The Cup of Surrender

As a child, I couldn’t wait to try coffee. I’m not talking about fru-fru starbucks drinks that are 90% sugar and milk. I’m talking about coffee. And I had several reasons for wanting to try it. First, I woke up to the smell of it every day, and it smelled good. And I figured anything that smelled that wonderful had to be wonderful as well.

Secondly, almost every adult that I knew drank it morning, noon, and night. My mom was the only exception, she said she liked the smell, not the taste. But there was always coffee in the pot, and I had never heard anyone my dad offered a cup to turn it down. They chose coffee over hot chocolate. They chose coffee over milk with their cookies. They drank it when it was hot outside and when it was cold. And this told me that not only was it wonderful, but that it was set apart for grownups. Coffee is what a man drinks, and I was going to get there faster than most.

Coffee came in two varieties: black, or with cream and sugar, and I was determined to like it both ways. And the biggest reason that I wanted to try coffee was related to this, and that is that everyone told me it wasn’t for kids. “You won’t like it,” they would say, and I was sure that they were wrong. They were hiding the good stuff from me and I knew it.

And finally, one day, I guess my dad had finally had enough of me asking for it, and so he handed me his cup and told me to try it, so I did. And as the bitterness hit my tongued, my whole face winced and the coffee spewed from my mouth! Why would anyone drink that! How could something that smells so wonderful taste so bitter?

My dad chuckled, and asked how is it? I answered that I thought it would be better with cream and sugar. He laughed again, and then handed me both cream and sugar. I put half a bowl of sugar and half a cup worth of cream in that coffee, and I managed to drink a few sips before surrendering it back and asking for hot chocolate instead.

Now, since that time, I have learned to appreciate coffee. I enjoy it, though i cannot have it because of stomach problems it causes me. But I’ll never forget that day I chose to drink from my father’s cup and found that I wasn’t ready.

Open your Bibles with me, if you will to John 18. We are back in John 18 this morning. And the last time that we were together, you’ll remember we were talking about the hour of Jesus’ arrest, how Rome and the temple had sent 600 soldiers to arrest one man, and how Jesus demonstrates His sovereignty over all things, even in the midst of His arrest. And we were discussing the implications of this for you and I in the way that we live our lives. And so, as we pick back up this morning, we’re going to be starting right where we left off. In fact, we’re going to back up a verse, in John 18:11, and I would ask you to stand with me, wherever you are, as we honor the Lord at our reading of His Word together from John 18.

John 18:11–27 NASB95

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people. Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself. The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. “Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.” When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

Would you pray with me? Lord, God, King of the universe, Father of grace, we have come together this morning to study Your most excellent Word. We long to grow in our understanding of You and Your will for our lives. We long to know who You are and to make You known. We wish for You to be the very center of our lives, and we know that starts right here in the in Your Word. And so, Lord, we come to you this morning asking You to be with us. Would You send Your Holy Spirit to teach us, and challenge so that we might be changed through it to be more like Your Son, Jesus. It is in His Name we ask these things, Amen.

Thank you, you may be seated. The first verse of our passage this morning is also our last verse from last Sunday’s text. And we start with it now because of how it frames our passage. You’ll remember that we were talking about the fact that it is easier to make a defense to to stand in the gap. Peter had just cut the ear off of a servant that was a part of the group that had come to arrest Jesus. And as Jesus commands Peter to stand down, He asks Peter a rhetorical question:

John 18:11 NASB95

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Should I not drink from the cup the Father has given Me? Shouldn’t I drink what the Father has given me, what God the Father has purposed for me to do? The question doesn’t need to be asked, does it? Jesus is absolutely going to do what the Father has called Him to do. He is going to pursue the Father’s will, there is no question about it, because the Father and the Son are one in nature. They have the same plan and purpose, and so there is no doubt that Jesus will do what it is that the Father asks. But the question reminds me of another text, another chapter from the life of Christ and His disciples.

