“Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Matthew 21:27)

John's baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin'—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a Prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." (Matthew 21:26)

Why didn't Jesus tell them?

We should note that this exchange is taking place between Jesus and "the chief priests and the elders of the people," according to Matthew 21:23.

So why didn't Jesus tell them where his authority came from? Because they were not willing to admit publicly that John the Baptist's baptism (and teachings) were from God, Jesus was not going to state to them that his authority also came from God.

This response by the temple chief priests and elders is critical to the time and circumstances surrounding Jesus’ teachings, Jesus’ relationship with John the Baptist, and how John the Baptist is key to our understanding of who Jesus was. How so?

While many might try to deny that Jesus was actually the disciple of John the Baptist, this is confirmed in the priests and elders' statement and Jesus’ response. It is also confirmed by the fact that John baptized Jesus.

From their statements, we can see that John the Baptist was an esteemed teacher in those times, and was widely recognized as a Prophet.

Jesus' statements also indicate that Jesus was teaching the same teachings as his teacher, John the Baptist. These are the same teachings of the Prophets.

These points and others indicate that John the Baptist was Jesus' teacher.

Was John the Baptist a Prophet?

Many would have us believe that John the Baptist's role was only to introduce Jesus. As though John the Baptist did not teach to thousands of people, and people didn't journey hundreds of miles to hear him speak:

Even tax collectors came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" (Luke 3:12)

Jesus also accepted John as a bonafide teacher:

"For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did." (Matthew 21:32)

After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A Prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a Prophet." (Luke 7:24-26)

John was by Jesus' own words, a true Prophet. "More than a Prophet" doesn't disregard Prophets like Moses and Abraham, which Jesus quoted and followed. John was "more" because he dedicated his life to teaching people. John's entire life was to serve and please the Supreme Being by educating people.

Many teach that the Prophets merely “Prophetized” - or foretold events of the future, primarily Jesus' coming. This is a blatant twisting of the content of the Bible in an attempt to downplay the importance of the teachings of the Prophets.

If this were true, this would mean that for thousands of years, no one could be saved. They would have us believe that billions of people had to await Jesus’ birth and suffering on the cross in order to have salvation. This indeed is a twisting of all the essential teachings of Moses, Abraham, David, Solomon, Job, Jacob, and all the other messengers of God who came to teach humanity to love and serve God.

Those who downplay the teachings of the Prophets cause us to ignore Moses' teaching:

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deut. 6:5)

Which Jesus quoted in his teachings, adding: "This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:38)

Are we automatically saved by Jesus' crucifixion?

Why would Jesus bother to quote Moses and other Prophets if their teachings were not important? Why would Jesus bother to teach if all we had to do was stare at a depiction of Jesus suffering on the cross and be saved?

This teaching that we are automatically saved by Jesus' "dying" on the cross is ludicrous. It assumes that every other teaching of the Bible is moot. It assumes that a person does not have to change. It assumes we can continue to live our self-centered life and still be saved after we make that declaration that we are saved - essentially wiping our sins off on Jesus.

This has nothing to do with Jesus' teachings. It has nothing to do with the examples of all the lives of the Prophets, and their teachings. If they did, why didn't Jesus just come out and say "Just wait until I am crucified and then just stare at the cross in church on Sunday and you'll be saved."?

Rather, he said:

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

The teachings of Jesus and all the Prophets are the same, and it is these teachings that can save us - assuming we hear them and we make the necessary changes to comply with them. It is coming to know and love the Supreme Being - and taking refuge in Him - that will save us.

Following the teachings of Jesus and the Prophets, including John the Baptist, means to recognize that God is the most important person in the universe, not me. It means giving up our self-centered lives and becoming God-centered. It means learning to love and serve God with all our hearts.

This requires a change of heart and a change of consciousness. Something that Jesus and all the Prophets were trying to teach us with their lives.

"I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me. ..." (Matthew 26:20-23)

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve And while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely you don't mean me, Lord?" Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me." (Matthew 26:20-23)

Why didn't Jesus evade arrest?

