Jesus said (Luke 22:42) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done
- Jesus was burned out
I disagree. I think this is one of the most misunderstood parts of scripture and of Jesus' mission.
Twin Prophecy
God's always provides dual prophecy. Why? Because whether prophecy A or prophecy B is fulfilled is contingent upon human responsibility.
Lot pleaded with God to spare Sodom, and God agreed, BUT the required number of righteous people could not be found, and so, it was destroyed. Ninevah was destined to be destroyed by God, but Jonah reached them, they repented, and God brought a different outcome.
Through Isaiah, God prophesied two possibilities for the path of Jesus: one, to be a lord of Glory, to sit on David's throne, and be welcomed and embraced by the people. Two, to be rejected, to be forced to go the path of suffering and pain.
This depended on whether the Jewish people would receive Jesus or not. And we know that up until the mount of transfiguration, Jesus did everything in his power to convince the Jewish people to believe in him: "This is the will of God: that you believe in he whom he has sent". Jesus did not say "this is the will of God, that you reject and murder me". Only after the Mt of Transfiguration did it become necessary for Jesus to walk the path of the Crucifixion.
Until John
Wait, you say? The first prophecy in Isaiah was about the Second Coming, and the other prophesy was about the First Coming? That's not true, and Jesus himself states this:
For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. (Matt 11: 13-14)
The prophets prophesied until John. This means that all prophecies in the old Testament were about Jesus.
2nd coming of Elijah
There is another point here that should make it very clear, why the Jewish people did NOT follow Jesus but instead reject him. Malachi promised (Mal 4:5) that Elijah would come BEFORE the Messiah. But when Jesus appeared and proclaimed himself as the Messiah, the Jewish leaders could not accept him because they did not see any Elijah.
The Disciples asked Jesus about this (Matt 17:11-13):
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
Who to believe?
See? John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, BUT John himself failed to realize this, and in the end, even doubted Jesus. (John denied that he was Elijah when the Jewish leaders asked him.)
So the Jewish Leaders were in a hard spot: believe Jesus, the unknown son of the unwed (at the time) Joseph and Mary, or John the Baptist, the highly regarded aesthetic son of the High Priest Zachariah?
Forgiveness
Jesus had all power and authority to forgive sins BEFORE the Crucifixion. He forgave many times, and this even aggravated the Jewish leaders. (Luke 5:20, Luke 7:48)
So then WHY was the Crucifixion necessary? Up until the Mt. of Transfiguration, Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom right then. But, after the Mt. of Transfiguration, when Jesus consults with Moses and Elijah in the spirit, he began preparing his disciples for the crucifixion course.
God prepared the Israelites for 2000 years for one single purpose: to receive and unite with the Messiah, the 2nd Adam, so that then God could bring his kingdom on Earth at that time, and spread it starting from Israel. But when Israel fell in to faithlessness, just as they did during the time of Moses, and many times after, a price had to be paid for their sin of rejecting God's Son.
Why? The Israelites were the chosen people. They represented humanity. When the Israelites rejected Jesus, it represented humanity rejecting Jesus, so that ALL humanity now belonged to Satan completely. The sin of rejecting the Messiah was worse than the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus was the second chance that God gave after thousands of years of sacrifice and preparation.
And this is why Jesus had to sacrifice his body and flesh. To pay the price for all humanity to be freed from the grasp of Satan that they had fallen in to due to rejecting Jesus himself.
By sacrificing his body, Jesus won the victory and opened the door to spiritual salvation, but physical salvation was delayed. Until the second coming. Which is why even great disciples like Paul struggled with their flesh. ("With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin").
Even today, the most devout believer is not free from Satan's claim over our flesh. But in our spirit and heart, we are saved and beyond Satan's grasp.
Why did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Many believers have been taught that Jesus prayed "let this cup ass from me" out of weakness. I do not believe this. Jesus heart was already perfectly united and one with the Father. If the cross could complete both spiritual and physical salvation, Jesus would have undergone it a hundred times without regret.
He never prayed: "I feel weak. I feel like I cannot do this." "I'm all burned out". That has been OUR assumption. But all he did was pray "Let this cup pass". In other words, let this particular path not be necessary. He never said, or prayed "I'm too weak to do this". So the question is, why did he want to avoid that path?
I believe that Jesus prayed this way because, even at that late hour, he wanted desperately to rescue Israel, to fulfill the prophecy of Glory, and fulfill the purpose of the kingdom on earth at that time. BUT he needed faith. When the disciples themselves, even his core three disciples, failed to exhibit even the necessary faith ("When Jesus returned the third time, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough!"" Mark 14: 32-42. )
Why would Jesus want to avoid the crucifixion, if possible?
