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Author: Stephen Weller
628 words, 3 minutes read time

The Cup of God’s Wrath

Scripture: Matthew 26:53-54; John 18:11

In the previous lesson we watch Peter attempt to defend Jesus and in the process he managed to cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. In this lesson we will listen further to what Jesus has to tell Peter.

^{Mt 26:53} Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? ^{Jn 18:11} Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

After telling Peter to put his sword back in it place, he points out two reasons why the sword is not needed: (1) he could appeal to his Father and request that he send more than twelve legions of angels to defend him, and (2) he must allow the arrest and go to the cross and drink the cup of God’s wrath to fulfill Scripture.

The number of angels is excessive to face the crowd, for a Roman legion consist of about 6000 soldiers thus a total of 72,000 angels is being referenced. With that many angels, and not considering the power of Jesus spoken word, there is no army on earth that could oppose him. Since Jesus was not sent to oppose Rome or other political forces, but to purchases our salvation, then opposition is not necessary.

What is the cup that the Father gave to Jesus to drink? The cup is an important symbol of his suffering and death that he will experience by taking our sin and dying in our place on the cross. The physical suffering would include the scourging prior to the cross and then the suffering of crucifixion (Matthew 20:19), but it included much more.

In our context, the cup is a symbol of cursing and contains the wrath of God. In Jeremiah 25, the cup becomes a striking and terrifying symbol of God’s wrathful judgment upon sin and evil. The wrath of God that was to come upon us because of our sin and evil would be directed to Jesus when he takes our sin and dies in our place and in exchange for his righteousness and eternal life. Try to imagine a holy God becoming sin in our place.

⁴⁵ “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” (Matthew 27:45 – 46 ESV) It is possible that during the three hour period from the sixth hour to the ninth that our sin was being transferred to Jesus, and when finished at the ninth hour, God’s presence was also gone and Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””

Because of our sin, the Father could not look upon his Son and had to turn from him and experiencing this horrible separation, “Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50 ESV). Jesus suffered so much on our behalf yet we in our comfort think so little of this. Those who live under persecution have a much greater appreciation of this as they enter into the fellowship of suffering with him (Philippians 3:10).

Conclusion

Peter put his sword away, the ear was put back on the servant, and an explanation of why the arrest must take place has been given. It is now time for the arrest, but first a few words to those who came to arrest Jesus.