Jesus spoke this at the dinner attended by Jesus and his disciples - often referred to as the Last Supper.' Jesus is foretelling the fact that Judas will be telling the institutional temple high priest and his guards where Jesus will be praying shortly after, in order to arrest him.

Why didn't Jesus leave the area once he knew he was going to be captured and turned over to the chief priest? Why didn't he just leave? Why did he wait around to be arrested? 

And why did he greet the guards instead of avoiding arrest? And why did he chastise Peter when he defended Jesus by fighting with the guards who came to arrest Jesus?

Furthermore, while Jesus may have known he would be persecuted, it is questionable that Judas knew that his telling the high priest where Jesus would be would lead to Jesus' subsequent persecution. How would Judas have known the result of the trial and the sentencing?

After all, Jesus was also referred to by his students and others as 'rabbi.' So why would Judas believe the institutional temple high priest would have Jesus persecuted?

The reality is that Judas did not know. This is illustrated by the fact that when Judas found out they had condemned Jesus to death, Judas committed suicide. That was how great his regret was.

Did Jesus instruct Judas to turn him in?

There is evidence, in fact, that Jesus encouraged or instructed Judas to do this. Should Judas have disobeyed Jesus if Jesus instructed it?

The fact that Jesus not only allowed it but instructed it, is confirmed by Jesus' statement to Judas:

"What you are about to do, do quickly." (John 13:27)

It is also evidenced in Matthew that Judas was shocked to find that the high priest turned Jesus over to the Romans to be persecuted:

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility." So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. (Matt. 27:3-5)

We must also ask, why, if Jesus knew that he was to be handed over to the high priest and subsequently persecuted, did Jesus not only encourage and instruct Judas to do this "quickly" - why did Jesus not leave once he understood what would happen to him? Why did Jesus not avoid the arrest? Why did he wait there - where Judas would lead the high priest's guards?

Because Jesus understood this was part of his service to the Supreme Being. He understood this to be God's will:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

and

"... I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)

Surrounding the statements above in Matthew, Jesus' disciples including Judas, one by one said they did not want to be involved:

They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" (Matt. 26:23)

Then Jesus clearly identified who would be turning him in as indicated above.

So why were Jesus' other disciples refusing to participate?

Because traditionally, disciples of a spiritual teacher do not want their teacher to be arrested.

Was it really betrayal?

Why is this statement by Jesus important? And does Jesus really use the word "betray" here? And why would Jesus have a close disciple - one of his close twelve - who would betray him?

The Greek word translated to "betray" is παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi). "Betray" is a simplified translation to this more nuanced Greek word in context. The Greek word means, according to the lexicon, "to give into the hands (of another)" or to "cause one to be taken."

But the act of handing someone over into the hands of another can be seen as an act of betrayal.

It is clear that Jesus is speaking of someone who will be turning him in. This would only be betrayal if Jesus didn't want this to happen.

Yet there was certainly an aspect of betrayal, but it wasn't specifically in arranging Jesus' arrest. The betrayal was Judas' collecting 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15) in return for arranging the arrest.

This was a betrayal to Jesus because Judas was personally taking advantage of the situation. He was doing something that was not authorized by Jesus - using Jesus for his own advantage.

For those of us who are anxious to point out Judas' error: There is actually a lesson to learn among those who have since taken advantage of Jesus, and have thus betrayed him as well. 

Jesus defined this sort of betrayal:

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matt. 7:21-23)

Why is this also betrayal?

Instead of following Jesus' teachings and his instructions, some try to utilize Jesus' life for their own purposes. They ask Jesus to give them wealth and success. They want Jesus to heal them whenever they are hurt. And they want to use Jesus' murder to clean and purify their sins.

As a result, their focus is on Jesus' miracles and the crucifixion. They portray his suffering body upon the cross in their churches and around their necks. And whenever they want something they will brandish the cross.

This is why Jesus said, "I never knew you."

How appalling it is to portray Jesus' suffering on the cross for our purification rituals such as "bathing in the blood of Jesus." How monstrous is this? To use the murder of someone who loved us and sacrificed his life to underscore his teachings? Appalling.

