Day Thirty Four: Should He Not Drink The Cup?
What if Jesus did not die? What if there was a way to avoid brutal execution? A way to keep Jesus from ending up in the hands of the soldiers? Some have asked this question, wondering what might be different if Jesus was “successful” by earthly standards and was able to establish his kingdom on earth without suffering. This was surely the hope of Simon Peter as he drew his dagger and amputated the ear of Malchus.
No one would have expected Jesus or his followers to be carrying weapons, as it was against the law during feasts. However, a dagger would be small enough to be concealed, telling us that Peter was feeling frightened and revolutionary enough to flout the rules.
In the other retellings of Jesus’ life and ministry, different aspects of Jesus’ rebuke are highlighted, but only John records Jesus’ use of the language of cup: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me (John 18:11).”
Jesus told his followers numerous times that he must suffer and die. He told Nicodemus that he must be raised like the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14). He told the crowds that he must die to produce many seeds and that it would be wrong to ask the Father to save him from what was to come (John 12:23-27). He regularly told his disciples that a time was soon coming when he would no longer be with them (John 13:33; 14:25). Nevertheless, the attack on Malchus was as clumsy and pointless as Peter’s misunderstanding was great. Jesus needed to die, not simply because he foreknew that he would, but because of what his death would accomplish.
If Jesus of Nazareth had not died, all that we do would be meaningless. The redemptive purpose of Christ’s death on the cross would be nullified. The very essence of salvation through the shedding of his blood would be absent, leaving humanity without the means to reconcile with God. The significance of the resurrection, a triumph over death, would be lost, as would the profound symbolism of the cup that Jesus willingly drank to fulfill the Father’s plan.
Peter should be grateful that Jesus drank the cup, as it paved the way for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Without the crucifixion, humanity would remain in the grip of sin, separated from God’s mercy. It is through the cross and his singular sacrifice that Jesus was able to lose none of those that the Father gave him (John 18:9).
The misguided zeal of Peter underscores the profound gratitude believers should have for Christ’s obedience to the Father’s will. The Kingdom of Jesus will not come into effect through violence and coercion. The cross, though seemingly a brutal end, is the cup and the gateway to salvation in Christ’s eternal kingdom.
No one would have expected Jesus or his followers to be carrying weapons, as it was against the law during feasts. However, a dagger would be small enough to be concealed, telling us that Peter was feeling frightened and revolutionary enough to flout the rules.
In the other retellings of Jesus’ life and ministry, different aspects of Jesus’ rebuke are highlighted, but only John records Jesus’ use of the language of cup: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me (John 18:11).”
Jesus told his followers numerous times that he must suffer and die. He told Nicodemus that he must be raised like the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14). He told the crowds that he must die to produce many seeds and that it would be wrong to ask the Father to save him from what was to come (John 12:23-27). He regularly told his disciples that a time was soon coming when he would no longer be with them (John 13:33; 14:25). Nevertheless, the attack on Malchus was as clumsy and pointless as Peter’s misunderstanding was great. Jesus needed to die, not simply because he foreknew that he would, but because of what his death would accomplish.
If Jesus of Nazareth had not died, all that we do would be meaningless. The redemptive purpose of Christ’s death on the cross would be nullified. The very essence of salvation through the shedding of his blood would be absent, leaving humanity without the means to reconcile with God. The significance of the resurrection, a triumph over death, would be lost, as would the profound symbolism of the cup that Jesus willingly drank to fulfill the Father’s plan.
Peter should be grateful that Jesus drank the cup, as it paved the way for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Without the crucifixion, humanity would remain in the grip of sin, separated from God’s mercy. It is through the cross and his singular sacrifice that Jesus was able to lose none of those that the Father gave him (John 18:9).
The misguided zeal of Peter underscores the profound gratitude believers should have for Christ’s obedience to the Father’s will. The Kingdom of Jesus will not come into effect through violence and coercion. The cross, though seemingly a brutal end, is the cup and the gateway to salvation in Christ’s eternal kingdom.
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