In the Shadow of the Cross

KEY VERSE: “Take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” —Mark 14:36

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Mark 14:22-36

ALL the prophecies in the Old Testament that foretell of the character of Jesus at his first advent, portray him as humble, meek, and obedient to the Heavenly Father’s will that he accept the disesteem and rejection of men. (Isa. 53; Ps. 40) But in the prophecies concerning his second advent, especially his reign during the kingdom, he is portrayed as a strong leader, administering the affairs of the kingdom with the power and authority of God. (Isa. 9) The lesson we must learn from this is that it was necessary for Jesus at his first advent to suffer, to be submissive and obedient, in order to prove his loyalty and faithfulness beyond any question of doubt before he was exalted to the divine nature at his resurrection. In Hebrews 5:8,9, we read, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author [captain] of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” And in Philippians 2:7-11, speaking of Jesus, he “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth.”

The last twenty-four hours of the three-and-one-half years of Jesus’ ministry were the culmination of a life completely consecrated to the doing of God’s will. Jesus knew that he must die to be a ransom for Adam, in order to free the race from Adamic condemnation. This thought was expressed by Jesus in Mark 10:45. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for [the] many.” And so we believe that the concern Jesus expressed on the night before his crucifixion was not because of fear of death, but rather the things that he knew would be associated with that death. Jesus, in describing what he knew would take place, said, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles. And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”—Mark 10:33,34

These things would be blasphemous to God’s name and to his plans and purposes for the salvation of the human race. We believe that it was this that Jesus desired to avoid if possible. Associated with this also was the realization that if in this final trial he should falter it could be possible that he would not be resurrected, and the entire plan of God would not be realized. This plan required that the ransoming merit of his poured-out life, surrendered according to God’s will, be made available by his resurrection as the “blood of the Covenant,” to activate the New Covenant under which the world’s sins will be forgiven and blessings and life will flow unto them. (Matt. 26:26-29; Heb. 8:12) These vital concerns weighed heavily upon the courageous heart of our Lord.

The date and time of Jesus’ death were well defined in the Scriptures. Jesus was the anti-typical Passover Iamb. (I Cor. 5:7) The prophecy in Daniel 9:25-27 indicated that the ministry of Jesus was to be three and-one-half years long. To fulfill the type it was necessary that his death occur on the Passover that marked the end of his ministry. This occurred, according to scholars, on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33, at 3:00 p.m. The evening before, Jesus completed the type of the Passover by eating it with his disciples. It is no longer proper for believers to celebrate the typical Passover. Jesus instituted in its stead what we refer to as the Memorial Supper, which is principally in memory of his sacrificial death on our behalf, but also shows how his footstep-followers are privileged to participate with him in his suffering, and if faithful, of being associated with him in the grand work of the kingdom.—I Pet. 1:18-21; II Tim. 2:7-12

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