Jesus did not die for our sins. He died (actually only his body died) for his teachings, in the service of his beloved Supreme Being. He was murdered because he refused to retract his teachings. He refused to run away from his teachings. He stood by his teachings - which came from God - to the very end:

“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me." (John 7:16)

Following Jesus means carefully reviewing his teachings. It means trying to apply those teachings to our lives.

Jesus did not come to the earth to die for our sins. He came to the earth to teach us how to grow spiritually and learn to love God.

And with regard to sins, Jesus clearly instructed his followers to pray to God and ask God to forgive our sins:

"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' " (Luke 11:4)

God can forgive our sins at will. God doesn't need to become a man and die on the cross for our sins. God is the Supreme Controller. He can forgive and cleanse our sins with a simple thought. This is why Jesus suggested we ask God for forgiveness.

The essence and focus of Jesus' teachings are quite simple:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38)

"I tell you the truth, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." (Matthew 26:34)

Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." "Truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same."Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will." (Matthew 26:33-35)

Why did Jesus say Peter would disown him?

We find later that Jesus' prediction came true:

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!" After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away." Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Matt. 26:70-75)

This is not simply another miracle by Jesus. There is an important lesson to all of us within this event.

Jesus made his prediction in response to Peter's confidence in his devotion and dedication to Jesus. Jesus was illustrating that being confident about our devotion is a mistake.

This is based on the fact that any devotion we have to God is granted by God. Devotion is part of a relationship, and in this relationship, God is the gatekeeper.

This is not unlike other relationships. We might be confident that we are someone's boyfriend or girlfriend, but what if the other person doesn't want to be our girlfriend or boyfriend? A relationship always requires the participation of someone else - someone we cannot control.

In the same way, we can't simply go through some mechanical rituals and expect that we are now linked up with the Supreme Being, and have a solid relationship with Him. God must also participate. And we have no control over God's participation.

This requires humility. While many boast their allegiance to Jesus and/or God among the many sectarian religions of today, it is humble devotion that God is attracted to.

Should we announce to others that we are saved?

Just imagine if we announced to the whole world on television that someone was our boyfriend or girlfriend without their permission, or even without their agreeing that we were even officially our boyfriend and girlfriend. How would they feel? What if they were a well-known person?

They would undoubtedly feel that we were using them to bring attention to ourselves. They would feel that we were abusing the relationship for our own gain.

It is no different when a person makes confident announcements about their faith. Just think about the various confident comments we often hear: "I am born again." "I am saved." "I love Jesus." These are grandiose statements intended to bring attention to ourselves. To announce to others that we have arrived.

This is not devotion, because real devotion is inseparable from humility. Real devotion does not come with big announcements about our own dedication, as Simon Peter made to Jesus.

Jesus was trying to teach this lesson of humble devotion to his students. And God executed the lesson as Peter indeed denied Jesus three times.

The lesson is that regardless of whatever devotion we have developed, or whatever knowledge we have been given by virtue of that devotion, it evaporates with arrogance. All our devotion and spiritual knowledge is granted by and comes from the Supreme Being. He is the source of all of it.

What is devotion?

Devotion or commitment is part of a relationship. The Supreme Being is a beautiful, gentle, loving and playful person. But He does not want to hang around those who are arrogant and self-confident.

Who would? Would any of us want to play with an arrogant team member, who had little praise for others? And when the team wins, the person says they are the reason the team won? No one would want to be on his team. We like "team players," who humbly give credit to the team when the team wins.

Whether we like it or not, we are each members of a special, personal "team." Our "team" is composed of the Supreme Being, His loving servants and representatives, and each of us as individuals. Who are we to make grandiose announcements about how "saved" or otherwise spiritually advanced we are?

Rather, any advancement we have has been mercifully given to us.

This is the lesson Jesus was trying to teach Peter, and his followers in general. Jesus reiterated this point when he said:

"Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, The greatest among you will be your servant." (Matthew 23:10-11)

Being a servant is a position of humility, where a person is wanting to provide service to another. Jesus wanted his students to serve the Supreme Being, and also serve humanity by passing on his teachings to others. Jesus taught this by example:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

Is Jesus also teaching about humility?

