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| Chapter XXV
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Chapter XXV.
We have mentioned in the preceding pages that
there are some of the declarations of Jesus which refer to that Being
in Him which was the “first-born of every creature,” such
as, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” and such
like; and others, again, which belong to that in Him which is
understood to be man, such as, “But now ye seek to kill Me, a man
that hath told you the truth which I have heard of the
Father.”3285
And here,
accordingly, he describes the element of weakness belonging to human
flesh, and that of readiness of spirit which existed in His
humanity: the element of weakness in the expression,
“Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me;” the
readiness of the spirit in this, “Nevertheless, not as I will,
but as Thou wilt.” And since it is proper to observe the
order of our quotations, observe that, in the first place, there is
mentioned only the single instance, as one would say, indicating the
weakness of the flesh; and afterwards those other instances, greater in
number, manifesting the willingness of the spirit. For the
expression, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
Me,” is only one: whereas more numerous are those others,
viz., “Not as I will, but as Thou wilt;” and, “O My
Father, if this cup cannot pass from Me except I drink it, Thy will be
done.” It is to be noted also, that the words are not,
“let this cup depart from Me;” but that the whole
expression is marked by a tone of piety and reverence, “Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.” I know,
indeed, that there is another explanation of this passage to the
following effect:—The Saviour, foreseeing the sufferings which
the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem were to undergo in requital
of the wicked deeds which the Jews had dared to perpetrate upon Him,
from no other motive than that of the purest philanthropy towards them,
and from a desire that they might escape the impending calamities, gave
utterance to the prayer, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup
pass from Me.” It is as if He had said, “Because of
My drinking this cup of punishment, the whole nation will be forsaken
by Thee, I pray, if it be possible, that this cup may pass from Me, in
order that Thy portion, which was guilty of such crimes against Me, may
not be altogether deserted by Thee.” But if, as Celsus
would allege, “nothing at that time was done to Jesus which was
either painful or distressing,” how could men afterwards quote
the example of Jesus as enduring sufferings for the sake of religion,
if He did not suffer what are human sufferings, but only had the
appearance of so doing?E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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