One, because he knew that if he had to go the path of martyrdom, death and blood, all his disciples throughout history would have to go through the same path. Not just his immediate disciples, but in Christian history, the path forward has always been won via martyrdom and blood. Jesus wanted to avoid this suffering for those who would follow him, if possible.
Two, because he knew that Israel would be destroyed and lose God's blessing completely if he was rejected and had to go to the cross. He did not WANT Israel to reject him. He wanted them to accept him.
Matt 23:37 "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate.…
He knew this would happen well before the crucifixion took place (Matt 21:33-41)
Three, because he knew that if he had to pay the price of faithlessness of Israel via the cross, that the history of suffering for humanity would continued until the time when the Second Coming could take place. So far, that's 2000 years.
With you, all things are possible
Jesus wanted with all his heart to establish the kingdom in the spirit and flesh at that time, to bring about physical and spiritual salvation at that time, but the obstacles was the faithlessness of the Israelites, and eventually, even his disciples fell into faithlessness.
Jesus prayed "Let this cup pass from me" not because of weakness or human frailty, but because of love. Because of his desire to fulfill God's will then and not prolong the history of suffering. He prayed so hard for that that the blood vessels behind his eyes burst and his tears became tears of blood.
(What martyrs that followed Jesus prayed with tears to avoid death? No. They welcomed it. Is Jesus weaker than them?)
But the greatness of Jesus heart is that despite his intense and overwhelming desire to complete the original mission and fulfill the prophecy of glory, he united with the Father, and always, always, accepted the Father's will when it became clear there was no other way forward.
Anyway, that's my personal belief and understanding. The Jesus I know has the greatest heart and the greatest love, and THAT is why he prayed so hard in the garden. NOT because he wanted to avoid any personal suffering.
What was the turning point?
If one reads the scriptures from that perspective, many, many things reveal themselves. Jesus worked hard to have the people believe, for the first 2 years of his ministry, but once it became clear that the people were not uniting with him, then he began to speak of the crucifixion and his own death. He consulted with Moses and Elijah in the spirit, and then decided it was necessary to go that way.
And, he pointed out very clearly that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, and scripture records how, instead of becoming Jesus greatest disciple, John himself got distracted, caught up in court politics, and eventually compete doubted whether Jesus was actually Christ. In short, John the Baptist failed his mission. Instead of making the way straight, he became an obstacle between the Jewish people and Jesus, by denying that he was in fact Elijah.
The blessing God gave to Israel was lost, and Jesus, via the crucifixion, opened up spiritual salvation and created the foundation for the founding of Christianity, as the new Chosen people, to prepare for the Second Coming.
I know the view that Jesus prayed to avoid the cross because of weakness has been taught in many places, but I see it differently. He wasn't burned out. He was ready for it all. The problem was, that those who had to have faith in him failed him in the end. First the Israelites, the people, and then even his disciples. But despite all that, he went forward and won the victory over death.
Aside from that, you make excellent points. Being burned out is NOT a sin, but giving up is the mistake. This I fully agree with.
Jesus said (Luke 22:42) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done
- Jesus was burned out
I disagree. I think this is one of the most misunderstood parts of scripture and of Jesus' mission.
Twin Prophecy
God's always provides dual prophecy. Why? Because whether prophecy A or prophecy B is fulfilled is contingent upon human responsibility.
Lot pleaded with God to spare Sodom, and God agreed, BUT the required number of righteous people could not be found, and so, it was destroyed. Ninevah was destined to be destroyed by God, but Jonah reached them, they repented, and God brought a different outcome.
Through Isaiah, God prophesied two possibilities for the path of Jesus: one, to be a lord of Glory, to sit on David's throne, and be welcomed and embraced by the people. Two, to be rejected, to be forced to go the path of suffering and pain.
This depended on whether the Jewish people would receive Jesus or not. And we know that up until the mount of transfiguration, Jesus did everything in his power to convince the Jewish people to believe in him: "This is the will of God: that you believe in he whom he has sent". Jesus did not say "this is the will of God, that you reject and murder me". Only after the Mt of Transfiguration did it become necessary for Jesus to walk the path of the Crucifixion.
Until John
Wait, you say? The first prophecy in Isaiah was about the Second Coming, and the other prophesy was about the First Coming? That's not true, and Jesus himself states this:
For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. (Matt 11: 13-14)
The prophets prophesied until John. This means that all prophecies in the old Testament were about Jesus.
