Pivotal Moments
| Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from Him. "Abba, Father," He said, "everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will." (Mark14:35-36 ) |
There are a number of pivotal moments in the Gospel Story.
Here are some of them:
- When Adam and Eve sinned, God was ready with a plan: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel." (Gen3:15) This passage is often called the "proto-evangelium" which means the first or primary gospel. God's plan, from the outset, was to send His Son.
- Before Mary's conception there is a decision that is made in heaven - it is prophesied in the Psalms and recognised in the book of Hebrews. "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.' Then I said, 'Here I am -- it is written about Me in the scroll -- I have come to do Your will, O God.'" (Heb10:5-7)
- Then comes the moment of Jesus' baptism where the sinless Son of God, joins humanity in a baptism of repentance, symbolically "stepping into our dirty bathwater" so that He can carry our sins on the cross.
- Then there is this moment - the moment where Jesus chooses to drink the cup of suffering and obey the will of the Father and reverse the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Mark keeps this moment short and sharp. Luke tells us that Jesus was in such anguish that His sweat was like drops of blood. (Some suggest that this refers to a condition called "hematidrosis" where under huge stress and pressure, a person's blood pressure rises to such an extent that the fine capillaries at the surface of the skin burst and their sweat carries that blood to their pores.)
He was focused, determined and deliberate in His journey to the cross.
He came to save you and me.
Hallelujah!
