Is there no other way?

Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”  Matthew 26:42

“Is there no other way?” It’s the kind of question we ask when life reaches its most difficult points: when a long, slow illness steals the strength and vitality of a loved one; when a deeply troubled marriage stands on the cliff of divorce; when a desperate search for work, food, and shelter results only in hunger and homelessness or crime and begging; when an addiction becomes a fast track to rock bottom and despair; when depression closes in and makes the whole world dark … again. 

In these times, the question sneaks into our minds and sometimes escapes our lips: “Is there no other way?” Have you ever asked God that question?

When the brokenness of this world and our lives reaches its most intense, most threatening moments, we are tempted to think we are the only ones who have asked that question or felt that sorrow. 

But would it surprise you to know that you are not alone? Even God the Son, in His incarnate life on earth, at His point of greatest agony, asked that question: “Is there no other way?”

The truth of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection is a daily reality for those who believe in Him. Yet from time to time, that daily reality requires extended contemplation and reflection, and we should ponder its meaning so that it does not become daily neglected. 

Christians need deeper glimpses into the mystery of God and His salvation. We need times of slow, contemplative consideration of the wonder of Christ’s work for us. To do so, we begin with a question inspired by events in the garden of Gethsemane as they are recorded in Matthew 26. We begin by pondering a questiothat n hurting people have asked throughout the ages: “Is there no other way?”

As we ponder this question, we find that God’s one perfect will accomplishes far more than all our imagined alternatives. A no from God does more for our good than a yes to all our dreams.

A New Experience for the Son of God

In Matthew 26, Jesus faces impending betrayal. He retreats to a somewhat secluded garden called Gethsemane. This is one of the rare occasions in the entire New Testament when we learn something of Jesus’ mental state. In verse 37, Matthew tells us Jesus “began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.”

Being “sorrowful and deeply distressed” was a new experience for Jesus. Jewish religious leaders had tried to capture and kill Him on several previous occasions, but He seemed undaunted. 

The “time had not yet come,” so the Lord passed through those attempts on His life like ships sailing through mists. But Gethsemane is different. God the Son, the Son of God, feels sorrowful and very heavy. Jesus says in verse 38, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.”

Those words probably shook and shocked Peter, James, and John. The disciples had never heard the Master speak this way about death—about anything. In fact, Jesus had taught them that 

He came to be killed for sins and to rise again. He had even rebuked Peter for protesting against that teaching. But that was when His time had not yet come. Now the time has come, and Jesus faces the hour of betrayal and death. The Lord tells us He could die from the overwhelming sorrow He feels.

Have you ever been so sorrowful and troubled that you thought the sorrow itself might kill you? Have you ever been so grieved of soul you thought you could curl into a fetal position and pass away?

Jesus is so troubled that He reaches out to His friends for support: “Stay here and watch with Me” (v. 38). His sleepy friends make His sorrow worse when they fail His small request to watch and pray (vv. 40, 43). They didn’t pray with Him, nor did they pray for Him. 

They slept right up to the moment of His betrayal (v. 45). Our Lord had to awaken His friends so they wouldn’t sleep through His betrayal. Have you ever been troubled, and your friends let you down in your hour of need?

During this nighttime solitary vigil, Jesus asks the Father three times, “Is there any way other than what’s ahead?” He went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.” …

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” So he left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. (vv. 39, 42, 44)

At Jesus’ baptism, the voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). At our Lord’s transfiguration, Heaven spoke and said again, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt. 17:5). Heaven had always answered prayers from the Son of God. But in Gethsemane, there is only the stony silence of the cold desert night. Heaven closes its mouth and refuses to speak aloud. Jesus asks, “Is there any other way?” In the silence comes an answer: “No, this is the only way.” To look more deeply into this mystery, we must ask, “Why is this the only way?” For the following reasons, the Father’s no and the cross are absolutely necessary.