2nd coming of Elijah
There is another point here that should make it very clear, why the Jewish people did NOT follow Jesus but instead reject him. Malachi promised (Mal 4:5) that Elijah would come BEFORE the Messiah. But when Jesus appeared and proclaimed himself as the Messiah, the Jewish leaders could not accept him because they did not see any Elijah.
The Disciples asked Jesus about this (Matt 17:11-13):
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
Who to believe?
See? John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, BUT John himself failed to realize this, and in the end, even doubted Jesus. (John denied that he was Elijah when the Jewish leaders asked him.)
So the Jewish Leaders were in a hard spot: believe Jesus, the unknown son of the unwed (at the time) Joseph and Mary, or John the Baptist, the highly regarded aesthetic son of the High Priest Zachariah?
Forgiveness
Jesus had all power and authority to forgive sins BEFORE the Crucifixion. He forgave many times, and this even aggravated the Jewish leaders. (Luke 5:20, Luke 7:48)
So then WHY was the Crucifixion necessary? Up until the Mt. of Transfiguration, Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom right then. But, after the Mt. of Transfiguration, when Jesus consults with Moses and Elijah in the spirit, he began preparing his disciples for the crucifixion course.
God prepared the Israelites for 2000 years for one single purpose: to receive and unite with the Messiah, the 2nd Adam, so that then God could bring his kingdom on Earth at that time, and spread it starting from Israel. But when Israel fell in to faithlessness, just as they did during the time of Moses, and many times after, a price had to be paid for their sin of rejecting God's Son.
Why? The Israelites were the chosen people. They represented humanity. When the Israelites rejected Jesus, it represented humanity rejecting Jesus, so that ALL humanity now belonged to Satan completely. The sin of rejecting the Messiah was worse than the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus was the second chance that God gave after thousands of years of sacrifice and preparation.
And this is why Jesus had to sacrifice his body and flesh. To pay the price for all humanity to be freed from the grasp of Satan that they had fallen in to due to rejecting Jesus himself.
By sacrificing his body, Jesus won the victory and opened the door to spiritual salvation, but physical salvation was delayed. Until the second coming. Which is why even great disciples like Paul struggled with their flesh. ("With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin").
Even today, the most devout believer is not free from Satan's claim over our flesh. But in our spirit and heart, we are saved and beyond Satan's grasp.
Why did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Many believers have been taught that Jesus prayed "let this cup ass from me" out of weakness. I do not believe this. Jesus heart was already perfectly united and one with the Father. If the cross could complete both spiritual and physical salvation, Jesus would have undergone it a hundred times without regret.
He never prayed: "I feel weak. I feel like I cannot do this." "I'm all burned out". That has been OUR assumption. But all he did was pray "Let this cup pass". In other words, let this particular path not be necessary. He never said, or prayed "I'm too weak to do this". So the question is, why did he want to avoid that path?
I believe that Jesus prayed this way because, even at that late hour, he wanted desperately to rescue Israel, to fulfill the prophecy of Glory, and fulfill the purpose of the kingdom on earth at that time. BUT he needed faith. When the disciples themselves, even his core three disciples, failed to exhibit even the necessary faith ("When Jesus returned the third time, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough!"" Mark 14: 32-42. )
Why would Jesus want to avoid the crucifixion, if possible?
One, because he knew that if he had to go the path of martyrdom, death and blood, all his disciples throughout history would have to go through the same path. Not just his immediate disciples, but in Christian history, the path forward has always been won via martyrdom and blood. Jesus wanted to avoid this suffering for those who would follow him, if possible.
Two, because he knew that Israel would be destroyed and lose God's blessing completely if he was rejected and had to go to the cross. He did not WANT Israel to reject him. He wanted them to accept him.
Matt 23:37 "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate.…
He knew this would happen well before the crucifixion took place (Matt 21:33-41)
Three, because he knew that if he had to pay the price of faithlessness of Israel via the cross, that the history of suffering for humanity would continued until the time when the Second Coming could take place. So far, that's 2000 years.
With you, all things are possible
Jesus wanted with all his heart to establish the kingdom in the spirit and flesh at that time, to bring about physical and spiritual salvation at that time, but the obstacles was the faithlessness of the Israelites, and eventually, even his disciples fell into faithlessness.
Jesus prayed "Let this cup pass from me" not because of weakness or human frailty, but because of love. Because of his desire to fulfill God's will then and not prolong the history of suffering. He prayed so hard for that that the blood vessels behind his eyes burst and his tears became tears of blood.
(What martyrs that followed Jesus prayed with tears to avoid death? No. They welcomed it. Is Jesus weaker than them?)
But the greatness of Jesus heart is that despite his intense and overwhelming desire to complete the original mission and fulfill the prophecy of glory, he united with the Father, and always, always, accepted the Father's will when it became clear there was no other way forward.