In Mark 10, James and John, brothers as they were, came to Jesus and asked Him for a promise. They asked Him if they could sit at His right hand and His left hand in the Kingdom of heaven. And in verse 38, we read

Mark 10:38–40 NASB95

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Can you drink from the cup I’m drinking? What we see in the response of Jesus towards these brothers is not cynicism, but compassion. And I don’t want you to mishear what I’m saying. I am not saying that the cup of Christ is not good, it is. I am not saying that we shouldn’t drink from it, we must. But what I am saying is that in our passage this morning, we see a clear line in the sand. We see what it means for us, as those who would call ourselves children of God and followers of Christ, to drink from His cup, and what we find in it is strong coffee. It is good for us, but it is different than anything else we have ever experienced.

The goodness in the cup of Christ brings with it a strong bitterness from the world around us that is unavoidable and inescapable if we wish to truly follow our Savior where He would lead us. We are being beckoned to follow Jesus, to walk with Him, to walk where He walks. But to claim the Name of Christ is no small thing. To truly follow Jesus, we need to consider the cost. And in this passage this morning, there are three things we need to be aware of if we are truly going to drink from the cup of Christ. There are three things that must be fundamentally different about us, and all of them are rooted in this singular truth, that:

Our cup in Christ is a cup of surrender

Jesus is calling us to a place of surrender. His cup is a cup of surrender. It is a cup of sacrifice. It is a cup of letting go of things that this world clings to. And while what awaits us in the glory of God is infinitely better than what we forfeit here on earth, we have to understand that there is a bitterness in it that we must learn an appetite for. Let’s look at the first several verses together:

John 18:11–14 NASB95

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people.

Our cup in Christ is a cup of surrender, and the first fundamental difference this causes is that

The heart of men is to self-defense, but the cup of Christ is selfless surrender

Peter, one of Christ’s closest companions, shows us the struggle between the old man and the new man. There he stood in the garden. His intentions were good, and in his mind, his reasoning was sound. They’ll never take us alive! He would stand by Jesus to the end. He would defend the honor of Christ to the literal hilt of his sword. He would prove his allegiance to Christ. He would show those soldiers and the traitor, and those religious leaders that they had a fight on their hands.

Caiaphas, the high priest, defended himself as well. His position was given to him by Rome. His home was joined to that of his father-in-law, Annas, who had been high priest before him. And here, the two men would finally have their enemy in their clutches. Finally this man that threatened their power and position and the security of Judea under Roman rule was in their hands, and it would be expedient for him to die.

As Americans, you and I have a love of rights. We hold to freedoms and rights that we consider to be God given, and we tie these things to our faith as though the two were necessary for each other. We are happy and ready to stand up quickly and defend our rights and our freedoms and our opinions, even at times, at the cost of the Gospel. Is not my right to not wear a mask in the store more important than the Name of Christ that I bear? Is not my belief in a political conspiracy more important than the message of eternal life? Is not my winning the argument and the moment, and the vindication that such things bring more important than love, and mercy, and patience, and forbearance?

And, of course, none of us thinks this way. Standing here this morning, I would dare to say that not one of us would claim that any right we have or hold to is more important than the Gospel. And I am glad that we understand that, but we can’t just know it is true, we have to live by it. I see us, standing there in verse 11, friends. We stand as Peter in the Garden, our swords drawn, ready for our defensive. And yet Christ is calling us into something so much deeper. Jesus tells Peter to put down his sword, that He is ready to drink this cup. He is ready to do what must be done. And what you and I need to see here this morning is exactly that. We need to put down our sword of self defense and to drink of Christ’s selfless surrender:

Jesus surrenders willingly, and is immediately bound. And for what? He had done nothing wrong! He had not resisted. No charges were levied against Him. And yet Jesus is led away bound. He isn’t taken to the court of the temple, but to the house of wicked men. Annas was a former high-priest, a title stripped of Him by Rome. Under Biblical Law and by Roman authority, Annas had no power, and yet Jesus is taken to his house and questioned, but never protests.

