2008. 2. 17 Rev. Kim, Young Bong

Drink Your Cup
--John 18:1-11

1.

After approximately three months we return to the Gospel according to John. The reading was interrupted at the end of October last year, with the start of the sermon series based on the film entitled <Miryang>. Although the Liturgical calendar would have us read from chapter 17, because this is the Lent season in which we reflect on Jesus’ suffering and death, we begin our reading with chapter 18 in which is written the suffering of Jesus. Chapter 17 is a special chapter of Jesus entitled “The High Priestly Prayer.” I shall return to this prayer after having read through Chapter 21.

2.

Today’s reading in chapter 18, verses 1-11 describes the arrest of Jesus. Roman soldiers whom the Roman governor sent, and the officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees joined in pursuit towards the Kidron valley. Christ's disciple Judas Iscariot was already on their side in being their guide toward the approach. They knew well of the news form Galilee of strange wonders performed by Jesus. So, they were well prepared for any unexpected encounters of strange wonders by Jesus. In verse 3 it is translated as 'Roman army soldiers' translation, but the words used to mean a detachment of troops meant troops of strength of about 600. For them it was considerable deployment in size. As they approached the Kidron valley, they must have been tense with apprehension as to what surprise awaited their approach.

But the confrontation ends very uneventfully. As they rushed in with Judas Iscariot, Jesus asks the following. "Who are you looking for you?" As they answered "Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus answers, "I am he" and steps forward. The troops who were standing mighty were thrown aback by the presence of Jesus and tripped to the ground. As they were fumbling around, Jesus asks them again. "Who are you looking for you?" They answer "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said again, " I told you that I am he, if you are looking for me, then let these men go.” But perhaps they were stunned by the answer, as well armed as they were, they did not try to seize Jesus.

At the time, Simon Peter who was by His side brandishes a sword to attack the troops. One of the troops by the name of Malchus instinctively avoids the sword about to pierce him in the dark. That sword misses him, but cuts off his right ear. Stunned by the sudden violence, Jesus puts a stop to Peter’s rash move. Those disciples disappointed by the stance taken by Jesus slowly back away into the darkness, and the troops who sense the danger subsiding are encouraged to seize Jesus standing alone in the dark.

Now, for a moment let’s draw the scene in our minds. Please imagine the scene like a movie. The new Bible translation of the chapter has the tile as 'Betrayal and Arrest'. Does this refer to the arrest of Jesus? Of course, eventually Jesus was arrested, but Jesus was not acting like a fugitive in flight. Jesus was not captured out of pursuit, but Jesus was taken out of his own will. When the reading first started, the initiative rested with the soldiers and Judas, but after a while, the initiative shifts to the hands of Jesus.

As those in pursuit of Jesus would have feared, if Jesus wished not to be arrested then there would not have been an arrest. Even if troops numbering 600-strong were to have rushed in, it would not have been that difficult to evade capture in the midst pitch darkness of the Kidron valley. Perhaps with the supernatural powers wielded in the Galilee he could have subdued the enemy. But all that Jesus chose to forgo, and instead He chose to be taken for capture. This was the moment where the table has turned. The relative standing between the pursuers and the one being pursued changed hands. The one who should have tripped and fallen from retreating should have been the one being pursued, but it was the ones who pursued Jesus who drew back and fell to the ground upon the presence of Jesus.

3.

How has the table turned as such? The cause can be understood from the words of Jesus as written in verse 11. He tells Simon Peter, who had a sword and drew it to put his sword away!, and says the following. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" This 'drink' would remind us of the ‘cup of poison’ taken by Socrates or the ‘drink of poison’ taken by Emperor ’단종’. Jesus compares the forthcoming insults, pain, suffering and death to a cup of poison. He believes it is the will of God that he takes the cup of poison that is why he readily gives himself up to the soldiers intent on capturing Him.

“Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" would remind us of the prayer by Jesus recorded other books in the Gospel not recorded in the book of John. The night before capture, Jesus calls upon three of his disciples and goes to a secluded place for a prayer. Upon a deep prayer, he returns to see the disciples asleep. It meant His prayer took a long time. He wakes them up and returns to His prayer. Not long after, when He returns to his disciples, they are again drowsy. Jesus laments the lax spirituality in the disciples and returns to His prayer. Up return from His third prayer, the troops have rushed to capture Him.

