Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:36-46
“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 26:39
One disciple was en route to betray Him. The other eleven would scatter, leaving Him alone before His accusers. His inner circle—Peter, James and John, were steps away, unable to stay awake and pray with Him. Peter, who vehemently promised his unflinching loyalty to the end, was moments from denying he ever knew Jesus.
The magnitude of the task at hand caused Jesus to experience hematohidrosis (Luke 22:44), a condition in which extreme physical or emotional pressure causes capillaries feeding sweat glands to rupture, resulting in a human exuding blood. The physical suffering would be torturous. Far worse, Jesus would be the target of God’s wrath leveled against humanity’s sin. Jesus was about to face a spiritual agony beyond comprehension.
Yet the cross was the only way to save humanity. Enduring all this, Jesus submits to God’s will without hesitation. Going to the cross was the hardest “right thing to do” anyone has ever faced.
What about us? When we encounter the pressures of life—betrayal, desertion, loneliness, even temptation, do we opt for the easy way out? Or do we do the hard, right thing? Jesus not only died for our sins, He taught us valuable lessons in faithfulness, humility, obedience and love on the way to the cross. He showed us how to do the hard, right thing, even when every fiber of our being cries out to take the easy way.
Lesson to Remember: God didn’t call us to do the easy things but the hard, right things. That is what makes us different.
“For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”—1 Peter 2:20-21
