I know I must have attracted the attention of either the sceptics or the theologians, wondering what wild allegations I’m going to be making about Jesus and God’s will. And perhaps a third group known as ‘concerned relatives’. In pursuing holistic health, it can become easy to overlook my spiritual health. It’s always the final thing on my to-do that I only do if I still have time. When I make that return to focusing on my spiritual health again, I often notice things that I’ve never noticed or thought about before.
There is a piece of scripture that has been a controversial subject, with many theories provided. In the Gospels, it tells of Jesus retreating to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with the disciples. This is the story where the disciples keep falling asleep while Jesus prays. There is a key scripture in which Jesus asks to have the burden of crucifixion removed. He knows it’s coming and He desperately wants to have it removed. No one would ever want to be crucified and knowing it’s coming would cause anyone anguish. But this plea has caused great controversy, with people looking at it from different views. This last time I read it, I thought of the implications this plea has on me and my understanding of God’s will.
In case you are unfamiliar with the specific scriptures, I’ve provided the scripture from each of the Gospels, as well as the references for the entire story of the Garden of Gethsemane, if you wanted to get more context. I used New King James version, although it is admittedly not my favorite.
The Scripture
“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:36-46 (verse 39)
“…Prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Mark 14:32-42 (verses 35b-36)
“He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Luke 22:39-46 (verses 41b-42)
Commentaries
Most of the commentaries I’ve been researching have focused on the importance of using the phrase “If it be your will” in prayer. But with a focus on showing our will is in submission to His. Some have also focused on whether the cup is symbolic for something in particular (a debate I was blissfully ignorant of). While I agree with some of their points, I still have other questions about this story. There is great implications from this story that still remain, and I’m not satisfied with their answers.
God’s Will
So, this has had me wondering what this means for me. If I’m to model Christ, who was without sin, then how He presented His faith is not only ‘permissible’, but my aspiration. With this view in mind, I’ve been struggling with this story. Before you fret over my salvation, I’m not questioning my faith, but I strongly believe in wrestling in our faith. When I say that, I’m not suggesting that I’m wearing pink spandex (although I’m not saying I’m not), but that ignoring questions isn’t the same as having the answers. If we want strong faith, we have to challenge the areas we’re struggling. But more on that another day. Let me share with you my thoughts on this story for now:
My questions
- Weak prayers. I was raised against using the phrase “If it be Your will”, in order to avoid specifying what I’m actually desiring or because I can say God gave me a “yes”, no matter the outcome. However, Jesus did give a specific desire, and that was to have the cup removed. This tells me that perhaps I’ve made the phrase inherently ‘wrong’ unjustly.
- Questioning is not disobedience. This is something I’ve always known, but truth be told, I’ve never associated it with Christ before. Since I’ve never noticed this before, I’m trying to mull it over and think through what it means with relation to Jesus. Was he questioning whether this was the best option? Or was He questioning whether God asked Him to do a more difficult option when there was an easier way to accomplish God’s will?
- Asking for an out. Jesus asked for another option. I can’t escape that fact. Importantly, Jesus asked it, knowing that He would ultimately obey whatever God said. Does this mean that I can ask God to change His will for me life?
What are your thoughts?
These are the major questions I’ve been struggling with (reminder that struggling with questions of faith is a positive thing in my mind), but I’m sure I’m not the first to wonder what these words meant. Have you guys had questions about this story? Do you have your own answers to these questions? Knowing I am most likely going to start a chaotic theological debate, I shall now go put on a pot of coffee.
