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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Who Knows the Mind of God? March 27, 2010 |
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Frontline Devotion for Saturday, March 27, 2010 by Don Wernly
Luke 22: 42-46. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Following the Last Supper, Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane that is on the slopes of the Mt. of Olives. Bible commentaries say that gardens were limited in Jerusalem and people kept gardens outside of the town. Probably, Jesus was given use of someone’s garden on the Mt. of Olives across the Kidron Valley to the east of Jerusalem. Moving a stones throw away from his disciples, Jesus begins to pray. He asks his Father to remove the cup from him. Isaiah 51:17 speaks of Jerusalem that has drunk from the cup of God’s wrath. The Concordia Study Bible notes that experiencing God’s wrath is like becoming drunk on strong wine and is “the fate of wicked nations.”
Eerdman’s Handbook to the Bible says that Luke provides the most vivid detail of Jesus’ anguishing prayer. Eerdman’s goes on to say that though Jesus’ plea might refer to his being spared the physical pain more likely, “the prospect which filled him with such horror was God’s judgment on our sin – the penalty which would have been ours had Christ not paid it for us.” Hence the cup of God’s wrath. What has always caught my attention about this passage is that here is Jesus, God incarnate, asking his Father to find another way to accomplish salvation. Jesus knows the plan, he has referred to it numerous times, but now he earnestly prays for the possibility of another way.
Jesus is fully God and fully human. Here the human side is revealed. Jesus can imagine what the passion will be like and his humanness longs for a different solution. But Jesus does not stop there. Right after his plea he adds, “not my will but yours be done.” He trusts his Father in all things and though he prays for an alternative he knows that God’s will is best. Jesus more than anyone should know the mind of God. As a human he prays for what he thinks is best but as a human who implicitly loves his Father he defers to his Father’s will, whatever that might be.
How many times do we pray for an outcome when we know in our heart that the outcome we pray for is most likely unattainable? If you are like me we probably do this a lot. Commentaries on this passage note this but urge us to always pray earnestly for what we want. We must be honest with ourselves for in fact God knows our desires before we even speak them. The point of this passage is for us to pray earnestly and be open to whatever God’s will is for us. We do not know the mind of God and therefore cannot know in all situations what is the best for us but we can trust that God does. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it best.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
In every way acknowledge him and he will direct your paths
Only Jesus came close to knowing the mind of God yet he still, in his humanness, prayed boldly for what he wanted. And in his prayer he trusted God’s will to be the best for him no matter what that was. Today and everyday, be like Jesus in his prayer in the garden. Ask boldly for what you want. Then, be open to what God’s will is for you.