Mark 14:36 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

NIV: Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'

NASB: And He was saying, 'Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.'

CSB: And he said, "Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will."

NLT: Abba, Father,' he cried out, 'everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.'

KJV: And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

NKJV: And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

Abba is Aramaic for "father." By calling God "Father," Jesus is acknowledging two major aspects of His relationship to God. First, God loves Jesus as a father and wants the best for Him. Second, Jesus owes God His submissive obedience as a son does his father.

Ephesians 1:4 says that God "…chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him…" God certainly knew that Adam and Eve would sin in the garden, and He knew their descendants would be unable to choose to obey Him. When the Trinity made the world, They knew the Son would have to sacrifice His life for Their creation.

In order to be a substitute for humans, the Son had to become human. That is, He had to take on human nature in addition to His God nature. This human side knows what the God side has planned. He knows that the suffering will be horrible, but short-lived. And He knows that the suffering will result in God glorified and humanity saved.

Jesus' human side also has its own will. If He had a choice, He would prefer not to go through the crucifixion. Even more so, however, Jesus is dreading the "cup." In the culture, one's "cup" was one's lot in life, whether good or bad. When Jesus gives the cup to the disciples at the Lord's Supper, they are taking on the life His blood provides, both the persecution that comes to His followers (Mark 10:38–39) and everlasting life in paradise (Mark 14:23–24).

The Bible also uses the concept of "the cup" as a spiritual metaphor for God's wrath. Revelation 14:10 describes the fate of those who take on the mark of the beast: "he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger…" This is the "cup" that Jesus takes on the cross for believers. It's only logical that He would want to avoid it, but He finishes His prayer submitting to the wishes of His Father.

Mark 14:32–42 contains Jesus' wait in the garden of Gethsemane. This describes Jesus' example and the disciples' catastrophic failure to follow the general theme of Jesus' admonition in Mark 13:32–37. Jesus watches how God moves and prays for His part in it. The disciples sleep. Three times, their Master finds them unconscious, both physically and spiritually (Mark 13:35–36). They do not take the time, as Jesus does, to prepare for the hardships in front of them. They so expect Jesus' victory over the Roman occupiers they don't prepare for His spiritual war on the cross. This story is also in Matthew 26:36–46 and Luke 22:39–46.

Jesus is anointed in a symbolic anticipation of His death. Judas decides to secretly cooperate with local religious leaders to arrest Jesus in secret. During the Passover meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal by Judas, and Peter's denial. He also institutes the Lord's Supper, also known as communion. After praying on the Mount of Olives, Jesus is captured when Judas identifies Him to a hostile mob sent by Jewish authorities. He endures a corrupt, prejudiced trial, ending in a conviction for blasphemy. Peter, fearing for his life, lies about knowing Jesus, before remembering Jesus' prediction and breaking down in sobs.

Jesus has finished His public teaching ministry and now prepares for the crucifixion. His sacrificial loyalty will provide the means by which the disciples' abandonment will be forgiven. Next, the Romans, as representatives of Gentiles throughout history, will join the Jews and kill Jesus. Jesus will be buried, but He will rise again with the promise that His sacrifice will redeem the world. Matthew 26 and Luke 22 follow Mark 14 more closely while John 13:1—18:27 records more of Jesus' teaching in the upper room.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.