Anyway, that's my personal belief and understanding. The Jesus I know has the greatest heart and the greatest love, and THAT is why he prayed so hard in the garden. NOT because he wanted to avoid any personal suffering.
What was the turning point?
If one reads the scriptures from that perspective, many, many things reveal themselves. Jesus worked hard to have the people believe, for the first 2 years of his ministry, but once it became clear that the people were not uniting with him, then he began to speak of the crucifixion and his own death. He consulted with Moses and Elijah in the spirit, and then decided it was necessary to go that way.
And, he pointed out very clearly that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, and scripture records how, instead of becoming Jesus greatest disciple, John himself got distracted, caught up in court politics, and eventually compete doubted whether Jesus was actually Christ. In short, John the Baptist failed his mission. Instead of making the way straight, he became an obstacle between the Jewish people and Jesus, by denying that he was in fact Elijah.
The blessing God gave to Israel was lost, and Jesus, via the crucifixion, opened up spiritual salvation and created the foundation for the founding of Christianity, as the new Chosen people, to prepare for the Second Coming.
I know the view that Jesus prayed to avoid the cross because of weakness has been taught in many places, but I see it differently. He wasn't burned out. He was ready for it all. The problem was, that those who had to have faith in him failed him in the end. First the Israelites, the people, and then even his disciples. But despite all that, he went forward and won the victory over death.
Aside from that, you make excellent points. being burned out is NOT a sin, but giving up is the mistake. This is fully agree with.
Jesus said (Luke 22:42) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done
- Jesus was burned out
I disagree. I think this is one of the most misunderstood parts of scripture and of Jesus' mission.
Twin Prophecy
God's always provides dual prophecy. Why? Because whether prophecy A or prophecy B is fulfilled is contingent upon human responsibility.
Lot pleaded with God to spare Sodom, and God agreed, BUT the required number of righteous people could not be found, and so, it was destroyed. Ninevah was destined to be destroyed by God, but Jonah reached them, they repented, and God brought a different outcome.
Through Isaiah, God prophesied two possibilities for the path of Jesus: one, to be a lord of Glory, to sit on David's throne, and be welcomed and embraced by the people. Two, to be rejected, to be forced to go the path of suffering and pain.
This depended on whether the Jewish people would receive Jesus or not. And we know that up until the mount of transfiguration, Jesus did everything in his power to convince the Jewish people to believe in him: "This is the will of God: that you believe in he whom he has sent". Jesus did not say "this is the will of God, that you reject and murder me". Only after the Mt of Transfiguration did it become necessary for Jesus to walk the path of the Crucifixion.
Until John
Wait, you say? The first prophecy in Isaiah was about the Second Coming, and the other prophesy was about the First Coming? That's not true, and Jesus himself states this:
For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. (Matt 11: 13-14)
The prophets prophesied until John. This means that all prophecies in the old Testament were about Jesus.
2nd coming of Elijah
There is another point here that should make it very clear, why the Jewish people did NOT follow Jesus but instead reject him. Malachi promised (Mal 4:5) that Elijah would come BEFORE the Messiah. But when Jesus appeared and proclaimed himself as the Messiah, the Jewish leaders could not accept him because they did not see any Elijah.
The Disciples asked Jesus about this (Matt 17:11-13):
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
Who to believe?
See? John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, BUT John himself failed to realize this, and in the end, even doubted Jesus. (John denied that he was Elijah when the Jewish leaders asked him.)
So the Jewish Leaders were in a hard spot: believe Jesus, the unknown son of the unwed (at the time) Joseph and Mary, or John the Baptist, the highly regarded aesthetic son of the High Priest Zachariah?
Forgiveness
Jesus had all power and authority to forgive sins BEFORE the Crucifixion. He forgave many times, and this even aggravated the Jewish leaders. (Luke 5:20, Luke 7:48)
So then WHY was the Crucifixion necessary? Up until the Mt. of Transfiguration, Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom right then. But, after the Mt. of Transfiguration, when Jesus consults with Moses and Elijah in the spirit, he began preparing his disciples for the crucifixion course.
God prepared the Israelites for 2000 years for one single purpose: to receive and unite with the Messiah, the 2nd Adam, so that then God could bring his kingdom on Earth at that time, and spread it starting from Israel. But when Israel fell in to faithlessness, just as they did during the time of Moses, and many times after, a price had to be paid for their sin of rejecting God's Son.
Why? The Israelites were the chosen people. They represented humanity. When the Israelites rejected Jesus, it represented humanity rejecting Jesus, so that ALL humanity now belonged to Satan completely. The sin of rejecting the Messiah was worse than the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus was the second chance that God gave after thousands of years of sacrifice and preparation.
