The Cup

Years ago I wanted to get to the bottom of why Jesus referred to his difficulty in the garden as "the Cup."  I would say that I had never heard a sermon on why he referred to his dilemma as "the Cup" but too many times I have heard someone say that they had never heard a sermon on something when they had heard me preach on it several times.  Apparently not very effectively.  I have often said that I have never been properly quoted.  Too be fair, I have probably never properly quoted either (at least not off the cuff). Anyway, the Cup.  What in the world is Jesus talking about when he asked if the Cup could be taken from Him and why did He refer to it like that?  Well, to put it briefly, He is referring to the wrath of God.  It was not the physical pain of the cross or the horrible shame of the public display that he dreaded the most.  It was the separation that He would feel when He took on the sins of the world and for the first time ever had a sin barrier between He and the Father that would lead to a dreaded separation.
Why did He describe it as 'the Cup' and how do I know that?  The Old Testament tells me so.  There are several passages that refer to drinking down the dregs of the wrath of God and one of them is in our reading today ( http://www.lifejournal.cc/bible/ )  in Ps. 75:8- For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.  In the previous verse it gives an explanation that it is referring to the judgment of God.  What causes the judgment of God?  Sin.  What is the punishment for sin? God's Wrath.  Therefore 'the Cup' is a reference to the wrath of God.  Why 'the Cup'?  If you have ever seen the devastation that alcohol can bring to a person, you know the sweeping and awful effects of something that was first taken by choice and enjoyed that has since turned into a curse.   Alcoholism,  death by accident caused by alcohol's influence,  and the decisions made while under the influence are all great examples of why the wrath of God is described as 'the Cup'.  God's wrath is sometimes discounted just like the effects of alcohol.  God's wrath can be sweeping and devastating (just look at the cross) just like the horrible effects of alcohol.   Alcohol not only hurts the guilty but also those that are influenced by them, just like alcohol reaches outside the borders of the individual.  It is devastating, just as the wrath of God is.
Now to get the full understanding of the wrath of God, you only need to thoroughly study the Old Testament.  It deals deeply with the judgment of God. OR you can look simply to the cross of Christ in the New Testament.  Jesus took on God's Wrath at about noon that day on the cross.  It caused the ground to shake, the sky to turn black.  The earth literally trembled and shuddered due to the influence of the wrath of God. 
But also get this:  Due to Christ's taking on the wrath of God, we don't have to.  Through the substitute of Christ, once we surrender to His Lordship, acknowledge His Sacrifice, and live for Him, the wrath that He endured covers the weight of our sin guilt.  As He did for Abraham, He credits us with righteousness.  Not because we earned it, but because Christ did.  Not because of who we are, but because of whose we are. 
That ought to put a smile on your face, a hop in your step, and a gitty in your go on this Saturday. 
Christ loves you so much that He 'drank it down' for you.  Give this day to Him and celebrate it!