The Meaning of the Cup in Matthew 26:42

Matthew 26:42

42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, your will be done.

The "cup" mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 26:42 refers to the bitter draught of humiliation, soul-anguish, and separation from God that He endured as the substitute for a fallen race25LtMs, Ms 9, 1910, par. 11+1. This experience was the climax of His mission, where the weight of the sins of the whole world was laid upon His soul19LtMs, Ms 52, 1904, par. 3+1.

The Nature of the Cup

The cup represented the sum total of the agonies of Christ's atoning sacrifice, compressed into a single hour of anticipated horrorARSH December 18, 1860, page 35.4. This was not merely a dread of physical suffering, but a realization of the awful separation that sin causes between the soul and GodRH November 19, 1895, par. 10+1.

• The Weight of Sin: Jesus felt the crushing weight of the sins of every human being, which felt like an insupportable burden pressing upon His soul25LtMs, Ms 9, 1910, par. 11+1.

• Separation from the Father: The most bitter element of the cup was the sense of the Father’s frown and the withdrawal of His light and love because Christ had "become sin" for humanity 2 Corinthians 5:21PH169 4.1+1.

• Divine Wrath: He was drinking the cup of God's retributive justice against transgression, suffering the death pronounced upon those who break the lawPrT February 14, 1895, par. 9+1.

The Struggle in Gethsemane

As Jesus contemplated the price to be paid for the human soul, the mysterious cup literally trembled in His handDA 687.2+1. The fate of humanity hung in the balance as He wrestled with the choice to either drink the cup and save the world or leave man to perish in iniquityDA 689.4+1.

• Superhuman Agony: His mental anguish was so intense that it forced great drops of blood from His pores, which moistened the sod of Gethsemane Luke 22:4425LtMs, Ms 9, 1910, par. 11+1.

• Human Shrinking: Three times His humanity shrank from the sacrifice, leading Him to pray that if it were possible, the cup might pass from Him Matthew 26:39DA 689.4+1.

• Perfect Submission: Ultimately, He prayed His human nature into perfect submission, declaring that if the cup could not pass unless He drank it, the Father’s will be done Matthew 26:42GCB June 2, 1913, page 240.8+1.

Divine Strength to Finish

Although the disciples, from whom Jesus sought sympathy, were overcome by a stupor and fell asleep, He was not left entirely aloneDA 687.2+1. A mighty angel from the presence of God came to His side, not to remove the cup, but to strengthen the royal Sufferer to drink it to its very dregs21LtMs, Lt 66, 1906, par. 15+1. This strength allowed Him to tread the blood-stained path to Calvary and complete the plan of redemption12MR 115.1+1.

Contrast with the Cup of Indignation

By drinking this cup of suffering, Jesus offered to man a "cup of blessing" in its place1TT 222.1+1. Those who refuse this "cup of salvation" will eventually be compelled to drink from the "cup of God's indignation," which consists of the seven last plagues poured out without mixture Revelation 14:10CCh 333.4+1. Jesus endured the demonstration of God’s thorough justice so that the repentant sinner might find mercy and be reinstated in the favor of God7ABC 471.3+1.