Developing real humility was a big part of Jesus' teachings, because humility, ultimately is our natural position. Jesus illustrated his own humility and devotion to the Supreme Being as he prayed to God and sang hymns to God on separate occasions:

After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. (Mark 6:46)

When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 14:26)

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39)

These illustrate that Jesus was humble regarding even his own relationship with God. Praying to God and singing hymns to God are indications of humble devotion in practice.

We were each created by the Supreme Being to be one of His loving caregivers and playmates. But we have forgotten this relationship due to our arrogance and self-centeredness. That is why we are away from Him, within these temporary physical bodies within the physical world.

Returning to our natural position thus requires a change of consciousness. Confidently proclaiming to be "saved" or "born again" is not the same as a change of consciousness. Changing our consciousness requires humbly coming to know, love, and serve the Supreme Being. We must re-develop our loving relationship with Him in order to return to our natural position as His servitor. This is why Jesus taught:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40)

"My Father, if it is possible ... Yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39)

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39)

Here Jesus, troubled and full of sorrow; having left the group of his students and walked to a place called Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36), put his face on the ground in the presence of Peter, James and John to say this prayer.

Does this prove that Jesus is God?

Actually, it proves that Jesus isn't God. The fact that Jesus fell to his face on the ground illustrates Jesus' devotion to the Supreme Being.

Jesus saw himself as God's humble servant, and this posture - of putting his face to the ground - was (and still is) a customary position for a devoted loving servant of God.

This contradicts teachings that proclaim that Jesus is God. Would God pray to Himself? Would God fall to his face in humble prayer to Himself? It is simply ludicrous that people would read these verses and still believe that Jesus could possibly be God.

At any rate, the previous verse explains that Jesus was troubled, and this was expressed in Jesus' prayer. Jesus was troubled because he knew he was going to be arrested shortly and tried and persecuted at the hands of the Romans. So Jesus was struggling with the fact that he could, at that moment, easily slip away and avoid the arrest altogether.

What did Jesus' prayer mean?

Jesus begins by asking God, "if it is possible." The key Greek words used here are:

"If" comes from εἰ (ei) - but can also mean "whether" according to the lexicon.

"Possible" is being translated from δυνατός (dynatos) - means "able, powerful, mighty, strong" according to the lexicon, as well as "to be able (to do something)".

The word "cup" is being translated from the Greek word ποτήριον (potērion) as indeed it can refer to "a cup," or "a drinking vessel" according to the lexicon. However, in this case, it is being used metaphorically, as Jesus is hardly speaking of cups here.

The metaphorical meaning of ποτήριον according to Thayer's lexicon is: "one's lot or experience, whether joyous or adverse, divine appointments, whether favorable or unfavorable, are likened to a cup which God presents one to drink: so of prosperity and adversity."

In other words, the word ποτήριον indicates a person's "lot" or "fate."

Here "be taken" is derived from παρέρχομαι (parerchomai), positioned on both sides of is being translated to "be taken" here. While it can mean "to go past" or "pass by" according to the lexicon, again we must apply its metaphorical meaning here, and according to the lexicon, this is: "to pass away" or "perish." Understanding this, what is being communicated can be better captured with "to remove."

Then "from" is translated from ἀπό (apo) here. This is appropriate, as its literal meaning is "to be separated from."

Then ἐγώ (egō) refers appropriately to the personal pronoun, "me."

As we put this together, Jesus is asking in the first part of his prayer that a particular "lot" or "fate" be "removed" or "taken from" him.

What is he asking to be removed? His fate. And what is his fate? He just disclosed his fate to his disciples, as he indicated that he would be arrested and persecuted, while his disciples would abandon him.

This indicates that the fate Jesus is asking God to remove is his coming persecution at the hands of the Romans. He is asking God if it is possible that this does not take place.

Jesus is asking this, again, because he is "troubled." He told Peter, James and John before this prayer: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." (Matthew 26:38)

Did Jesus accommodate God?