This could be likened to an illegal interrogation today. They were looking for something to charge Him with, something they could justify killing Him for. By Biblical Law, to charge Him the court needed to here from witnesses, as outlined in Deuteronomy 19:15-21, and yet they don’t present any. Rome and the temple alike were violating the rights of Christ!

And yet, for our sakes, Jesus lays down His rights. What rights, friend, would you be willing to lay down for the sake of the Gospel? What liberty would you forego that someone that does not yet know His forgiveness can know Him? Paul challenges us to let go of these things of earth, these rights and freedoms, as things that we cling to so that we cling only to the Gospel for the sake of those that are lost. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22

1 Corinthians 9:20–22 NASB95

To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.

What can you surrender that the Gospel might prevail? What wrong would you suffer, that Christ might be exalted? The heart of men is to self defense, but the cup of Christ is selfless surrender. Christ is calling us into selfless surrender, and so to follow Him we must lay down our defense of ourselves. Our privileges our securities, our rights and liberties on this earth are not worth fighting for in light of eternity. There is so much of to gain in surrender than we ever had to defend. Let’s continue together, verse 15:

John 18:15–21 NASB95

Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself. The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples, and about His teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together; and I spoke nothing in secret. “Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said.”

friends, Our cup in Christ is a cup of surrender, and the second fundamental difference this causes is that

The heart of men is to self-preservation, but the cup of Christ perseveres in truth

Where is our mighty warrior, our sword swinging friend, as Christ stands in surrender? Is he not lurking in the shadows? Do we not hear his first call of denial? Surely not I, Lord, surely not me! I would give my life for yours! In a blaze of glory and ardent fighting of defense. But in surrender? In surrender, Peter lurks behind. The other disciple has to vouch for him after the doors have been closed so that Peter can come into the room. Is Peter standing at the side of our Lord as He faces his accusers? No. He is warming himself by the fire of his enemies. He is happy to stay unnoticed, left unscathed and not associated . Able to observe what is happening at a safe distance.

When it was time for a defense, Peter was ready. But as Jesus stood in the fire, Peter was much more content to warm himself by it. We shake our heads at Peter, and yet I wonder how we too might be lurking in the shadows, following at a safe distance. You see, it is safer to rail against the robbing of our liberties and freedoms on facebook, than it is to get on a plane to Mexico. It isn’t risky you in those social media posts like it is when you approach a stranger to tell them about Jesus. I can stand up for my convictions of faith from a distance, but what about when we are face to face with them.

If you were standing in the doorway that night, would you be recognized as having been with Jesus? What would your answer be, I wonder? If being a Christian were a crime, would a tape of your life stand as an indictment or an exoneration? This pandemic has offered a blessing to Christ’s church, I believe. It has taken away the social aspects and scheduled norms of our faith practice. I can see who logged on Sunday and Wednesday, but nobody else really knows but Jesus. And lets be honest, for some, it has meant a disappearance of Spiritual pursuits almost entirely. Before Sundays and Wednesdays at least forced you to open God’s Word for brief moments, that you might be confronted with His truth, but now the onus has been entirely upon you.

And don’t waste this opportunity church! Because now, more than ever, you have been given a snapshot of your true Spiritual health. Are you more on the side of self preservation or that of the truth perseverance? If the authorities were to analyze your life, would you be included in Christ’s courtroom, or left outside the door? From the moment of our birth, our world teaches us to look out for ourselves, to seek what is best for us, to seek our good above all else, and yet Christ would call on us to let go of our good for the truth of the Gospel. We would call us to stand in the bitterness of this world’s harsh rebuke that the glory of His truth might shine through us. The heart of men is to self preservation, but the cup of Christ perseveres in the truth. Let’s look at the last few verses:

