The Cup of God's Wrath

Welcome to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in Morning Sun, Iowa. Check us out online at www.sharonrpc.org. We pray that this message will be a blessing to you and that the Lord will use it to transform your faith and your life. We're going to turn in our Bibles to the book of Mark, chapter 10. Mark, chapter 10, beginning at verse 35. If you're using a few Bibles, you'll find that on page 894.

It's quite a psalm to sing before worship, isn't it? It's supposed to be like fun and exciting. But here, I think we hear the tenor of Jesus' heart as He's going up to Jerusalem. The disciples are expecting one thing. But Jesus knows what's coming. So with that, we'll turn in our Bibles to Mark chapter 10, beginning at verse 35. And we'll read through verse 41.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him saying, Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. And he said to him, What do you want me to do for you? They said to him, grant us that we may sit on your right hand and the other on your left in your glory. But Jesus said to them, you do not know what you ask.

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink? And to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to him, we are able. Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink the cup that I drink. And with the baptism I am baptized with, you will be baptized. But to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared." And when the ten heard of it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.

Prayer for Illumination

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank You for the historical truth of this story. And we pray, Lord, that Your Spirit would be working in our hearts in such a way that we would understand this passage and that it would give us a sober joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Sermon

You know, there's an enigma, a mystery in the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter 34. I know you're thinking, what in the world is Brian doing? We went to Old Testament, New Testament, Old Testament, New Testament. I need to keep you on your toes. But there's a mystery in Exodus chapter 34. God's speaking to Moses. This is thousands of years ago. God speaks to Moses in Exodus 34 verse 5.

He says, Now the Lord descended on a cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him, that being Moses, the Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed The name of the Lord. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

All that we can make sense of. But how does it tie together with the rest of verse 7? By no means clearing the guilty. visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generations. Here's the mystery. Here's the question.

How is it that God can be merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity and sin, and yet by no means acquitting the guilty? How do those things stand in the same sentence, or literally in the same verse, in the same breath? How do you hold them together for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years? God's people were waiting for that answer. Trusting that somehow this was true, but they didn't know exactly how it came about. Until we come to Jesus. Until we come to Jesus.

I'm going to warn you that this is a sober message. This is going to be the type of message that there's going to be times in it you're going to think, can he lay it on any thicker? But I promise you, in the sobriety of what Jesus says here is the gospel. So this is going to be a gospel message for you. And I pray that at the end of this that you will see The willing love of Jesus for you. That you will see the willing love of Jesus for you.

Remember the context of what's going on here in verse 35. Jesus has just told them that he's going to be betrayed. judged, condemned, whipped, scourged, spat on, mocked, killed, and will rise again on the third day. This is what Mark tells us. Luke says they don't understand any of this. And we know they don't understand any of this because of what James and John say in verse 35. Right after Jesus just told them about what we're going to see at the end of Mark with His suffering and crucifixion, what's the first thing that they want to ask Him?

Can I get the good seats? When you come into your glory, can we sit at your right hand and at your left hand? They want the guest of honor and the second in command. Right? If there's a throne in Israel, it's always on the right hand is where there's the next person in power. Sometimes it was reserved for the Queen Mother. Sometimes it was reserved for the Crown Prince. The next person in line, the next person with the most authority, that was on the right. And if you went to a banquet, if you went to a feast, the person on your left was the guest of honor. And they're asking for these two seats. That's what they want, but they don't... It's like they just didn't listen to what Jesus had just told them.

Right? James and John, in their request, verses 35 through 37, are really, really excited about the kingdom. Right? They are really excited about the kingdom of God. They believe that Jesus is who He says He is. James and John believe that Jesus is the Messiah. They believe that He is the Crown Prince of Israel. That He is the One who is going to sit upon David's throne. And they believe this. But what they don't understand is how the Kingdom is going to come about. And what the nature of the Kingdom is.

And I just gotta tell you, parents be wary of this. Notice how they ask Jesus. I love this in verse 35. Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. I'm telling you, if your kids come and ask you that, just say, probably not. What do you want? They're asking for a blank check. They're asking for just whatever we want. Will you do it for us?

And Jesus is very wise. He doesn't say yes or no. He's not some fool like Herod. Yeah, up to half my kingdom, whatever you want. No, Jesus is smarter than that. He says, what do you want? What do you want me to do for you? Verse 36. And they ask him that question. Grant us that we may sit, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in your glory. Notice Jesus' response in verse 38 to this. To their blind ambition to their desire for power and honor. Notice what Jesus says in verse 38.

