REDIRECTED NOT REJECTEDSample

The one story popularly used to teach that God sometimes outrightly denies our requests is the exact one that shouldn’t, but people sometimes are not patient enough to examine all the elements of the story. If there’s one person who deserves the endless favour/uninterrupted acceptance of the Father, it is Christ; and as our High Priest, His prayers ought to be known & understood to be absolutely potent in all situations. For the reason that by virtue of His being God, He always knows the will of God, and can never request anything out of line with this divine will, which, as the Eternal Son, He shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit—He cannot deny Himself.

So then, what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?

Firstly, the writer of Hebrews in today’s text tells us God (even the Father) heard Jesus’ passionate prayer, and that because He revered Him. This ought to make us re-read this prayer carefully.

By virtue of His second nature, i.e., humanity, Jesus is understood in orthodox theology to have possessed two immaculate wills: one divine will, which we have seen to be existent in the Blessed Trinity, and one human will in his human nature. This human will, untainted by sin, is the will that governs human comfort & convenience. It is by this will He requests a more comfortable way to accomplish our salvation without suffering (the Cup), "…if it is possible.” Did you notice that this part of the prayer is not definite but conditional, yet it seems to be the only part people remember?

But that’s not all the Lord’s request entailed; the more definite part of His prayer was that God’s will be done. He superimposes His divine will over His human convenience, and this is His true request. Psalm 40:7-8, which corresponds with Psalm 39:9 (LXX) and Hebrews 10:5-7, tells us that Jesus came, delighting to do the will of the Father, intimating us of this prayer.

So then, that the cup should pass over if there was any way, was only half the prayer and was the subjective part; but the true and definite half of the prayer was that not His human will but the Divine will be done; which was that He accomplish our salvation according to the Scriptures. God then answers His prayer: first by strengthening Him (Luke 22:43), and then by raising Him from the dead. Hence, the writer of Hebrews says He prayed to be saved from death, and God heard Him.

God heard Jesus’ prayer; it was not unanswered. He placed the Divine will over His human convenience, and God delivered Him from untimely death, as well as raised Him after the cross from the death predestined for Him.