THE CUP OF CHRIST - NYOBS 83.02

THE CUP OF CHRIST

In AGONY His sweat became as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground.

First Word

·         I usually like to study something that is controversial, but this one just grabbed me in its simplicity.  Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives wrestling with THE CUP that is about to be poured out on Him.

·         As He is in prayer to God the Father, He takes three of His inner circle to be with Him, Peter, James and John. - He tells them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

·         When He said to keep watch, He knew that His time was near and impending danger was almost upon them and desired that they also pray so that when it all unfolded, they would not fall into temptation; to doubt His teachings and abandon Him.  

·         Jesus’ was in great agony and began to sweat drops of blood.  Three times He asked His closest friends to stay awake and PRAY.  - Even though their spirits were willing to continue in prayer, their bodies were weak and they went to sleep. – In His Prayer, He wrestled with THE CUP that was about to be poured out. – IMPORTANT remember this; Having NO ONE to encourage and comfort Him, the Father God sent an Angel from Heaven to strengthen Him.  

·         The Cup is a hyperbole, a figure of speech that evokes strong feelings and creates strong impressions about things to come, which begs the question, “What was in THE CUP that Jesus was struggling with that He already knew about, but wanted so much to see pass by”?

Matthew 26:36-38 – Jesus’ Soul becomes crushed with grief
³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”
³⁷ He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and

He became ANGUISHED and DISTRESSED.
³⁸ He told them, “MY SOUL IS CRUSHED WITH GRIEF

to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

(NLT)

Luke 22:43-44 – In agony His sweat become drops of blood.
⁴³ And there appeared unto him an ANGEL from heaven, strengthening him.
⁴⁴ And being in an AGONY he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became as it were GREAT DROPS OF BLOOD falling down upon the ground. (ASV)

Luke 22:43-44 – Sweat like drops of blood, poured off his face.
⁴³ At once an ANGEL from heaven was at his side, STRENGTHENING HIM.
⁴⁴ He prayed on all the harder. SWEAT, WRUNG FROM HIM

LIKE DROPS OF BLOOD, POURED OFF HIS FACE. (MSG)

Matthew 26:40-41- His closest friends went to sleep
⁴⁰ Then he returned to the disciples and FOUND THEM ASLEEP. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour?
⁴¹ Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” (NLT)

The Wrath of the Cup

·         As Jesus was in prayer, He struggled with what would be poured out of this terrible, dreadful, mournful CUP of horrors; not only on Him, but also on His followers. 

·         SCRIPTURE REVEALS SEVEN THINGS HE SAW as He raised THE CUP to His lips to drink.

1)   He understood He would be BEATEN with elm and birch rods; whipped with “The cat of nine tails”; the dreaded flagellum, a short handled leather whip with many leather lashes that had pieces of bone and lead plaited into its thongs that were meant to rip the victims flesh. Traditionally He would have been stripped and tied to a low pillar so that His back was bent upward. – Two men would stand on opposite sides bringing down the whip on the shoulders, back and legs. – The skin on His back would be left hanging down in ribbons. - This would leave Jesus a bloody pulp with deep gashes probably exposing His bones and entrails.

2)   He saw they would blindfold Him, pull out His beard, spit on Him and beat Him with their fist.  He felt the “Road of Torture” carrying His own cross and the CRUSHING AGONY of a lingering death, dying with a crown of thorns pressed down into His forehead and with nails driven into his hands and feet.  Secured by a rope, He would push up, gasping for air. – His mouth would become dry and He would THIRST.

3)   He felt the agony of the heavy burden of the WORLD’S SINS BEING DUMPED ON HIM. For three hours, an almost never ending line of overflowing SIN LADEN train hopper cars unloading on Him, one right after another, load after load of crushing SIN.

4)   He would be all ALONE feeling their CONTEMPT. - While today many offer the middle finger to show contempt; they WAGGED their heads, jeered and hurled insults at Him as they passed by. – “He saved others, let Him save Himself” – “Come down and we will believe”.