At this point, Jesus having perceived the coming crisis, was praying whether to confront or to avoid the crisis. The impending crisis was caused by the life lead by Jesus in His way of life and the teaching of the Word. Jewish leaders could not stand to let alone Jesus of Nazareth who threatened their stronghold in their religious authority. It was their decision to remove the problem before it grows into a bigger problem. So they conspired to kill Jesus. Jesus knew of the plot. He knew of the necessary outcome. Jesus knew of approach of the inescapable moment of no return. What remained was only his willful choice.

Will there be avoidance avoid death by retracting His ways, or will His ways be persevered despite the impending death? It was indeed not an easy selection. How trying it must have been that in Gospel according to Luke is recorded that sweat fell like drops of blood when He prayed? Who among people would want to die? That is at the blooming age of 30! How difficult must it have been to choose death despite the many ways to avoid death?

It is nice to follow the will of God, but need it be at the risk of death? It is nice to reform rotting religion, and it is nice to save dying souls, but must it be at a cost to life? Instead of suffering death at an early age, wouldn’t it be better to choose the lesser choice of avoiding death so that one can save his life for greater deeds to come? Perhaps these thoughts of avoid death occurred to Jesus, and perhaps tens of thousands of sweet reasons to avoid death. It was the literal 'the ultimate temptation of Christ'. But upon a long prayer and a struggle, He chose not to evade the readily visible impending road to death. It was because He believed it to be God’s offered 'cup' of drink.

4.

While Jesus decided to drink of the cup, the destined story has already begun. While he asks of his captors "Who are you looking for you?" already the table has turned. As he speaks "I am he", those who were in pursuit became captive to Him in their retreat. To Jesus who decided to drink of the cup of death, no problem stood in his way. Nothing became an object of fear. Jesus is not to suffer the tribulation of death, but willfully chose death. By accepting the approaching suffering, He lent a deeper meaning and weight to His Suffering. By this, He paves the way of history for all times, pushes aside the aggression of the evil forces, and becomes the Lord of all times.

The reasons for the suffering are due to various causes. The suffering in an adversity is not only due to the physical or mental pain. To those who befall on an adversity they feel themselves becoming victims of the adversity. It is a feeling of being singled out and pushed aside from the center of his very existence, a feeling of having become very insignificant, a feeling that he does not matter to anyone anymore. That feeling is more painful. Those who have suffered an adversity may agree with this. When caught up in the vortex of tribulations, one feels as of his existence is of no use to this world.

But when adversity is faced head-on and dealt with, then suddenly the table turns. The tribulations that nagged for no reason suddenly appear to have a great significance. When faced with the prospect of pain and suffering from the adversity it would have seemed cruel and hopeless, but suddenly from the suffering arises a worthy gladness. The evil forces which stood to torment like a giant Goliath, upon overcoming suffering, that very forces of evil draw back to withdraw. Just as the ones who pursued Jesus drew back and fell to the ground upon the presence of Jesus saying, “I am he”, when we deal with our suffering without avoiding the hardship, the imposing strength of the forces of evil retreat from us.

It is this truth among others that is worthy of our thoughts in today’s reading of the arrest of Jesus. Of course, the Suffering of Jesus and the tribulations that we face today are qualitatively different. The Sufferings of Jesus was for the redemption of all of mankind's sins, and is of infinite dimension for all of eternal. Our tribulations may be due to societal problems, evils brought upon by mankind’s coexistence, results of our own mistake, or sufferings in the course of our work in the name of God or for our neighbors. But whatever may be the cause our suffering, we can choose to live as if we are the victims of the suffering, or we can live in the joy of finding God’s will in the midst of our tribulations.

5.

If you would not mind I would like to share a story about my father with the congregation. I have a story that I have to tell you relating to the reading of Jesus and the cup. My father was converted to become a Christian at the age of over 40.