It is customary, even today, for a person to pray to God when troubled about something. Jesus was obviously troubled about his forthcoming persecution, and wondering if God could change his fate. Especially when he could have, at that very moment, run off and avoid his coming arrest altogether.

The key to the prayer is that even with his asking God this, he also accommodates God by pledging that he will do what pleases God:

The Greek πλήν (plēn) is translated to "yet," but means "moreover, besides, but, nevertheless" according to the lexicon. While "yet" is not necessarily wrong, it does not communicate the point. "Moreover, besides, but, nevertheless" does not mean "yet."

"Moreover" indicates "more importantly," or even "notwithstanding" - as the word has been translated elsewhere in the New Testament. The point is that Jesus is not saying "yet" here, he is saying the next thing he says in his prayer is "more important". He is saying "more importantly..."

The next part of Jesus' statement is better broken down into two parts. The Greek phrase, οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω indicates - and is appropriately translated to - "not as I will."  However, the phrase is deeper than even this. The word "will" translates from θέλω (thelō), which means "to intend," "to be resolved," "determined," "to purpose," "to desire" or "to wish" according to Thayer's lexicon.

So the translation could just as well said, "not what I want" or "not according to my wishes".

The last part of the phrase, ἀλλ’ ὡς σύ, indicates - and is appropriately translated to - "but as You will." Because the Greek phrase is possessive and does not contain the word θέλω (thelō) as the first phrase did, it actually means something like "but Yours." In other words, "not my wishes, but Yours."

But since this could be misunderstood, the translators have appropriately restated "will" here, as Jesus is saying "Not my will, but Your will." This could be rephrased as, "not what I want, but what You want."

So as we examine the Greek, the more appropriate understanding of Jesus' prayer would be something like:

"My Father, if it is possible, please remove my coming fate. More importantly, may I not do what I want, but what You want."

What does Jesus' second prayer mean?

This translation and interpretation of Jesus' prayer and his struggle with his coming fate is confirmed by his second prayer, where Jesus resigns himself to his fate. The current NIV translation is:

"My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done." (Matthew 26:42)

However, in this second prayer, there is no reason for the word "cup" to be included. The first prayer's Greek word ποτήριον (potērion), translated to "cup" but really referring to "lot" or "fate," isn't in the second prayer at all. 

Rather, the second prayer uses the Greek word αὐτός (autos), which means "this" is assumed to be referring to "cup", only because in this second prayer Jesus uses the word πίνω (pinō), which can mean "to drink" according to the lexicon. However, when πίνω is used in the figurative sense, it means, according to the lexicon: "to receive..."

Besides, a person does not drink a cup. A person drinks from a cup.

This means that Jesus' second prayer also is not talking about a cup at all. Jesus has resigned to receive his fate rather than asking God to remove his fate as he does in the first prayer.

Then Jesus says virtually the same thing in the second part of the second prayer as the second part of the first prayer, but conclusively. The Greek phrase is γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, which means "Your will be done." This utilizes the Greek word θέλημα (thelēma) which also indicates "will" but also means "desires" or "wishes."

Thus the second prayer goes something like this:

“O my Lord, if this cup may not be taken from me unless I drink from it, may You be pleased."

Did Jesus want to please God?

The bottom line is that Jesus is wanting to do what pleases the Supreme Being. And Jesus certainly was struggling with his fate (metaphorically stated as a cup) but understood through his prayers that this is what God wanted him to do.

Why? Why did the Supreme Being allow Jesus to be persecuted, beaten and gruesomely murdered? Was it all God's big plan to redeem our sins with Jesus' life - like some sacrificial lamb - as some sectarians propose?

This is a ridiculous proposition. God does not need to sacrifice anyone on the cross in order to redeem, or purify us of our sins. God is the Supreme Controller. He can purify or cleanse sins simply by willing it. He does not need to have any kind of physical mechanism - someone suffering - to redeem sins.

Jesus himself confirms this, as he taught his students to pray:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debt, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6:9-13)

The part of the prayer: "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors," translates the Greek word ὀφείλημα (opheilēma) to "debts," which can also mean "sins" according to the lexicon. Thus some translations of the Lord's prayer, say:

"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us."