5)   He felt the heartless cruel ENMITY of the Church leaders; Priests, Pharisees, Scribes, and the Sanhedrin SEPARATING THEMSELVES from Him, declaring Him to be blasphemous to God and worthy of DEATH. - -- NYOBS 44.13 – JUDAS; MAKE BELIEVER   

6)   He saw Himself BETRAYED by a man who was in a covenant relationship with Him, a man who He called His Friend. - He would feel Himself SEPARATED FROM HIS DISCIPLES; hurt by their denial and desertion.  The Book records all of the Male followers and Disciples had abandoned Him; only the WOC; Women of the Church remained faithful at the Cross of Christ.  --  NYOBS 31.12 – THREE MARY’S -- NYOBS 05.34 – BLOOD COVENANT  

7)   He would feel for the first time ever, the SEPARATION FROM THE FATHER GOD, as the Father God turned His back on all the boat loads of Sin that was being dumped on His Son.  He would not only suffer in the physical realm, but in the spiritual realm as He enters Hell.

·         Doctor Luke, one of the chosen twelve disciples reports from a medical perspective that the great agony of Jesus was causing His capillary veins to rupture and was sweating great drops of blood; it has a name; hematidrosis, death by internal bleeding, Jesus  could prematurely die before He even got to the cross – NYOBS 62.24 – DID GOD FORSAKE JESUS?

·          Jesus prophesized that He would suffer and die, but now for the sake of all the others that would also feel the same immeasurable suffering and torture and be killed because of His name; in His humanity Jesus the Messiah shrank back from the awful intensity of agony and asked IF IT WERE POSSIBLE for all this suffering and agony to be taken away from them; He was asking WAS THERE ANOTHER WAY to save humanity from their Sins?  - The Father God’s answer was NO, but the answer came with a ministering Angel healing the hematidrosis with the gift of strength to be able to drink from the cup all the way to its dregs. - Jesus submitted to being OBEDIENT to God’s Plan even unto His own death.  

·          His example in His prayer to God is the openness of His own emotions of humanity which teaches us that we too can pray in our own humanity and frailty openly out of our heart, our own feelings and emotions, without hesitation. -- NYOBS 18.18 – THE WAY OF THE CROSS  

Matthew 26:39 – Let this cup of suffering pass away from me
³⁹ He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! IF IT IS POSSIBLE, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want YOUR WILL to be done, not mine.” (NLT)

Luke 22:63-65 – Jesus is mocked, insulted and beaten
⁶³ The guards in charge of Jesus began

MOCKING AND BEATING HIM.
⁶⁴ They blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy to us!

Who hit you that time?”
⁶⁵ And they hurled all sorts of TERRIBLE INSULTS at him.

(NLT)

Mark 14:65 – They blindfolded Him, beat Him and spit on Him
⁶⁵ Then some of them began to SPIT AT HIM, and they BLINDFOLDED HIM and BEAT HIM WITH THEIR FISTS. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards SLAPPED HIM as they took him away. (NLT)

Isaiah 50:6 - Pulled out His beard, mocked and spit on Him
⁶  I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who PULLED OUT MY BEARD. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting. (NLT)

John 19:1 – Jesus is whipped with a lead-tipped whip
¹ Then Pilate had Jesus FLOGGED WITH A LEAD-TIPPED WHIP. (NLT)

Mark 15:19 – Struck His head and spit on Him
¹⁹ And they were STRIKING HIS HEAD with a reed and

SPITTING ON HIM and kneeling down in homage to him.

(ESV)

Matthew 27:30 – Spit on Him; beat His head with a stick
³⁰ And they SPIT ON HIM and GRABBED THE STICK AND STRUCK HIM ON THE HEAD with it.

(NLT)

Matthew 27:29 – A crown of thorns was press into Jesus’ head
²⁹ They wove THORN BRANCHES INTO A CROWN AND PUT IT ON HIS HEAD, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in MOCKERY AND TAUNTED, “Hail! King of the Jews!” (NLT)

John 19:28 – He would thirst for water
²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I THIRST.” (ESV)

John 19:17 – Jesus bore His own cross to Golgotha
¹⁷ and he went out, BEARING HIS OWN CROSS, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called GOLGOTHA.

(ESV)

1 Peter 2:24 – Jesus carried our sins in His body on the cross
²⁴ He personally CARRIED OUR SINS IN HIS BODY on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. (NLT)

Galatians 3:13 – Jesus absorbed our sins becoming the curse
¹³ Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by ABSORBING IT COMPLETELY INTO HIMSELF. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when JESUS WAS NAILED TO THE CROSS: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. (MSG)

John 19:34 – A spear pierced His side

34 But one of the soldiers with A SPEAR PIERCED HIS SIDE, and forthwith came there out blood and water. KJV

John 20:27 - They used nails in his hands

27 Then he said to Thomas, "PUT YOUR FINGER HERE; SEE MY HANDS. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting, believe."