After his conversion, he penned on the very first Bible he used, “Drink your cup” prominently on the first front page. He was a good calligrapher. So the calligraphic style was so nice and very stylish. He used to read the Bible on which was penned the nice calligraphy. When I was young, I could not discern my father’s intention, but as I aged, I came to understand his intention little by little why he wrote it.

My father assumed the duty of supporting our large family from his early 20s. My grandfather often roamed around from his young age, neglecting the duty of taking care of his family. My father had to take care of 6 younger brothers and four his own sons. Not only that. My father also had to support the children of younger grandfathers who passed away earlier. We were crowded with more than 20 people all together. With the meager salary of an elementary school teacher and small crops from the small piece of paddies and dry fields, he had to feed the large family and to educate younger brothers and his own children. Sometimes, he had to give some portions for married brothers to create new families, and also he had to take care of his children who were repeatedly sick. Because of that, my father frequently stayed up all nights.

My father took up such a heavy burden for almost 20 years, and at last, he embraced Jesus Christ. After converting, he read the Bible completely for the first time on the knee. Perhaps, the most strongly imprinted statement in his mind at that time seems to be the one we read today, that is, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” Reading this statement, my father may have unintentionally thought “Yes, if this burden is the cup the Lord has given me, I shall drink the cup gladly.” So, he wrote “Drink your cup!” on the first page of the Bible. Whenever my father had had sufferings due to the assumed burden, I think, he put up with the sufferings by reading the phrase.

What has changed due to his decision? Above all, a change has occurred in my father’s life. Before, the burden was unavoidable. So, my father had complained about the burden, and he had had hate feelings toward my grandfather. Probably many people were put in difficult situations with his irritational anger. Because of unavoidable duty, he supported family but it couldn’t be pleasant and worthy. His daily life really would be in sufferings. His mind could be narrow and straitened because his duty was under dire necessity. But, after he had thought that the burden was given to him by the Lord, he was thankful to the Lord for the duty. The hateful feeling to his father disappeared gradually. Assuming the burden with thankful mind, his straitened mind disappeared. Though it was hard and difficult duty, there were great rewards in fulfilling the job.

40 years have passed by. Looking back at the past, I realize that many people enjoyed blessing through my father who gladly drank the cup the Lord has given to him. I think of that if he had avoided the given cup and he had lived just for himself, what would have happened to our family. The Lord led many people into the blessed lives by seeing my father who was following Jesus who had drunk the given death cup willingly. Now, my father who drank the bitter cups countlessly for lifetime lives with great gratitude, like the confession in the version 23 of the Psalms, “My cup overflows”

He may be an unassuming casual elderly man, but his heart is filled with joy and gratitude, like a man who possesses the world in his mind.

6.

“Drink your cup!” Although I did not write these words in my Bible, I live with them inscribed in my memories of endearment. Perhaps because I have made such a commitment a long time ago, whenever I see a cup, I feel an obligation to drink up, no matter what type of cup it is. When an alcoholic drink is placed in front of me, I have no interest in the liquor itself but there have been times when my hand has reached out because of a compulsion to empty that cup. So I ask that you don’t put a cup in front of me!

“Drink your cup!” I consider these the last wishes received from my parents. I meet all my tasks face to face, embracing them and learning from them. Therefore, I live by asking God to give me the strength to face my life without avoiding its challenges but by embracing them. As a husband to my wife, as a son to my parents, as a father to two children, as a pastor of a church, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and as a child of God, I seek for strength to embrace all the things in my life. Especially when confronted by suffering, misfortune, shame, and pain, I pray for strength to embrace them in silence.

When Jesus took up the cross of reproach, that cross of reproach was transformed into a symbol of salvation. When Jesus faced the evils of the conspiring ones, it was transformed into an implement to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. When Jesus took up the contempt, reproach, and suffering, they all became the power to wash away all our sins and heal all our illnesses. When Jesus embraced his own death, the sting of death itself subsided. When Jesus embraced all, things that signified nothing were transformed into tools of God’s providence. And so we obtained salvation through Jesus Christ.