Jesus confirms this when he says afterward:

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)

Now if the only way to be forgiven our sins was to have Jesus die on the cross, why does Jesus tell his students to ask God for forgiveness? Why didn't Jesus simply tell his students: "Just wait until they crucify me, and then just accept that my death wipes away your sins"? No, he did not say that, because it isn't true. God can forgive our sins directly. We simply need to ask Him, and we have to be willing to forgive others.

This means that this whole routine revolving around Easter is simply a farce. All the empty ceremonies, such as "Good Friday" and "Easter" are simply offensive celebrations.

What is "Good" about the day that Jesus was beaten and murdered by unbelievers who felt threatened by Jesus' teachings? Some sectarian teachers want to call this day "good" because they are rejoicing about how their sins are now forgiven. In other words, it's all about getting cleansed. This is the ultimate self-centered illusion.

Could this be true? That once Jesus died, we no longer have to be responsible for our actions? We can simply wipe our responsibilities off on Jesus? Is Jesus our doormat that we simply wipe our sins off on? This is an offensive position that only a self-centered person would take.

And what about "Easter"? What about all the Easter egg hunts and the chocolate bunnies? What does this materialism have to do with Jesus, who taught that we should not seek after material things, but seek love of God? What does Easter have to do with God at all? Nothing.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear." (Luke 12:22)

Why did God allow Jesus to be crucified?

This question has been asked by many for centuries.

Jesus' prayer here illustrates that Jesus allowed himself to be persecuted. Jesus knew he was going to be arrested. He could have escaped before his arrest. There is also evidence that he actually instructed Judas to tell the Temple high priest where Jesus would be in order to arrest him.

Thus we can see that Jesus played a role in his arrest. He could have at least avoided it and ran off into the desert. He could have also chosen to diplomatically answer the High Priest's questions, which would have likely gotten Jesus dismissed.

But Jesus didn't choose to do this. Jesus chose to stand up for God and his teachings.

Jesus, being God's loving messenger, was not going to run away under the threat of arrest. He was going to complete his mission of distributing his teachings of love for God. And he was going to stand behind his teachings because these were from God. And Jesus loved God.

Therefore, it was Jesus who chose to serve God by standing up for His teachings. God gave Jesus the freedom to accept this fate - just as God gave the Temple high priest the freedom to arrest Jesus and set him up to be condemned to death.

Yes, the Supreme Being is giving all of us certain freedoms while we are here. We have the freedom to reject God, or the freedom to accept God. This is our choice. God also gave us the freedom to condemn His messengers - and even harm them.

To do otherwise would be to take away our freedom - which is required in order to truly come to love God. We cannot freely love someone who has taken away our freedom not to love him.

Today we see all kinds of people choose to make sacrifices. Some give their lives for their country. Some give their lives to protest a government. Why? Because they believe in their cause, and they want to show others just how important that cause is.

This is no different from Jesus, but Jesus' cause was love for God. He wanted others to understand just how important it is that we come to know and love the Supreme Being. It was important enough for him to make the ultimate sacrifice for. And it is understanding this message from Jesus that can save us:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

 

"My Father ... may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42)

He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42)

What does Jesus mean by 'cup'?

Much of Jesus' prayer has been inappropriately translated, hiding its true meaning. Jesus does not even mention the word "cup" in his prayer.

The meaning of his prayer relates to his first prayer, and what is to take place. Let's review the Greek of this prayer and get to the bottom of its meaning:

After "my Father" - from the Greek ἐγώ (egō) and πατήρ (patēr), the translators say he said:

"if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away..."

However, the Greek texts do not say this. They do not even mention the word "cup." Rather, this prayer uses the Greek word αὐτός (houtos), which means "this", not "cup."

Yes, in the first prayer, the Greek word ποτήριον (potērion) is used. And yes, ποτήριον can mean "cup" in a narrow context when it refers to a drinking vessel.

That is not the context here, though. In this context, Jesus is using the word figuratively. According to the lexicon, its metaphorical translation refers to someone's "lot" or "fate."