And this is why Jesus had to sacrifice his body and flesh. To pay the price for all humanity to be freed from the grasp of Satan that they had fallen in to due to rejecting Jesus himself.
By sacrificing his body, Jesus won the victory and opened the door to spiritual salvation, but physical salvation was delayed. Until the second coming. Which is why even great disciples like Paul struggled with their flesh. ("With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin").
Even today, the most devout believer is not free from Satan's claim over our flesh. But in our spirit and heart, we are saved and beyond Satan's grasp.
Why did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Many believers have been taught that Jesus prayed "let this cup ass from me" out of weakness. I do not believe this. Jesus heart was already perfectly united and one with the Father. If the cross could complete both spiritual and physical salvation, Jesus would have undergone it a hundred times without regret.
He never prayed: "I feel weak. I feel like I cannot do this." "I'm all burned out". That has been OUR assumption. But all he did was pray "Let this cup pass". In other words, let this particular path not be necessary. He never said, or prayed "I'm too weak to do this". So the question is, why did he want to avoid that path?
I believe that Jesus prayed this way because, even at that late hour, he wanted desperately to rescue Israel, to fulfill the prophecy of Glory, and fulfill the purpose of the kingdom on earth at that time. BUT he needed faith. When the disciples themselves, even his core three disciples, failed to exhibit even the necessary faith ("When Jesus returned the third time, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough!"" Mark 14: 32-42. )
Why would Jesus want to avoid the crucifixion, if possible?
One, because he knew that if he had to go the path of martyrdom, death and blood, all his disciples throughout history would have to go through the same path. Not just his immediate disciples, but in Christian history, the path forward has always been won via martyrdom and blood. Jesus wanted to avoid this suffering for those who would follow him, if possible.
Two, because he knew that Israel would be destroyed and lose God's blessing completely if he was rejected and had to go to the cross. He did not WANT Israel to reject him. He wanted them to accept him.
Matt 23:37 "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate.…
He knew this would happen well before the crucifixion took place (Matt 21:33-41)
Three, because he knew that if he had to pay the price of faithlessness of Israel via the cross, that the history of suffering for humanity would continued until the time when the Second Coming could take place. So far, that's 2000 years.
Jesus wanted with all his heart to establish the kingdom in the spirit and flesh at that time, to bring about physical and spiritual salvation at that time, but the obstacles was the faithlessness of the Israelites, and eventually, even his disciples fell into faithlessness.
Jesus prayed "Let this cup pass from me" not because of weakness or human frailty, but because of love. Because of his desire to fulfill God's will then and not prolong the history of suffering. He prayed so hard for that that the blood vessels behind his eyes burst and his tears became tears of blood.
(What martyrs that followed Jesus prayed with tears to avoid death? No. They welcomed it. Is Jesus weaker than them?)
But the greatness of Jesus heart is that despite his intense and overwhelming desire to complete the original mission and fulfill the prophecy of glory, he united with the Father, and always, always, accepted the Father's will when it became clear there was no other way forward.
Anyway, that's my personal belief. The Jesus I know has the greatest heart and the greatest love, and THAT is why he prayed so hard in the garden. NOT because he wanted to avoid any personal suffering.
If one reads the scriptures from that perspective, many, many things reveal themselves. Jesus worked hard to have the people believe, for the first 2 years of his ministry, but once it became clear that the people were not uniting with him, then he began to speak of the crucifixion and his own death.
And, he pointed out very clearly that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, and scripture records how, instead of becoming Jesus greatest disciple, John himself got distracted, caught up in court politics, and eventually compete doubted whether Jesus was actually Christ. In short, John the Baptist failed his mission. Instead of making the way straight, he became an obstacle between the Jewish people and Jesus, by denying that he was in fact Elijah.
The blessing God gave to Israel was lost, and Jesus, via the crucifixion, opened up spiritual salvation and created the foundation for the founding of Christianity, as the new Chosen people, to prepare for the Second Coming.
I know the view that Jesus prayed to avoid the cross because of weakness has been taught in many places, but I see it differently. He wasn't burned out. He was ready for it all. The problem was, that those who had to have faith in him failed him in the end. But despite all that, he went forward and won the victory over death.
Aside from that, you make excellent points. being burned out is NOT a sin, but giving up is the mistake. This is fully agree with.
Jesus said (Luke 22:42) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done
- Jesus was burned out
I disagree. I think this is one of the most misunderstood parts of scripture and of Jesus' mission.
