Jesus Switched Our Cups

Last year, in Israel, I was able to experience one of the most moving sermons I've ever heard.  I think about it every time I take communion, when I hear the gospel, when I think of the Garden of Gethsemane.  The following is my recap of the talk by Ross Strader, of Bethel Bible Church in Tyler, TX. 

----- | Jesus' Anguish | -----

This talk was given on our Israel trip in the traditional Garden of Gethsemane:

 

"The Matthew 26 account is the darkest, most horrific part of the Bible." Ross

Before the day of his crucifixion, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Look at His state here -

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Luke 22:44

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”  Matthew 26:38

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

Why was Jesus in so much anguish?  Was it because He feared the path before Him?  Or was it something else?

----- | The Cup | -----

What is this 'cup' that Jesus refers to?  We may think that it was his impending crucifixion.  I believe it is referring instead to another cup numerously referenced in the Bible. 

Job 21: 20 - Let their own eyes see their destruction; let them drink the cup of the wrath of the Almighty.

Jeremiah 25:15 - This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

Revelation 14:10 - they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

Habakkuk 2:16 - You will be filled with shame instead of glory.  Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed!  The cup from the LORD’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. 

Psalm 58:7 - In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.

So you tell me, what cup was Jesus asking God to take away? 

Jesus was about to drink the cup that we deserve, that I deserve - the cup of God's wrath.  He was about to take on, in His body, the wickedness of the world.  He did not just experience our sins, the Bible says he BECAME them.  He who knew no sin, became sin (2 Cor. 5:21).   He bore our sins, in His body, on the cross (1 Peter 2:24).  He was about to experience the cup of God's wrath.

From these verses, we can begin to imagine what exactly that cup was.  The cup of wrath is described in Revelation for those doomed to hell (Rev. 14:10).  Imagine the infinite wrath of God for every murder, rape, broken heart, war, death, disease, injury, lie, genocide, suicide bombing, or rebellion.  This is the cup that Jesus drank.

----- | Jesus Switched our Cups | -----

At this time in the talk, we took communion.  We contemplated how deeply painful this cup of wrath must have been.  Enough for Jesus to sweat blood.  And then, just before we drank from the cup, Ross finished the story.

The cup we drink from today is a cup of grace.  The grape juice we drink each week is a reminder.  We were supposed to drink from the cup of wrath.  We deserve it. 

But Jesus switched our cups.  He drank the cup of God's wrath, punishment unimaginable, and gave us His cup of grace. 

Isaiah 53:6 - We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

By accepting Jesus as Lord, we are seen as holy and righteous before God.  

Romans 4:24 - ...but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.  

During Good Friday, remember what Jesus did for you.  Remember the pain, the anguish, the loneliness not just from the cross, but also from the wrath for our sinful actions today. 

And Sunday, let us be joyful of the cup we now have!