05/20/2022
We look at the cup that the Father gave Jesus to drink from, and we can’t begin to understand its bitterness, and depth. We hear Jesus Himself call it a “bitter cup”, and though we see in it the wrath of God, we can’t begin to know how the pain, shame, hatred of men, the foul burden of sin, the full terror and unbridled power of Satan, and yes… the wrath of God too, could possibly join together in one cup to unleash the healing power of redemption that this cup’s distasteful medicine was meant to provide. We can’t see how this foul and “bitter cup” could be transformed into the sweetest cup of them all, the Cup of the New Covenant. We are inclined to see two cups because our sensitivity to Christ’s suffering causes us to wince, and look away from His disfigured body, and in that moment we miss seeing the final miracle, how the “bitter cup” becomes the cup of our salvation… our New Covenant with God.
“So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?””
John 18:11 ESV
What love must the Father have for us that He would put such a “bitter cup” into the hands of His only begotten son, and tell Him to drink. We see the suffering of Job and are amazed by his faith, and righteousness, but in all of his torment there was restraint. As Satan tortured, and tempted him, he was first limited by God to taking his possessions, and then, at the peak of his torment, Satan was not permitted to take Job’s life. There were no such limitations, nor restraints, placed on Satan as he fell upon Jesus. His full and unbridled fury was loosed, and he was permitted to do his damnedest. His anger and jealousy was unleashed in those final days to not only harm Jesus physically in unimaginable ways, but to take his life as well. Remember the limitations in Job…
“And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”
Job 1:12 ESV
“And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.””
Job 2:6 ESV
So when Jesus hung there on the cross, having drunk all but the final dregs from the “bitter cup”, and was barely recognizable as a man, He endured Satan’s final act of desperation, and His life was taken from Him. We heard His final words, but even now we shut our mouths, and are reluctant to see all that it took to redeem us, and are unable to conceive the depth of what transpired.
“As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.”
Isaiah 52:14-15 KJV
But in this suffering there is joy! The final sip that awaited Jesus, and now awaits each of us, transformed that cup in a miraculously wonderful way. In the bottom of the “bitter cup” lay a thick sweet mixture of mercy, grace, and resurrected life, that when mixed with the blood of Christ, sealed the New Covenant, and locked away sin and death from all who believe, forever. Jesus began His ministry, and miracles, by turning water into wine, and now, wine into blood in victory, He turns the bitterness of the passion, and the contents of the “bitter cup” into the sweetest drink of all… the world’s salvation.
““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
John 3:16-17 ESV
We marvel at the first miracle, and can’t understand how it was done, but now, in this, the miracle of the “bitter cup”, we see Christ’s suffering, all the events that led to Calvary, the empty tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and Jesus at the right hand of God… are we more than mystified? We see the result of what transpired when Jesus drank from this cup, but we still can’t fathom the depth of it… even today as we await the return of our Lord the power of God mystifies us.
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Romans 5:10-11 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Son Jesus Christ, and for His obedience in drinking from the “bitter cup” that has saved all who believe in Him. Thank you for loving us as you do, and having held nothing back; not even the life of your own beloved Son. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has made a New Covenant with us in the blood of Christ. Praised be your name for every stripe across the body of Jesus, and for each time we have moaned, cried out, and winced, at the thought of them. We marvel at your power, and every good thing you bless us with, and we wonder at the mystery that is you. You are far above us in every way, and yet you allow us to worship you in Spirit and Truth. You show us miracles that do often amaze us in their outward simplicity, yet astound us in their internal complexity, and in this way we lean on you always in faith. Wash us now in the blood of your Son Jesus, and cleanse us of every sin. Hear our prayers, and forgive us as we humbly seek you in contrition. See the face of Jesus in us, and pronounce us worthy, and your children… now, and for all eternity.
Rich Forbes