For those of us who cannot avoid suffering in this world, this is truly a great secret. As Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples, he spoke these words: “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33). Jesus’ understanding of human beings was realistic. What is not realistic are the people who live in this sinful and evil world who hope they will avoid misfortune. Even Jesus could not avoid misfortune. Who are we that we expect what even Jesus could not? Instead, Jesus embraced that misfortune and transformed it into a tool for salvation.

Like Jesus, what we can do or what we can try to do is to embrace the suffering in our lives. We are not worthy to compare ourselves to Jesus, but when we follow his example, what happened to him will also happen to us. He said, “In the world you face persecution. But take courage.” What is he telling us to do? He is telling us to have courage and face our suffering; to have courage and embrace our suffering so that we can transform that suffering into a tool or salvation.

Misfortune and suffering cannot shake those of us who believe and follow Jesus Christ. That is because Jesus Christ who we believe is our Lord has conquered the world. If we have faith that our Lord has conquered the world, we can face any misfortune or suffering. Sometimes, suffering and misfortune can threaten to annihilate our lives in a terrifying manner. I would like for you to imagine full armored soldiers marching toward the valley of Gideon. Even just that image is fearful. It’s a scene that can make you catch your breath. But Jesus appears before them and says, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you seek.”

We need this kind of courage. He who by embracing death, melted the sting of death; he who by destroying death, resurrected from death to life; he who by embracing misfortune and suffering, transformed them into tools of salvation ? only faith in him can give us courage. With this kind of courage, we can face any kind of misfortune and embrace it and by so doing, transform it into a tool that will do God’s will. When that happens, our lives which looked empty become precious and gain eternal meaning.

7.

My dear, beloved fellow congregation, what kind of cup is placed in front of you? After drinking countless cups of bitterness all your life and now regarding the rich fruits of those sufferings, are any among you thanking the Lord, shouting “My cup runneth over”? I pray that God’s grace, mercy and blessings may run over you. And I hope that you will rejoice in the divine delight as you drink with gratitude the cup of blessings God bestows upon you, for this cup is meant for you.

By any chance, is there a cup of sheer bitterness sitting in front of you? Do you have a cup of bitterness you must drink for the sake of your children or spouse, for the sake of saving your loved ones, for the sake of your church, or for the sake of your neighbors and God? Is there anyone who is sighing over a cup that keeps on running over as soon as it is emptied? Does just looking at the cup make you shudder as it reminds you of the bitterness you tasted in the past? Is there anyone who is lamenting over a cup, not knowing when it will be emptied? Is there anyone of you who grumbles in frustration over the fate that is given to you, although you always drink your cup believing it is your portion? Despite surviving each day, does anyone of you feel that you are moving towards death, one step closer, rather than living?

If so, I ask you today that you keep in mind what Jesus said and meditate on His words. “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” I ask you to meditate on these words until you have the confidence that the cup sitting in front of you is a cup given by God. If necessary, I’d like you to write down in your Bible, “Drink your cup!” And ask God for the courage to drink it up! You will gain the courage to gladly drink the cup if you believe that it is what you need to drink for the sake of the salvation and happiness of your loved ones. Before long, there will come a day when your heart feels that the cup is more than worth drinking. Before long, the utter bitterness of the cup will disappear. You will begin to thank God as you watch the salvation and the grace of God poured upon your loved ones, because you drink the cup of bitterness.

The world cannot defeat such a person. The world becomes worth living in because of such people. To a person who willingly drinks his cup of misery, no matter what happens, regarding it as given by God, suffering is no longer suffering, pain is no longer pain. To a person like this, death is not death any longer. No one can make someone like this a victim in any way. Through such a person, God realizes His plan. Through a person like this, God’s blessings spread over to many more people. These are the very people who are following Jesus Christ carrying their own crosses.

For today’s prayer, I’d like to use a prayer poem by Frederic Roberts instead.

The Cup

If now unto my lips be raised

The brimming cup of bitter gall,

Grant Thy great strength, dear Lord, and I

Will drink it all.

My lips may quiver, and my faint heart quail,

And I may cry at its dread call;

Hold Thou my hand, dear Lord, and I

Will drink it all.