The Cup

May 11, 2015

The Cup

“Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?”

Matthew 20:22b (NRSV)

The cup is used with many connotations in the Bible, and we do well to incorporate many of them into the spiritual discipline of hearing Jesus ask us, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” The NLT attaches an interpretative phrase to its translation: “Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”  As Jesus was responding to the mother of James and John asking for special favor for her sons, that is an appropriate translation; special favors carry special responsibilities. James and John both responded “yes, we are able,” a response I suspect they later regretted when they hear Jesus pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me” (Matthew 26:39b).

The Apostle Paul picks up on the relationship between favor and responsibility when affirming Abba’s favor in adopting us as His children: “But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Romans 8:17b). By keeping Jesus’ question ever before him, the Apostle Paul worked out his own mission statement: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10 NRSV). So it is with us also.

We also want to remember that the cup is not only a metaphor for suffering, it is also a metaphor for blessing: “My cup overflows with blessings” (Psalm 23:5c). Jesus embraced his calling to be the cup of salvation for all people. As his followers, we too have a calling to be a cup of blessing to those we encounter.

Father Mychal Judge was the Chaplain to the NYFD and was killed on 9-11. He too kept Jesus’ question close to his heart and worked out his own mission statement in the form of this prayer:

Lord, take me where You want me to go,

let me meet who You want me to meet,

tell me what You want me to say,

and keep me out of Your way.

Practice the spiritual discipline of keeping Jesus’ question alive in your heart and you too will find your calling.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms is available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ is available as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.