You do not know what you ask. Boys, you think you know, but you don't know. You think you know what the kingdom is about, but you're missing it. You think you know what's about to happen, but you don't have a clue, guys. You don't understand what's about to happen. You don't understand what I'm about to do for you.

See, they knew Psalm 110 verse 1 well. Psalm 110 verse 1 says, The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. They knew about the coming kingdom. They knew that Jesus was going to be king and they wanted a part in that kingdom. They understood that there was a kingdom of glory in part, they understood that in part, but they didn't understand how it was going to be achieved.

So Jesus challenges them in verse 38 and 39. He asks them, looking into their eyes, he says, are you able to drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? See, Jesus says, Are you going to drink this cup that I'm going to drink? Are you going to be baptized with the baptism I'm going to be baptized with?

And this is just kind of in character for them. The next thing they do is, oh yeah, we can do that, Jesus. Oh yeah, we can do it, verse 39. And they said to Him, we are able. Yeah, yeah, we can do it. Because see, in their minds, they're thinking, when Jesus says, can you drink this cup? Again, these are good Jewish guys. They know the Bible. And so they're thinking of the cup of blessing. They're thinking of Psalm 16, 5 and 6.

Oh Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You maintain my lot. The lions have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance. Do you hear how the psalmist there is like, man, this is a good thing to have the cup of the Lord. I mean, we sing this in Psalm 23, don't we? Right? You have prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.

My cup overflows, right? We think of God's blessing for us. And this is the way in which they're thinking of the cup that Jesus is saying He's about to drink. But it's not the cup of blessing, it's not the cup of salvation. There's another cup. The cup of wrath. The cup of wrath that they must drink. But the cup of wrath that Jesus himself only could drink.

That's what Isaiah 51, 17 is sitting at. Jesus knew that this was talking about Him when the prophet Isaiah spoke out and he said, Awake! Awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His fury. We read it this morning.

It's a hard passage to read, wasn't it, Jeremiah 25? Jeremiah 25, 15, where the Lord tells Jeremiah he's to have a cup and he's to take it to all the different kings around the nations. Why? Because He had even made Jerusalem drink the cup of His wrath, because of their iniquity, because of their idolatry, because of their sin. And if He was going to punish even Israel, would He not punish all the nations for their sins?

There's a cup of wrath to be drunk and Jesus knows this. We know it because Jesus Himself said it in His prayer. Mark chapter 14, this is a preview of what's coming ahead in a few weeks. Mark chapter 14, verse 36. He's praying to God here, and Jesus says, Abba Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, But what you will. Jesus tells James and John, I don't think you understand boys.

What is about to happen, that I am about to drink to the dregs of the bottom of the cup, the wrath of God. The iniquity of all Israel, the punishment for sins. the absolute fury and hatred and wrath of God towards iniquity, I am about to drink down. Do you think you're able to do that? Do you think that you're able to withstand the full heat and fire of God's anger upon you?

Jesus knows full well what He's doing. And with trembling hands, Jesus takes that cup. He knows that it's waiting for Him in that hill just outside Jerusalem. And with full sobriety, He knows He's going to have to drink it. This cup would overflow, not at first with blessings, But Jesus' cup would overflow with the wrath of God. He says, boys, are you ready to drink that cup? But it's not just that cup. Are you able to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized with?

Jesus, I am convinced here, has in mind Psalm 88. We sang the first part of Psalm 88 earlier. Psalm 88, verse 7. It's hard to read or sing that psalm without thinking of the death and burial of Jesus. And in verse 7, He speaks, Your wrath lies heavy upon Me, and You have afflicted Me with all Your ways. And then in verse 17 of Psalm 88, The psalmist says, they came around me all day like water.

They engulfed me all together. Jesus is not talking here about his baptism by John. He's not talking about His anointing for His ministry. He's talking about Him being flooded, drowned, submerged under the full wrath and curse of God for sin. Gasping for air as the sky turned black. Are you able to be baptized with this baptism? Are you able to drink this cup which I am to drink? It's what Jesus is doing. But why? Right? Why would Jesus drink this cup? Why would Jesus subject Himself to this baptism of God's wrath? Because this is the mystery of the gospel.

This is the answer to Exodus chapter 34. This is how God can both be merciful and gracious, abounding in loving kindness and goodness, and yet by no means acquitting the guilty, because our iniquities were laid upon Him. Your sins Every time that you have failed your children, every time that you have sinned against your wife, every time that you have disappointed the people around you, every time that you have failed in covetousness, every time that you have lusted after someone, every time that you have loved this world more than God, Jesus drank down that cup instead of you. Do you see this is one of the most somber portions of the entire scriptures because in it we have life. This is the mystery of the gospel that was hidden and has been fully revealed in Jesus. He was put to death for our iniquities, for our sins He is healed.