Luke 24:39 – Nail Holes in His hands and feet
³⁹ SEE (the holes in) MY HANDS AND MY FEET, that it is I myself. TOUCH ME, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (ESV)

Luke 5:21 – Pharisees and Teachers separated themselves
²¹ But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? THAT’S BLASPHEMY! Only God can forgive sins!” (NLT)

Matthew 26:49-50 – Jesus called Juda his Friend
⁴⁹ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
⁵⁰ Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, FRIEND.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. (NIV2011)

Mark 14:10 - Judas betrays & separates himself from Jesus
¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to BETRAY HIM to them.  (ESV)

Matthew 26:75 – Peter denies and separates himself from Jesus
⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, YOU WILL DENY ME THREE TIMES.” And he went out and wept bitterly. (ESV)

John 21:3 – The Disciples ABANDONED Jesus and went fishing
³ Simon Peter said, “I’M GOING FISHING.” “WE’LL COME, TOO,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing.

Matthew 27:46 – God separates Himself from Jesus & the Sins
⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” (ESV)

John 19:25 – Disciples deserted; only the Women Of the Church
²⁵ Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother (MARY), and His mother's sister, MARY the wife of Clopas, and MARY Magdalene. (NKJV)

Luke 23:35 – Let Him save Himself if He is the Messiah
³⁵ The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “LET HIM SAVE HIMSELF if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” (NLT)

The Take Away

·         What we have just witnessed is a Word picture of Jesus who was all MAN and all GOD.  We cannot separate His humanity from His Deity. – God cannot get hungry, thirsty, tired or scared, but Jesus in His humanity could. -  What He suffered was infinitely beyond what anyone could possibly imagine, understand or describe.  He sweat drops of blood and could have died prematurely. His example to us was His submission to God, even unto His death.

·         Jesus prophesized and understood the cup was full of God’s wrath & fury against ALL types of sins; lies, careless words, dishonoring thoughts, sexual rebellion and unspeakable crimes. - This is the cup that HE CONSUMED FOR US; the sinless Son of God, became SIN for us.

·         Men have searched for the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus drank from at the last supper and is said to be the one that JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA used to collect the blood of Jesus at His crucifixion and has become the object of legends and movies.  It is said to have miraculous powers that provide eternal youth, happiness and, an infinite abundance, even though none of this is portrayed, nor presented within the scriptures of The Book.

·         The searchers do not realize that the real Cup while in “greatness” is also a bitter cup of suffering and self-sacrifice, service and love and those that choose to OWN IT and drink from it could also experience suffering as well as the joy and peace.

·         The Book demonstrates to us that we too could be faced with difficult situations that will give us a CHOICE to be obedient and live in submission to God; or not. 

·         God gave Moses the “Book of the Law” which required blood sacrifices of animals that temporarily covered over our sins; they were only a foreshadow of the FINAL and LAST SACRIFICE of His Son Jesus the Christ.  His sacrifice on the cross did not just cover up our sins, but did away with the Sins completely.  As Believers we become sinless in His sight because now when God sees us, He sees Jesus. - NYOBS 30.16 - SINLESS

·         YOU MUST GET THIS; we were ALL born in Sin, separated from God and subject to drink of the Cup of His wrath all the way to the bottom, yet while we were still sinners, He sent His only begotten Son to provide us THE WAY back to Him. – Jesus took our place on the cross as THE FINAL SACRIFICE FOR SIN and received in Himself THE CUP of God’s wrath toward sin.  (The followers of Jesus were a sect known as THE WAY - not A way, but The Way.)

·         He drank the cup of God’s wrath so that He could extend to us THE CUP of God’s Mercy and fellowship.  While it may include suffering, it does not include God’s wrath anymore, it contains the ETERNAL FELLOWSHIP with Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. 

·         This same cup is extended today and offered to those who don’t yet know Him.  A NEW CUP is offered to us and it may come with some suffering, but it is full of God’s mercy, grace and eternal fellowship.

a)   For the Un-believer and Make Believer, THE CUP is still full of God’s Wrath and horror poured out in full strength on SIN separating the Unbeliever from God the Father for eternity.

b)   For the Believer, the cup is full of God’s mercy, grace, blessings, salvation and eternal fellowship with Him.  

