I have had the themes for Thursday’s blog and today’s blog on my heart for several weeks. I waited until close to me leaving for Mayo Clinic before I have tried to develop these two themes.
If you haven’t read yesterday’s blog on the troubled heart of Jesus, I would encourage you to read it before you proceed any further with today’s blog. The connection between yesterday’s blog and today’s blog is Gethsemane, which means oil press. Gethsemane is a garden located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, indicating that it was a place where the oil was pressed out of the olives that were grown in the groves that are still there. Jesus had such a troubled heart as He prayed to His Father. Because of the pressing of His own soul His sweat became mixed with drops of blood. His prayer is familiar: “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36 What is the cup that Jesus so desperately wanted the Father to take from Him? I have contended for a long time that it wasn’t only the physical suffering that Isaiah describes in Isaiah 53. There is no record that the two malefactors who would be crucified on each side of Jesus were in such agony of their impending crucifixions that their sweat was mingled with blood. I don’t believe it was even the coming separation from the Father that the Son knew would happen because of the sin that Jesus would take on Himself for the whole world. I believe included in the cup that Jesus didn’t want to drink was the cup of the wrath of God, the wrath that you and I should have received for our punishment. Jesus took our punishment and paid our debt of sin. Jesus had seen the Father’s just response to sin, that is what the wrath of God is. Jesus had seen the Father’s wrath when He destroyed cities because of the sins of the people. He had seen God’s wrath when only eight people were saved in the Flood. Jesus knew what the cup would entail for Himself. Father, is there any other way? But not my will but your will be done. Not too long after Jesus prayed the same request a third time, Judas showed up with the soldiers. Peter drew his small sword from its sheath and whacked off the ear of Malchus, one of the High Priest’s servants. The cup was still on Jesus’ mind. John tells us Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” John 18:11 There’s now an obvious difference in the perspective of Jesus after praying through in Gethsemane. There is a resolve and a willingness to drink the cup of Calvary. We see that in every event of His Passion until the final cry of victory, “It is Finished.” One of the things that I have pondered has been how long Jesus knew that this would be the Passover when He would give His life as a ransom. How long had He thought about the cup? At least before the raising of Lazarus. Salome came and asked if her sons, James and John, could sit at His right and left when He came into His kingdom. He turned to them and asked them if they could drink the cup that He was going to drink. For several months I have thought about the cup that I am going to drink. It would have been easier if when the doctors first diagnosed the myeloma, that they could have said, “Next week you are going for tests followed by chemotherapy and then a stem cell transplant. It will all happen in the next couple of weeks.” Waiting for five months has been a weight that I have carried. Yet, God’s timing never ceases to amaze me. I wait for two or three months before writing a blog on anxiety and the troubling of Jesus’ heart. I intended to follow that blog with today’s blog on “the cup.” In between the writing of the two blogs, a troubled heart and the cup that I am facing took on an added perspective. In May I had a biopsy of my thyroid. The results were inconclusive and the doctors at Mayo Clinic wanted the biopsy repeated before the testing for the stem cell transplant. The second biopsy was done last week here in Lexington. I didn’t mention it in the blogs. I have tried hard to not come across looking for sympathy. My endocrinologist called late yesterday afternoon with the results of the biopsy. Yes, it came back malignant. Three seemingly unrelated cancers, a negative trifecta. What are the chances of that happening? I said to our Elders and Deacons during a quickly called Zoom meeting last evening that I should have purchased a lottery ticket when it was over a billion dollars. I have won the reverse lottery. I am waiting for a return call from the doctor at Mayo to see if this news will have a bearing on the stem cell transplant. I will let you know when I hear from him. Jesus taught us a lot in how He faced something that He truly would have preferred not to have done. He taught me that regardless of what it may mean, that submitting to His will, rather than my will, is ultimately the best thing for me. It was for Him and it is for me. I have learned that truth over the years in less significant circumstances. They have prepared me for this one. The cup that I am facing looks a bit different now. It took some time yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, and in the wee hours of this morning to come to grips with some realities and to be willing to trust God in the possibilities, both positive and negative possibilities. Let’s just say that the sweet peace of Jesus is returning. I topped off one of the tougher days with a small scoop of ice cream. If only I had saved one of Diane’s brownies. I will keep you posted. Your prayers are most appreciated.
1 Comment
Cydil
8/21/2023 09:46:01 am
Only through the weight (and the wait) is the olive oil produced. And that oil brings light when burned!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Chuck Cooper
Pastor at Daybreak Community Church Archives
February 2025
Categories |