Read: Matthew 26:36–46
And going a little farther, Jesus threw Himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not what I want but what You want.” Matthew 26:39
For more than two thousand years people have wanted to know who Jesus was and is. There have been church fights and church splits and church-sponsored violence that have accompanied the darkest moments of that questioning. Many a heart and life have been quietly troubled by the questions that surround Jesus’ identity. Who was He? Was he real? Was He the Son of God, or God’s own self? Was Jesus human or divine or some mixture of the two? Part of the challenge of finding an acceptable answer is that the Bible is not always clear about who Jesus was and is. Even the four Gospels seem to present slightly different perspectives on Jesus’ life and ministry, as if they were looking at his life through different lens or from different angles.
What we do know is that Jesus offered perhaps the most important prayer any human being can offer—a prayer that is nothing short of divine. “Lord, Your will be done.” In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus turned His entire life over to God, even if that meant enduring hardships that He would have rather chosen to avoid. Who was Jesus? There will always be many answers. However, an answer that will always bear truth is this: one who gave His life over entirely to God.
Have you offered your life to the Lord?
Lord, with fear and trembling, and without having any idea what it might mean for me—nor any concrete sense of how I will live it out—I offer my life to You. Your will be done. Pass me whatever cup You see fit to offer me, and I will drink from it. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.