The Last Three Prayers of Jesus (Part One)

#1 · September 29, 2006, 1:21 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on September 29, 2006, 1:21 pm
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
I here give an outline and some notes under the first of three points. The last three prayers of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Luke came as inspiration and instruction for my soul during a time of great loss and suffering in my own heart. I will try to complete the notes in the next one or two Bible Notes.

The Last Three Prayers of Jesus

The last three prayers Luke records from the life of the Lord Jesus give us some deep truths to ponder. May we all learn and properly follow His submission to God's will, His selfless forgiveness toward others, and His complete trust in the Heavenly Father.

I. A Bitter Cup -- Submission to God's Will

"Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)

Jesus was both God and man. This is the mystery of the Incarnation. As God, there was no way that He would do anything other than the will of God; but, as man, he had a free will and he had no desire to suffer the pain, humiliation, rejection, betrayal, and brokenness of heart that he must soon face through the time of trial and crucifixion. Therefore, He prayed that the cup would be removed. Yet, even this request is qualified by the words, "if thou be willing".

When Jesus further prayed, "Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.", He shows that He would submit His own human will, feelings, preferences, and etc. to the perfect will of God. In this submission, He shows that He walked that path of suffering and death willingly. Jesus chose the will of the Heavenly Father above all else and to the exclusion of all else. Nothing ultimately mattered to Him except as it was included in the will of God.

"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)

Notice that the Father never answered the request of His only begotten Son: "Remove this cup from me". But, He did send an angel immediately to strengthen His Son so that his weakened humanity could endure to the end (Luke 22:43).

There are some situations in life that go beyond our ability to understand. If we know we are in the will of God and God allows, even directs, our paths to the endurance of great suffering, we must keep the same attitude of submission to the will of our Heavenly Father as Jesus demonstrates in this prayer. Sometimes, it is God's will to remove the suffering; but, often it is His will to grant us the grace to suffer gracefully and submissively. Many times the Gospel of Jesus Christ is hereby so adorned and demonstrated to lost souls that they are convinced more so than by any other means.

II. A Bountiful Compassion -- Forgiveness for Others

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

III. A Blessed Commitment -- Confidence in God

"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:" (Luke 23:46)

Yours in Christ,
Martin Overfield

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Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>

I here give an outline and some notes under the first of three points. The last three prayers of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Luke came as inspiration and instruction for my soul during a time of great loss and suffering in my own heart. I will try to complete the notes in the next one or two Bible Notes.

The Last Three Prayers of Jesus

The last three prayers Luke records from the life of the Lord Jesus give us some deep truths to ponder. May we all learn and properly follow His submission to God's will, His selfless forgiveness toward others, and His complete trust in the Heavenly Father.

I. A Bitter Cup -- Submission to God's Will

"Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)

Jesus was both God and man. This is the mystery of the Incarnation. As God, there was no way that He would do anything other than the will of God; but, as man, he had a free will and he had no desire to suffer the pain, humiliation, rejection, betrayal, and brokenness of heart that he must soon face through the time of trial and crucifixion. Therefore, He prayed that the cup would be removed. Yet, even this request is qualified by the words, "if thou be willing".

When Jesus further prayed, "Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.", He shows that He would submit His own human will, feelings, preferences, and etc. to the perfect will of God. In this submission, He shows that He walked that path of suffering and death willingly. Jesus chose the will of the Heavenly Father above all else and to the exclusion of all else. Nothing ultimately mattered to Him except as it was included in the will of God.

"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)

Notice that the Father never answered the request of His only begotten Son: "Remove this cup from me". But, He did send an angel immediately to strengthen His Son so that his weakened humanity could endure to the end (Luke 22:43).

There are some situations in life that go beyond our ability to understand. If we know we are in the will of God and God allows, even directs, our paths to the endurance of great suffering, we must keep the same attitude of submission to the will of our Heavenly Father as Jesus demonstrates in this prayer. Sometimes, it is God's will to remove the suffering; but, often it is His will to grant us the grace to suffer gracefully and submissively. Many times the Gospel of Jesus Christ is hereby so adorned and demonstrated to lost souls that they are convinced more so than by any other means.

II. A Bountiful Compassion -- Forgiveness for Others

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

III. A Blessed Commitment -- Confidence in God

"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:" (Luke 23:46)

Yours in Christ,
Martin Overfield

Please pass this Bible Note along to any who might be interested or helped by it. To SUBSCRIBE to FREE Bible Notes, send an empty email to this address: bible_notes-subscribe=welovegod.org and respond to the confirmation email that will automatically be sent to you. Note: Since the email addresses are automatically cut when posted to the website, I am substituting the = sign for the @ sign, but the link should still work correctly when clicked in html/styled email.

To read Bible Notes on the Internet and/or search the archives click on the following link:
http://welovegod.org/groups/bible_notes/

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14) --To unsubscribe, send ANY message to bible_notes-unsubscribe@welovegod.org