Twin Prophecy
God's always provides dual prophecy. Why? Because whether prophecy A or prophecy B is fulfilled is contingent upon human responsibility.
Lot pleaded with God to spare Sodom, and God agreed, BUT the required number of righteous people could not be found, and so, it was destroyed. Ninevah was destined to be destroyed by God, but Jonah reached them, they repented, and God brought a different outcome.
Through Isaiah, God prophesied two possibilities for the path of Jesus: one, to be a lord of Glory, to sit on David's throne, and be welcomed and embraced by the people. Two, to be rejected, to be forced to go the path of suffering and pain.
This depended on whether the Jewish people would receive Jesus or not. And we know that up until the mount of transfiguration, Jesus did everything in his power to convince the Jewish people to believe in him: "This is the will of God: that you believe in he whom he has sent". Jesus did not say "this is the will of God, that you reject and murder me". Only after the Mt of Transfiguration did it become necessary for Jesus to walk the path of the Crucifixion.
Until John
Wait, you say? The first prophecy in Isaiah was about the Second Coming, and the other prophesy was about the First Coming? That's not true, and Jesus himself states this:
For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. (Matt 11: 13-14)
The prophets prophesied until John. This means that all prophecies in the old Testament were about Jesus.
2nd coming of Elijah
There is another point here that should make it very clear, why the Jewish people did NOT follow Jesus but instead reject him. Malachi promised (Mal 4:5) that Elijah would come BEFORE the Messiah. But when Jesus appeared and proclaimed himself as the Messiah, the Jewish leaders could not accept him because they did not see any Elijah.
The Disciples asked Jesus about this (Matt 17:11-13):
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
Who to believe?
See? John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, BUT John himself failed to realize this, and in the end, even doubted Jesus. (John denied that he was Elijah when the Jewish leaders asked him.)
So the Jewish Leaders were in a hard spot: believe Jesus, the unknown son of the unwed (at the time) Joseph and Mary, or John the Baptist, the highly regarded aesthetic son of the High Priest Zachariah?
Forgiveness
Jesus had all power and authority to forgive sins BEFORE the Crucifixion. He forgave many times, and this even aggravated the Jewish leaders. (Luke 5:20, Luke 7:48)
So then WHY was the Crucifixion necessary? Up until the Mt. of Transfiguration, Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom right then. But, after the Mt. of Transfiguration, when Jesus consults with Moses and Elijah in the spirit, he began preparing his disciples for the crucifixion course.
God prepared the Israelites for 2000 years for one single purpose: to receive and unite with the Messiah, the 2nd Adam, so that then God could bring his kingdom on Earth at that time, and spread it starting from Israel. But when Israel fell in to faithlessness, just as they did during the time of Moses, and many times after, a price had to be paid for their sin of rejecting God's Son.
Why? The Israelites were the chosen people. They represented humanity. When the Israelites rejected Jesus, it represented humanity rejecting Jesus, so that ALL humanity now belonged to Satan completely. The sin of rejecting the Messiah was worse than the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus was the second chance that God gave after thousands of years of sacrifice and preparation.
And this is why Jesus had to sacrifice his body and flesh. To pay the price for all humanity to be freed from the grasp of Satan that they had fallen in to due to rejecting Jesus himself.
By sacrificing his body, Jesus won the victory and opened the door to spiritual salvation, but physical salvation was delayed. Until the second coming. Which is why even great disciples like Paul struggled with their flesh. ("With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin").
Even today, the most devout believer is not free from Satan's claim over our flesh. But in our spirit and heart, we are saved and beyond Satan's grasp.
Why did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Many believers have been taught that Jesus prayed "let this cup ass from me" out of weakness. I do not believe this. Jesus heart was already perfectly united and one with the Father. If the cross could complete both spiritual and physical salvation, Jesus would have undergone it a hundred times without regret.
I believe that Jesus prayed this way because, even at that late hour, he wanted desperately to rescue Israel, to fulfill the prophecy of Glory, BUT he needed faith. When the disciples themselves, even his core three disciples, failed to exhibit even the necessary faith, he finally accepted that the course of the crucifixion could not be avoided.
Why would Jesus want to avoid the crucifixion?
One, because he knew that if he had to go the path of martyrdom, death and blood, all his disciples throughout history would have to go through the same path. Not just his immediate disciples, but in Christian history, the path forward has always been won via martyrdom and blood. Jesus wanted to avoid this suffering for those who would follow him, if possible.
Two, because he knew that Israel would be destroyed and lose God's blessing completely if he was rejected and had to go to the cross. He did not WANT Israel to reject him. He wanted them to accept him.