• At the last supper of Christ there were FOUR CUPS of wine that were taken, Jesus set aside THE FOURTH CUP and said, He would drink that cup with us when we see Him in Glory.  This is the expectation of the resumption of the “MESSIANIC BANQUET” in the Kingdom of God with Jesus Christ at the head of table.  This is where ALL believers will drink with Him THE FOURTH CUP.  It is finished. - NYOBS 05.18 - MYSTERY OF THE FOURTH CUP -- NYOBS 05.11 - LORDS SUPPER  -- NYOBS 32.17 – PASSOVER -- NYOBS 25.19 - PASSOVER FOOD  - It’s in the Book –

Isaiah 51:17 – Wake up America; the Lord’s fury is coming
¹⁷ Wake up, WAKE UP, (America) O Jerusalem! YOU HAVE DRUNK THE CUP OF THE LORD’S FURY. You have drunk the cup of terror, tipping out its last drops. (NLT)

John 14:6 – God provided THE WAY through His Son
⁶ Jesus told him, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. No one can come to the Father except through me. (NLT)

Acts 24:14 – Jesus followers known as “THE WAY”
¹⁴ However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of THE WAY, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, (NIV2011)

Romans 6:6 – Our sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus
⁶ Could it be any clearer? OUR OLD WAY OF LIFE WAS

NAILED TO THE CROSS WITH CHRIST, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: (MSG)

Romans 5:8 – While we were still in Sin; Christ died for us
⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS. (NLT)

Matthew 20:17-19 – Jesus prophecy of his Agony and death
¹⁸ We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will CONDEMN HIM TO DEATH
¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be MOCKED AND FLOGGED and CRUCIFIED. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (NIV2011)

Matthew 20:22 – Do you want to drink from the Holy Grail
²²  But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! ARE YOU ABLE TO DRINK FROM THE BITTER CUP OF SUFFERING I am about to drink?” “Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!” (NLT)

Isaiah 51:17 – The cup contains the Lord’s fury and terror
¹⁷ Wake up, wake up, O Jerusalem! You have drunk THE CUP of the LORD’s fury. You have drunk THE CUP OF TERROR, tipping out its last drops. (NLT)

Revelation 14:9-10 – The cup is God’s tormenting wrath of fire
⁹ Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand
¹⁰  must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into GOD’S CUP OF WRATH. And they will be TORMENTED with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. (NLT)

Matt 26:29 – We will drink new wine with Him in Heaven

29 But I say unto you, I WILL NOT DRINK henceforth of this fruit of the vine, UNTIL THAT DAY WHEN I DRINK IT NEW WITH YOU in my Father's kingdom. KJV

In the multitude of counselors,

there is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:14

I am grateful to those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical

information, and scripture verses.  Because of them I can stand on their shoulders

                         and see further that I otherwise ever could have.              

                                                                                                                                     

A Commentary; Critical, Experimental and Practical - Eerdmans

Antiquity of the Jews – Flavius Josephus Matthias

Apocrypha – Goodspeed

Baker Commentary on the Bible – Elwell

Bible Almanac; The – Packer-Tenney-White

Bible Commentary – F.B. Meyer

Bible Dictionary – Harper and Row

Bible Dictionary – Nelson’s

Dake’s Annotated Bible – Dake

English Standard Version Bible – ESV

Expositor’s Bible Commentary – Frank E. Gaebelein

Forgotten Books of Eden; The – World

Gospels Interwoven; The – Karmit Zarley

Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale

Interlinear Greek-English New Testament – Baker

In Touch - Dr. Charles Stanley

Invisible War; The – Donald Grey Barnhouse

King James Version Bible – KJV

Lost Books of the Bible; The - World

Lost Books of the Bible; The - Bell

Matthew Henry’s Commentary - Zondervan

Missing Books of the Bible; The – Halo Press

Mysteries of the Bible – Readers Digest

Nag Hammadi Library; The – James M. Robinson

Nave’s Topical Bible - Zondervan

New International Dictionary of the Bible; The – Douglas - Tenney

New International Version Bible (2011) – NIV

Now that’s a Good Question – R.C. Sproul

NOTE: The “new” NIV has been corrupted & made GENDER NEUTRAL.  AVOID IT.

New Living Translation Bible - NLT

Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls – Hugh J. Schonfield

Thru the Bible – J. Vernon McGee

Vincent’s Word Studies of the New Testament – Mac Donald

Who’s Who in the Bible – Paul D. Gardner

Wycliffe Bible Commentary; The – Pfeiffer & Harrison

Wikipedia –

Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The – Tenney