Staying the Course

The scene at the garden in Gethsemane has
created a host of theological speculation. Why
does Jesus ask for God to let “this cup” pass?
Some have suggested that this is Jesus in his real
humanity. Even though he was Son of God and
knew what glories lay ahead, he also knew what
agonies he would have to go through. In the
garden we see him wrestling with the pain and
dreading the cost of Good Friday.
Others have suggested that Jesus is not trying
to get out of the cross, but asking the Father
to delay so that more work can be done in
preparation.
Others hone in on that moment when Jesus cries
out from the cross—“My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?” What Jesus dreads is
not the pain of the crucifixion but the agony of
separation for the first time from his heavenly
Father.
It is clear that Jesus knows the price of going
forward and is willing to pay that price—and
chooses to obey.
All the while the disciples are sleeping as if
nothing is happening around them.
This is one of the mos