And I love that Jesus is looking at them in the eyes here. Jesus is looking at two sinners. Blind with their own self-ambition. And He loves them. Jesus knows He's going to drink the cup of God's wrath even for that blind ambition. See, Jesus is willing and He's loving for you. Your sin doesn't surprise Jesus. Your lack of holiness doesn't catch him off guard. For yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This is how God's love has been demonstrated. This is what Jesus is challenging James and John with here.

And they don't get it. They're humans. Verse 39, they think he's talking on human levels. They have misunderstandings of what the kingdom is. I'm sure all of us do. And Jesus says, are you able to do this? And they say, yeah, we can do it, boss. Yeah, we got it. Give us the cup. Pour out the water. We got it, right? And Jesus, no. No, right?

Jesus prophetically speaks to them. So they're going to have to learn the hard way. You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with, you will be baptized." And he tells them, you are going to die for my kingdom. Just turn over a few pages in your Bible to Acts chapter 12 verse 2, and you'll find James, the son of Zebedee, the first apostle, the first of the twelve to be put to death. Killed. John would suffer. Rulers would literally try to murder him. It would fail time and again, but eventually they would just exile him by himself on a forsaken island in the middle of the sea to die.

He says there are seats of honor. He says there are seats of honor in his kingdom. But they're not for Him to give. That's for His Father's prerogative. I don't think we need to delve into the mystery of Trinitarian agreement on these things. Jesus clearly knows His Father's will here. But I think the point is saying, boys, those seats are none of your business. From all eternity, God knows who are going to get those seats. That's not what you need to worry yourself with. Next week, we'll actually get into what they need to worry themselves with. Not just them, but all the disciples. That's not their concern.

But this week, for us, as we look at this passage, we see this determined and willing love of Jesus. This sober love of Jesus. That it is only Jesus who is able to drink this cup. How? What we said in our catechism question this morning. He was born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost. yet without sin. He was the only one who was qualified to drink that cup.

But why would he? Why would he drink that cup? Because he loved James and John. And because he loves you. Because he loves you. That's why he drank that cup. That's why he was willing He was able to be baptized, how? Because He was the only perfect, unspotted One. But why would He undergo this baptism by fire, this baptism of God's anger and wrath? Because He loves you. Because He was going to redeem His people. Because He was going to lay down His life for His friends.

And when we get this, right? When we actually latch on to this, when we learn of this, it makes us hate sin that much more. But there's another thing it does, right? When we understand that it is because of our sin that Jesus had to take that cup and put it to His lips and drink down the wrath of God. When we understand that, it doesn't just make us hate our sin and our transgressions, It also makes us love Him that much more when we do sin.

See, there's a temptation for some of you. There's a temptation for some of you that you're going to think that, oh, if I sin, I'm still in trouble. Maybe you're one of those who you wrestle with this because you think about God's holiness and His wrath and His hatred for sin, and it's grief and heaviness in your heart, and you think, how could He ever love me?

Brothers and sisters, there wasn't a drop left in the cup. The cup is empty. The cup of God's wrath is done. Jesus drank it to the very bottom. It's not like you're going to get to heaven and God's going to say, oh, oh, hold on. There's some left in the cup. You have to drink now. No, Jesus drank the cup. It's gone. That's why with his dying words, he said, it is finished. He didn't say, well, I got a C plus. There's still more that could have been done. No, it's done. The wrath has been absorbed. The price has been paid.

Jesus has taken the wrath of the Father so that you might know Him. Not in Exodus 34, 7b, as the one who visits iniquity, but that you might know Him as He has declared Himself to be. Merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy to thousands, and forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. We know the God of Exodus chapter 34 because Jesus was willing to drink that cup and to be baptized with that baptism.

I don't have a lot of application for you today. I don't have like a fancy thing to tell you like, oh, now here's how to put it in your life. I'm just telling you, here's the gospel. Rest in it. Receive it. Praise God for Jesus Christ. and find peace for your soul. This is where there's everlasting life.

Closing Prayer

Let's pray. Father, it's easy for us to forget the gospel, that there's actually good news. Father, we pray that your Holy Spirit would apply these words to our hearts and to our lives. No matter how young or how old, Lord, we pray that Your Spirit would be at work, that You would give us hope and peace in Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen.

Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue, Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.