"What should we make of the fact that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to avoid the cross, if possible in God's will?"

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"If it is possible, let this cup pass from me," Jesus prayed, "yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39).  But was he really asking to avoid the cross? If that is all we see, we will miss one of the most powerful and poignant statements in Scripture concerning Jesus' love for us sinners and the extent to which he was willing to go to save us.

Jesus prayed "with loud crying and tears" to God "who was able to save him from death," says the author of Hebrews -- "and he was heard because of his piety" (Heb. 5:7). The expression "save him FROM death" is leterally translated "save him OUT OF death." Jesus did not pray on this occasion to avoid death -- he had already set his face to the destiny appointed for him (John 12:27-28; Isa. 50:5-10). He prayed that, after he died, God would "save him out of death" by raising him to life again. God heard this prayer of his pious Son and did exactly what he asked.

The Old Testament pictures God's punishment against sin as a "cup" which God himself mixes and hands to the person to be punished, who must "drink" it (Psalm 60:3; 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22-23; Jer. 25:15-38; Obad. 16). Sometimes a person drinks God's cup and it sends them reeling, but God then takes the cup back from their hand and they recover (Psalm 60:3; Isa. 51:22). Sometimes, however, God does not take the cup back -- and the person who drinks it falls to the ground and never rises again (Obad. 16; Jer. 25:27).

Jesus prays for the first scenario. He drank the cup and died. But God took the cup back from Jesus' hand -- he saved him out of death. Jesus rose again, in vindication of his own faith and of God's faithfulness. "Let this cup pass from me," Jesus prayed. And it did! Because Jesus drank the cup of divine wrath, we do not have to drink it. Instead, Jesus hands us the cup of the new covenant to drink, a cup of blessing which attests that we are forgiven forever (Matt. 26:27-28).

For more on prayer, click here.