Matt 23:37 "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate.…
He knew this would happen well before the crucifixion took place (Matt 21:33-41)
Three, because he knew that if he had to pay the price of faithlessness of Israel via the cross, that the history of suffering for humanity would continued until the time when the Second Coming could take place. So far, that's 2000 years.
Jesus wanted with all his heart to establish the kingdom in the spirit and flesh at that time, to bring about physical and spiritual salvation at that time, but the obstacles was the faithlessness of the Israelites, and eventually, even his disciples fell into faithlessness.
Jesus prayed "Let this cup pass from me" not because of weakness or human frailty, but because of love. Because of his desire to fulfill God's will then and not prolong the history of suffering. He prayed so hard for that that the blood vessels behind his eyes burst and his tears became tears of blood.
(What martyrs that followed Jesus prayed with tears to avoid death? No. They welcomed it. Is Jesus weaker than them?)
But the greatness of Jesus heart is that despite his intense and overwhelming desire to complete the original mission and fulfill the prophecy of glory, he united with the Father, and always, always, accepted the Father's will when it became clear there was no other way forward.
Anyway, that's my personal belief. The Jesus I know has the greatest heart and the greatest love, and THAT is why he prayed so hard in the garden. NOT because he wanted to avoid any personal suffering.
If one reads the scriptures from that perspective, many, many things reveal themselves. Jesus worked hard to have the people believe, for the first 2 years of his ministry, but once it became clear that the people were not uniting with him, then he began to speak of the crucifixion and his own death.
And, he pointed out very clearly that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, and scripture records how, instead of becoming Jesus greatest disciple, John himself got distracted, caught up in court politics, and eventually compete doubted whether Jesus was actually Christ. In short, John the Baptist failed his mission. Instead of making the way straight, he became an obstacle between the Jewish people and Jesus, by denying that he was in fact Elijah.
The blessing God gave to Israel was lost, and Jesus, via the crucifixion, opened up spiritual salvation and created the foundation for the founding of Christianity, as the new Chosen people, to prepare for the Second Coming.
I know the view that Jesus prayed to avoid the cross because of weakness has been taught in many places, but I see it differently. He wasn't burned out. He was ready for it all. The problem was, that those who had to have faith in him failed him in the end. But despite all that, he went forward and won the victory over death.
Aside from that, you make excellent points. being burned out is NOT a sin, but giving up is the mistake. This is fully agree with.
Jesus said (Luke 22:42) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done
-Jesus was burned out
I disagree. I think this is one of the most misunderstood parts of scripture and of Jesus' mission.
Twin Prophecy
God's always provides dual prophecy. Why? Because whether prophecy A or prophecy B is fulfilled is contingent upon human responsibility.
Lot pleaded with God to spare Sodom, and God agreed, BUT the required number of righteous people could not be found, and so, it was destroyed. Ninevah was destined to be destroyed by God, but Jonah reached them, they repented, and God brought a different outcome.
Through Isaiah, God prophesied two possibilities for the path of Jesus: one, to be a lord of Glory, to sit on David's throne, and be welcomed and embraced by the people. Two, to be rejected, to be forced to go the path of suffering and pain.
This depended on whether the Jewish people would receive Jesus or not. And we know that up until the mount of transfiguration, Jesus did everything in his power to convince the Jewish people to believe in him: "This is the will of God: that you believe in he whom he has sent". Jesus did not say "this is the will of God, that you reject and murder me". Only after the Mt of Transfiguration did it become necessary for Jesus to walk the path of the Crucifixion.
Until John
Wait, you say? The first prophecy in Isaiah was about the Second Coming, and the other prophesy was about the First Coming? That's not true, and Jesus himself states this:
For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. (Matt 11: 13-14)
The prophets prophesied until John. This means that all prophecies in the old Testament were about Jesus.
2nd coming of Elijah
There is another point here that should make it very clear, why the Jewish people did NOT follow Jesus but instead reject him. Malachi promised (Mal 4:5) that Elijah would come BEFORE the Messiah. But when Jesus appeared and proclaimed himself as the Messiah, the Jewish leaders could not accept him because they did not see any Elijah.
The Disciples asked Jesus about this (Matt 17:11-13):
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
Who to believe?
See? John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, BUT John himself failed to realize this, and in the end, even doubted Jesus. (John denied that he was Elijah when the Jewish leaders asked him.)
So the Jewish Leaders were in a hard spot: believe Jesus, the unknown son of the unwed (at the time) Joseph and Mary, or John the Baptist, the highly regarded aesthetic son of the High Priest Zachariah?
