This Cup

There are different theories of how Alexander the Great died. One of the most popular theories is that he died of poisoning. There’s a legend that as he was about to take a drink from this fateful (and fatal) cup, he saw a vision of his mother in his wine. Experts think it is more likely that he died from typhoid or malaria.

There’s, however, a better-documented story surrounding a man and His cup. The synoptic gospels all speak of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane staring down His own (figurative) cup (Matthew 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). Jesus wasn’t seeing visions of His sweet mother in that “cup.” On the cold dark night of Gethsemane, Jesus saw the terrible things that were to befall His body and soul shortly, visions so dark and terrible that He had to insert a clause in His prayers.

But that night, Jesus didn’t see only that bitter cup He was about to drink from. He also saw something that made Him able to submit to God’s will all the way. The writer of Hebrews fills us in.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”    

(Hebrews 12:2, KJV)

While the suffering He would go through (and was already going through) was so great as to make Him sweat like He was bleeding while praying (Luke 22:44), He also saw the glorious end in sight. He knew that it wouldn’t end in the corruption of death (Psalms 16:10) and that it was going to end in victory (Psalms 110:1). Jesus saw and knew the glorious end by the scriptures.

In our own dark days, we must remember that God only has beautiful plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He only wants to make us better at the end of those trials (Malachi 3:3). It is this assurance of eventual victory that would help us weather the difficult times. And we’ll find this assurance in the words He’s spoken to us – in the Bible.

Good friends are one of the greatest blessings anyone can have. But even the best of friends can sleep off or ghost on you in your moments of soul-wrenching anguish like Jesus’ friends did (and you can’t blame them- they were only human). If we would come out of those trying times as gold, we must, like David (1 Samuel 30:6), encourage ourselves in God’s promises in our lives and keep towing His path.