John 2:19-21: “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

I recently heard a message that grieved me.  I wasn’t sure just why.   The Pastor presented to us a discussion between the Father and Jesus. I’ll not repeat it, but the implication was that Jesus knew none of what must be done in order to redeem man from his fallen state into sin.  It was presented as if Jesus knew none of this until the Father had presented the plan and sent Him forth.  In such a circumstance Jesus as the creator of mankind knew nothing of what would become of His creation; yet: (and without Him was not anything made that was made).  

Bear with me, because, in my mind I questioned: how can this be?  In fact, He, Jesus, the Word of God, the salvation of God, apparently had planned immediately after (if not even before) the fall, as recorded in Genesis, His own victory over Satan.  Satan, who had brought about or was the cause of the fall of humankind, and who is called (the destroyer by Jesus in John’s gospel). Jesus, having been thus involved in the creation, which He had brought into existence knew not any of this? How could He not know?  Being the Word made flesh, how could He not know the prophecies concerning Himself?  Jesus presented Himself there immediately after the fall as the seed of the woman crushing Satan’s head.  This prophecy could only be fulfilled as He, The Word would become flesh and dwell among us.  

This is The Resurrection season in Christianity.  There will be many thoughts presented concerning the part that The Son of God and Son of man played in our salvation.  Yet, Jesus (His Hebrew name means salvation), was in agony while in the garden. He was there in communion with His Father, He had entered there to pray and prepare for what He stated on more than one occasion, that he would and must now do.  “No man takes my life, but I lay it down for my sheep.”  Jesus knew that there was no other way.  He had before hand stated: “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so too must the Son of man be lifted up for all to see.”  

Jesus knew and was committed to the cross, yet here at this time He was under great stress: “my soul is sorrowful unto death”.  He was crying out to His Father don’t let me die here. He was sweating great drops of blood 🩸.  “If possible remove this cup from Me.” What cup?  Was He speaking of the Cross?  No never, for if He was, He then was speaking against his own will. He if so, was in panic or fear and fear is not of God. It fear is itself sin.  He was and is the sinless lamb of God. Jesus was under the crushing weight of our sin (not any of His own) as our sin was being poured out upon Him.  The sins of the world, of all mankind for all of the age of humankind were being heaped upon Him.  He said: “my soul is sorrowful unto death”. 

He is God.  “I and the Father are one.”  “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.”  

This cup was the huge cup of sins. The very soul of Jesus is God, and He (God) cannot die.  Not in His soul. His body must die, but never can the Soul of God die. This cup must be removed lest His soul die.  If He dies there in the garden He has failed in His mission, and Satan has won. “For as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so shall the Son of man be lifted up.” There can be no failure now.

It is my firm belief that God the Father lifted that burden or “cup”of our sin only to later place it back upon Him as He hung there on that pole: that cross dying for you and for me.  Our heavenly Father played His part in the forgiveness of our sins.  He gave His only begotten Son that we might have life eternal. The Father carried our disgusting sins from that garden to the cross and there He placed them once again upon His own Son, who there served as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And then the Father turned His back on the Son; because He could not bear to watch.  “Father, why hast thou forsaken Me?”  “It is finished”.  What is finished Lord?  

Your sins are paid in full by the Lamb of God, who died there for your sin on that tree. He was alone and forsaken at that moment and without His Father; even as man who refuses this sacrifice will be without Him for eternity.

And all who believe shall be saved.