John 18:22–27 NASB95

When He had said this, one of the officers standing nearby struck Jesus, saying, “Is that the way You answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?” So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

Our cup in Christ is a cup of surrender, and the last fundamental difference this causes is that

The heart of men is to hide in shame, but the cup of Christ stands in humility

I have shared with you before, how after 9/11 I was traveling with my dad by air. And on that trip, he was randomly selected to have his bag and person searched on all four flights, two coming and two going. And on the last flight, they couldn’t get his stuff back into his bag, and it delayed the flight considerably. People were already grumbling when he boarded the plane, and began trying to stuff his bag into the overhead bin. And as the stewardess suggested his bag wouldn’t fit and that she needed to check it for him,he told her “it would have fit before it was unpacked four times.” And embarrassed, I was staring out the window until in horror, I heard him say, “and you, don’t you act like you don’t know me!”

This is the nature of who we are! we hide from shame. We try and distance ourselves from it in any way possible. At the youngest of ages, we try to sweep it under a rug. But that is not the coffee we have been served as we seek to follow Jesus. There, by the fire, the last thing Peter wanted was to be recognized, to face at best ridicule and at worst charges. Even as a relative of Peter’s victim accused him, what flew from Peter’s mouth was a cover of shame. And yet, look how Christ stands in contrast.

He is slapped in the face for a perceived disrespect against a man that was not even the high priest. Jesus spoke the truth, and stood in the shame that it brought Him. He stands bound as a common criminal and when they can’t get from Him what they wanted, He is shipped off to the next inquisition. And even as Christ stood being mocked, slapped, and insulted, Peter heard the crow of the rooster. As Christ began to take upon Himself the shame of all humanity, Peter ran into the darkness to hide in his, with the realization that even his denial lay bare before Jesus.

A day is coming and is now here, when you and I will be called on to stand unashamed for the gospel. The truth of the Gospel already threatens public shaming. Already we look and see our faith being likened to a hate crime. Already we are shamed to enter into the schools and into our workplaces, and into public life with our Jesus left at home in the closet. And in the midst of the constant and growing barrage of attacks on our faith in the world around us, the call of Christ on His children is to surrender our swords and to bear the shame. We aren’t called on to beat our breasts in the courtroom crying for our rights, but to stand condemned, convicted of loving Him, and loving those that accuse us. Christ has not sent us into the world looking for a fight, but to allow them to strip everything away from us because we cling to Christ and to Christ alone.

The sword we draw, the defense we make, is for the hope that is in us. It is against spiritual powers and principalities that battle not for the public square, but for the souls of men. The call of Christ is not a faint and waning cry, but it is strong coffee. It is a call to selfless surrender, persevering in the truth of the Gospel that we believe, standing in whatever humility it may bring us so that Christ may be proclaimed. So that, on the last day as we stand blamelessly cleansed by the blood of Christ, there will be with us the teaming crowd of those that heard what we openly proclaimed as the truth.

Our fight is not for the court rooms of today, or the rights of our nation, but for the glory of our Savior that we surrender our lives to serve. Our cup in Christ, beloved, is a cup of surrender. That in our weakness, we will find that He is strong. That in our suffering, His work in us might be completed. That in our dying, we might live. The call of the Gospel is strong coffee. This morning, will you come and drink of it? Will you enter into it, eyes wide open, and find in your surrender, His victory.

Would you pray with me? Heavenly Father, I confess to you that I am more like Peter than I’d like to be. I am quick to draw my sword to fight for my rights and my will in Your Name, but I have been hesitant towards suffering because of it. And while everything around me has called on me to battle, Your Spirit quietly draws me to surrender. And so, I come to you this morning, asking you to build in me Your selflessness, Your perseverance, and Your strength to stand, not in defense of the things I could lose, but for the truth and the light that I cannot live without. Help me, Lord, to find my strength in surrender before You, that Your Name may be more greatly magnified in me. We ask these things in Jesus’ Name, Amen.