The translators have also assumed "cup" because later in this second prayer Jesus uses the word πίνω (pinō), which can mean "to drink." But when πίνω is used in the figurative sense (as Jesus was), it means, according to the lexicon: to receive one's fate.

Besides, a person does not drink a cup. A person drinks liquid from a cup. The object of πίνω (to receive) in Jesus' prayer is αὐτός (houtos), which means "this" or "it".

There is no "cup" in the second prayer, and even if the Greek word translated to "cup" in the first prayer is used, "cup" was never the intended object being referred to in either prayer. In other words, Jesus was not praying about cups or drinking cups.

Rather, it is clear from the Greek that the intended object of both prayers is not literally a cup, but Jesus' coming fate.

Why is Jesus praying to do what God wills?

This is certainly to be expected. Jesus is about to be arrested, tried, and gruesomely crucified. He is about to undergo one of the most painful experiences ever to be committed onto a physical body.

And Jesus admitted that he was "troubled" by this coming fate, which is the reason he went to pray:

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." (Matt. 26:38-39)

Now let's understand the real meaning of Jesus' prayer:

After "My Father," Jesus uses the word εἰ (ei) which means "if" or "whether" according to the lexicon.

Then as mentioned above, he says αὐτός (houtos) which means "this," referring to his coming fate.

Then he says δύναμαι (dynamai), which means "cannot" or "will not" according to the lexicon.

This is followed by παρέρχομαι (parerchomai) which means to "pass away" or "be removed" according to the lexicon.

Then he says ἐάν (ean) and μή (mē) which mean "unless I" according to the lexicon.

This is followed by πίνω (pinō) as mentioned above, which can mean "to drink" or when used figuratively, "to receive..." according to the lexicon.

Then he says αὐτός (autos), which means "it" - a slight variation of αὐτός (houtos), but again referring to the object being assumed, that is, Jesus' coming fate.

This is followed by the Greek phrase γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, which is being translated to "Your will be done." While this may be technically correct, it is not a pure translation of the meaning of γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου in this context.

Could this be better translated?

The better translation of this phrase in this context would be:

"I will do Your will"

or better in plain English:

"I will do as You wish" or "I will do what You want."

So as Jesus was coming to terms with his coming fate, he was also resolved that he would be doing whatever God wanted.

Thus, the better translation for Jesus' second prayer is:

"My Father, if this cannot come to pass unless I receive it, then I will do Your will."

In plainer English:

"My Father, if my fate is such that this must happen to me, then I will do as You wish."

Why was this issue so important that Jesus had to pray about it? Jesus' two prayers were spoken minutes before he was to be arrested. He knew the Roman guards were coming. How do we know Jesus knew he was to be arrested shortly? He said it to his disciples:

"Look, the hour is near, and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." (Matthew 26:45)

In other words, this was the last opportunity that Jesus would have to avoid his coming arrest and persecution. As the guards had yet to come, Jesus could have very easily slipped away into the woods and escaped arrest, torture, and execution.

Was Jesus torn?

As Jesus indicated in his first prayer, Jesus was torn between doing what would be physically more comfortable - avoiding arrest and persecution - and what his Beloved Supreme Being wanted to take place. This he alluded at in his statement to his disciples when he found them sleeping after his first prayer and before this one:

"The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Matthew 26:41)

Many sectarian teachers preach that Jesus was God and he had everything handled. Their position simply does not agree with scripture, however. Everything Jesus said indicated that he was indeed struggling with the coming event and whether or not he should take off and avoid arrest completely. Simply the fact that Jesus was praying to God indicates that he could not have been God.

The translation laid out here is not a theory or an opinion. It is simply what the scripture indicates from the original Greek text. As opposed to ecclesiastical professional translators who have tried to subtly distort his prayers to hide the fact that he was struggling with his coming crucifixion, the text says what it says.

The fact that Jesus was torn about his coming fate is doubly confirmed in his first prayer:

"My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 26:39)

Jesus is not speaking literally of a cup. As mentioned above, the "cup" comes from the Greek word ποτήριον (potērion), and its metaphorical meaning is, according to the lexicon, "one's lot or experience, whether joyous or adverse, divine appointments, whether favorable or unfavorable, are likened to a cup which God presents one to drink: so of prosperity and adversity."

