The Other Cup

Two years ago I found this article by way of a link at Justin Taylor's blog.  It's one of those articles and examples of biblical insight that stays with you forever.  I want to strongly encourage you - yea, even beg you - to download and read this entire article.  It's about 5 pages long, but it's very easy to read.  And you must read to the end -it's just incredible!
For those of you who will be taking the Lord's Supper tonight during a Good Friday service, this will be a wonderful way to help prepare.  I plan on reading this to my own family as we prepare. 

Can we go back to Gethsemane for a few minutes? What kind of a cup was it that Jesus was praying about? What kind of a cup could cause the Son of God to have such fear? Psalm 75, the first passage that we read, said that the Lord has a cup in His hand which is reserved for the wicked. You and I recognize in our heart of hearts that we deserve our portion of that cup because we have transgressed the law of God. Not a day goes by in which each one of us does not offend God’s holiness in some way. You and I recognize that it’s entirely just for a cup which is reserved for the wicked to be our cup. But do you understand that Jesus was the one human being who has ever lived on God’s earth on whom that cup had absolutely no claim whatsoever? He had kept God’s law in its entirety, perfectly. There was no sin in Him. Perhaps we can feel something of the revulsion that Jesus felt, something of His fear. Three times: “Father, please take this away. God in heaven—anything but this!”

Download & read the rest of this sermon by the late Ray Dillard.