There are many parts to Christ’s passion that I may explore in coming days, but one that touched me this week was the part where Christ prayed in the garden for the cup to pass from Him. In an agony that made him sweat blood, Christ prayed to His Father for a way out. Was He asking to escape the cross and the violence of wicked men?

To human eyes, that is how it would appear, but earlier Jesus had told His disciples not to fear those who could kill the body, but to fear the One who could cast both soul and body in hell. Jesus was not afraid of the men who would crucify Him. I dare say that He wasn’t even afraid of crucifixion itself. In his humanity, He may have dreaded the pain, and the book of Hebrews says He despised the shame He suffered. But that is not what He feared. No man could take His life from Him. He laid it down of His own accord.

No, what He feared or rather agonized over was the cup of His Father’s wrath that would be poured out on Him for the sins of the whole world.

Imagine, if you will, that you were standing before God, and He said, “I never knew you.” Imagine being cast into hell where you would be tormented with burning pain for ever and ever and ever. Feel the heat of the flames licking your skin. If you’ve ever burned yourself, you know how desperately you want relief. But in hell there will be no relief, no escape, never again a second chance.

That is the fate of every human. I know this is not a popular message these days, but the Bible is clear on this, whether we like it or not. The holiness of God demands that we pay for our sin. And God’s Word says, “The wages of sin is death”. If we spent eternity being tormented in hell, we would never be able to satisfy God’s wrath against that sin.

Jesus was the only man, being fully God and fully man, who never sinned, the only one who did not deserve God’s wrath. But He knew when He went to the cross that He would suffer all of the torments of hell – for everyone else – for the sin of the world. The terrifying force of God’s wrath (which scared me to death before I came to know Christ) would be placed on Him. And He sweat blood praying for some other way.

Hebrews 12:2 says, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Why did He submit to His Father and choose to endure that wrath when He didn’t have to? “For the joy set before Him.” That joy was us – that we could spend eternity with Him – something in our sin we could never do. “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Jesus endured the wrath of hell so I don’t have to.

That is the true message of Easter.