So by the rest of the translation of this first prayer, we can see that Jesus is asking God to take away or remove his coming "fate" of being arrested, tried, and gruesomely tortured and murdered.

What is Jesus torn about?

Jesus is asking if God would allow him to escape arrest, in other words.

Yet we see in both prayers that even with this question, Jesus is committing himself to doing God's will. In the first prayer, the word πλήν (plēn) is translated to "yet," but means "moreover, besides, but, nevertheless" according to the lexicon. This means that is saying "more importantly..."

The next part of this prayer by Jesus uses first οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω, which can translate to "not as I will," but also, because θέλω (thelō) means "to intend," "to be resolved," "determined," "to purpose," "to desire" or "to wish", it is better translated to "not what I want" or "not according to my wishes".

The last part of the phrase, ἀλλ’ ὡς σύ, correctly indicates "but as You will," or "but Yours," as in "not my wishes, but Yours."

So in this prayer, according to the Greek, Jesus is really saying something to the effect of:

"My Father, if it is possible, please remove my coming fate. More importantly, may I not do my will, but Your will."

In plainer English:

"My Father, if it is possible, please let this not happen to me. More importantly, I don't want to do what I want, but what You want."

This clearly indicates why Jesus is troubled. He is asking God to not let this happen to him, but at the same time, wants to do God's will. He wants to do God's will but also does not want to physically suffer. Who would want to suffer?

Why does Jesus make the same prayer three times?

Jesus then made the same prayer a third time:

So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. (Matt. 26:44)

Through his prayers, Jesus has realized that his arrest and persecution is God's will. God has answered his prayers. This is what God wants Jesus to do. Why is this important?

Because this illustrates that Jesus wants to please the Supreme Being. He knows that he can easily escape and avoid arrest. But he also comes to understand that this is what the Supreme Being wants to happen. So even though Jesus knows it will be physically painful, he is willing to undergo the pain of physical torture and execution because it will please the Supreme Being.

This is the important takeaway from the entire event of Jesus' torture and execution.

Is there some magical "he died for my sins" thing going on here as some teach? Did God set up Jesus to be some kind of "sacrificial lamb"? Was it Jesus' intent to suffer so that people thousands of years later could be released from the responsibility of their actions?

Consider any kind of sacrifice. Consider a person who goes to war for their country, or runs into a burning building. Are they not sacrificing their own comfort on behalf of someone else? Why would they do this? Theoretically, it is love. In the case of the soldier, it is love for country, and in the case of the person who runs into a burning building, it is love for that person in the building.

While these examples may not be true love, they indicate acts of love. Caring for someone else more than we care for ourselves. This is love.

And in the case of Jesus, Jesus sacrificed his physical body in the service of Someone he loved: The Supreme Being. But he was also communicating something important to all of us. That serving God was more important than the physical body.

What was Jesus' sacrifice meant to teach us?

What was the purpose of his allowing himself to be arrested and persecuted?

We must remember why Jesus was being arrested. It was because of his teachings. His teachings threatened the authority of the institutional temple high priests and the Roman government.

And what were his teachings about? They were teaching us about the Supreme Being. His teachings instructed us to love God and serve God. So by Jesus accepting his arrest and persecution, he was in effect standing up for his teachings, which God sent him to teach us:

"These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:24)

By Jesus accepting arrest and persecution, he was taking a stand for his teachings, which were coming from God. He was not going to run away. He loved God, and God's teachings were so important that he was willing to give up his physical life, and undergo severe suffering on behalf of those teachings.

It is understanding this that has the ability to save us. It is realizing the loving relationship that existed between Jesus and the Supreme Person that has the ability to purify our lives. Why? 

Because we can learn more about love for God and others. This has the ability to purify our consciousness. It has the power to encourage us to change our lives from being self-centered to beginning the path of re-developing our relationship with the Supreme Being and learning to love and please Him.

This is why Jesus' most important teaching was:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38)