted death, that we might live forever. He endured the wrath and curse connected with the cross, that we might have all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. It is because of this that we have passed from death unto life, that we are made nigh to God, that there is now no condemnation, that we have the Holy Spirit, and that blessing has been, is, and will, and must be our portion. Surely we can say, “I have a goodly heritage.” Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name.”
“Take Thou my heart, and let it be
Forever clos’d to all but Thee.”
May we, beloved, often take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord, remembering Him who said, “The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?”