Forgiveness
Jesus had all power and authority to forgive sins BEFORE the Crucifixion. He forgave many times, and this even aggravated the Jewish leaders. (Luke 5:20, Luke 7:48)
So then WHY was the Crucifixion necessary? Up until the Mt. of Transfiguration, Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom right then. But, after the Mt. of Transfiguration, when Jesus consults with Moses and Elijah in the spirit, he began preparing his disciples for the crucifixion course.
God prepared the Israelites for 2000 years for one single purpose: to receive and unite with the Messiah, the 2nd Adam, so that then God could bring his kingdom on Earth at that time, and spread it starting from Israel. But when Israel fell in to faithlessness, just as they did during the time of Moses, and many times after, a price had to be paid for their sin of rejecting God's Son.
Why? The Israelites were the chosen people. They represented humanity. When the Israelites rejected Jesus, it represented humanity rejecting Jesus, so that ALL humanity now belonged to Satan completely. The sin of rejecting the Messiah was worse than the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus was the second chance that God gave after thousands of years of sacrifice and preparation.
And this is why Jesus had to sacrifice his body and flesh. To pay the price for all humanity to be freed from the grasp of Satan that they had fallen in to due to rejecting Jesus himself.
By sacrificing his body, Jesus won the victory and opened the door to spiritual salvation, but physical salvation was delayed. Until the second coming. Which is why even great disciples like Paul struggled with their flesh. ("With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin").
Even today, the most devout believer is not free from Satan's claim over our flesh. But in our spirit and heart, we are saved and beyond Satan's grasp.
Why did Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Many believers have been taught that Jesus prayed "let this cup ass from me" out of weakness. I do not believe this. Jesus heart was already perfectly united and one with the Father. If the cross could complete both spiritual and physical salvation, Jesus would have undergone it a hundred times without regret.
I believe that Jesus prayed this way because, even at that late hour, he wanted desperately to rescue Israel, to fulfill the prophecy of Glory, BUT he needed faith. When the disciples themselves, even his core three disciples, failed to exhibit even the necessary faith, he finally accepted that the course of the crucifixion could not be avoided.
Why would Jesus want to avoid the crucifixion?
One, because he knew that if he had to go the path of martyrdom, death and blood, all his disciples throughout history would have to go through the same path. Not just his immediate disciples, but in Christian history, the path forward has always been won via martyrdom and blood. Jesus wanted to avoid this suffering for those who would follow him, if possible.
Two, because he knew that Israel would be destroyed and lose God's blessing completely if he was rejected and had to go to the cross. He did not WANT Israel to reject him. He wanted them to accept him.
Matt 23:37 "O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate.…
He knew this would happen well before the crucifixion took place (Matt 21:33-41)
Three, because he knew that if he had to pay the price of faithlessness of Israel via the cross, that the history of suffering for humanity would continued until the time when the Second Coming could take place. So far, that's 2000 years.
Jesus wanted with all his heart to establish the kingdom in the spirit and flesh at that time, to bring about physical and spiritual salvation at that time, but the obstacles was the faithlessness of the Israelites, and eventually, even his disciples fell into faithlessness.
Jesus prayed "Let this cup pass from me" not because of weakness or human frailty, but because of love. Because of his desire to fulfill God's will then and not prolong the history of suffering. He prayed so hard for that that the blood vessels behind his eyes burst and his tears became tears of blood.
(What martyrs that followed Jesus prayed with tears to avoid death? No. They welcomed it. Is Jesus weaker than them?)
But the greatness of Jesus heart is that despite his intense and overwhelming desire to complete the original mission and fulfill the prophecy of glory, he united with the Father, and always, always, accepted the Father's will when it became clear there was no other way forward.
Anyway, that's my personal belief. The Jesus I know has the greatest heart and the greatest love, and THAT is why he prayed so hard in the garden. NOT because he wanted to avoid any personal suffering.
If one reads the scriptures from that perspective, many, many things reveal themselves. Jesus worked hard to have the people believe, for the first 2 years of his ministry, but once it became clear that the people were not uniting with him, then he began to speak of the crucifixion and his own death.
And, he pointed out very clearly that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of the second coming of Elijah, and scripture records how, instead of becoming Jesus greatest disciple, John himself got distracted, caught up in court politics, and eventually compete doubted whether Jesus was actually Christ. In short, John the Baptist failed his mission. Instead of making the way straight, he became an obstacle between the Jewish people and Jesus, by denying that he was in fact Elijah.
The blessing God gave to Israel was lost, and Jesus, via the crucifixion, opened up spiritual salvation and created the foundation for the founding of Christianity, as the new Chosen people, to prepare for the Second Coming.
May his kingdom come on Earth, as it is in Heaven!