I was deep in contemplation as I considered the amazing truth of vicarious atonement: that Christ took the cup of the fury of the Most High, which I had mixed for myself, drained it dry in my stead, and then offered me the blessed cup of Grace. What a dreadful cup it was that I, in my sin, mixed for Christ, and what tremendous love caused him to take it from me. Yet as woeful as this was, so did the cup of the mercy and love of God which Christ had prepared for me since eternity past excel even the woefulness of my condition. As we were preparing to partake of the Lord’s Supper, and drink from the cup of Christ in communion, our pastor preached on the mighty and terrible cry Christ made from the cross, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani (My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?).” Thinking of this, my spirit was overwhelmed thinking of three dreadful ingredients in the cup which Christ took from me. By partaking of my cup, he took upon himself these three characteristics of my own condition.
First, he took upon himself my human weaknesses and sorrow. Christ, being very God of very God, was absolutely sinless, and did not take part in our fallen condition, yet he humbled himself to take the nature of man under the curse. He, in his humanity, suffered all the woes that the curse had brought to mankind, though he himself never merited a curse. His sorrowful cry from the cross is evident of his human suffering. This cry was a quote from Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is, at the same time, a prophetic psalm concerning the death of Christ, and a psalm of mourning over human suffering. How can it be both? Because Christ’s sufferings were the epitome of human suffering. Suffering is the lot of our race, brought into this world through sin, and given strength by the curse. Christ took this suffering nature upon himself, and realized in his body, the full measure of human suffering. We are born unto this dreadful draught, and have no choice but to drink it. But Christ was born for eternal bliss, and condescended to suffer in human weakness by his own free choice. And when he uttered this terrible cry, he was deep in the throes of human agony. Thus, he drank the poison of human weakness and suffering that I, myself, had earned. How can this be? How can the almighty bear our infirmities? I know not, but I rejoice that it is so.
He also took upon himself the venom of sin. As previously stated, Christ himself was sinless. Yet he bore our sin, in his own body on the tree. Many men have railed against substitutionary atonement They can tolerate any doctrine of scriptures, but they cannot abide the thought that Christ literally bore our sin. Yet this cry from the cross is an argument against all of them. Christ took our sins upon himself in truth, for what else but sin could have caused God the Father to turn his face from his beloved? Christ took the guilt of sins he did not commit, and bore our shame while he bled for our atonement I sinned, not he. I broke God’s law, not he. Yet there he is, bearing the sin that I myself had done. How can this be? By what means was this transferal made? How can the sinless bear the guilt of sin? I cannot answer these questions, but I rejoice to know that it is so.
Finally, Christ took upon himself the bitter taste of separation from God. Of all the mysteries, this one is the hardest for my mind to grasp. God is one in essence, inseparable and unified. Yet at the same time, he consists of three persons. If that is not mystery enough, this cry from the cross adds mystery to mystery; for at this time, the fellowship of the Godhead was disrupted. While Christ was still God, and as such, still partaker of the unity of the Trinity, yet was the eternal fellowship of this unity broken while he bore our sins. For the first time since time began, something came between the unbroken and limitless communion between Father, Son, and Spirit. I cannot go on to explain more than this, for mortal words cannot describe such a mystery; but I maintain that, while Christ never ceased being God, and never gave up his essential union with the Godhead, his cry from the cross is evidence that he, momentarily lost the reality of communion and fellowship with the Godhead. I was separated from God on the very day of my birth, for I was born unto this. But Christ was not, he had the eternal presence of God as his birthright. Yet he gave it up for my sake. How can this be? How can one maintain the union yet lose communion and fellowship? How can there ever be such a loss of fellowship in a unified Essence? I know not, nor can comprehend it in the slightest degree. Yet I hear the words of Christ from the cross, and my heart exclaims that it is so.
These three dreadful ingredients made up the cup of the Wrath of God that I had distilled for myself; yet all this was drunk, in one mighty act, by my Kinsman-Redeemer, and thus he cried, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani.” But the wonder does not cease, for here he stands, resurrected and gloried, holding in his hands a new cup: the cup of Love, Mercy, and Grace which he mixed himself in his own person. He holds it out, offering it to his people freely, that they may drink. It too has three ingredients, but these are pleasant beyond description. As he took our human nature, he offers us his divine nature. Not that we ourselves might be elevated to deity, but that we, in our union with Christ, might be partakers of the divine nature. As he took on himself the horror of our sin, he offers us the beauty of his holiness. Human holiness is insufficient, for it is simply non-existent. But he holds out for us a perfect human righteousness, which he wrought himself on this earth. Not only is he Holy as God, but as a Man, he is Holy in all his actions, thoughts, and affections. This holiness he offers to us, that we might put on Christ and his holiness in our daily lives. Finally, as he took our separation from God, he offers us the eternal presence of God, giving us the promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Never will we have to cry out as he cried out, for God will always be near us; yea, dwelling in us.
These three ingredients, the divine nature, practical holiness, and knowledge of the presence of God were mixed together into a mighty draught. As such, the whole of the Triune God is involved in its bestowal. The ingredients were created long ago by the Father, mixed and bestowed by the God-Man, Jesus Christ, and given through the agency and power of the Holy Spirit. As I sat, overwhelmed by the love of Christ that caused him to drain my own cup dry, I gazed in wonder at the cup he offers to my soul, and desired it above all things. I asked for it, yet the Spirit of God aided my intercession, providing me with mighty pleas with which to wrestle with God for this blessing. I pleaded my own unworthiness; for how can I come to him as worthy to drink of this cup unless he himself will do the work? I pleaded my own need, for it was Christ who commanded the thirsty to come to him for the living waters of the Spirit of God, and am I not dry and thirsty? I pleaded promises of God in scripture; for it was he that promised me the divine nature, practical holiness, and his presence and shall God not keep his word? I pleaded the sufferings of Christ; for how can such intense sufferings fail to yield the result God desired? I pleaded the worthiness of Christ; for if he, himself is given to me, how shall God not also with him freely give me all things, and has not his inherent merit earned every possible blessing for his people? I pleaded my regeneration; for how can God begin a work in me and not complete it to the end? I pleaded the indwelling of the Spirit; for how can the Spirit live within me and not work mightily? I pleaded the darkness of this world and the attacks of Satan; for how can I hope to stand against him unless I can drink of this cup? Finally, I pleaded the very character of God; for how can a God who loved me so much that he drank my woe fail to refresh me with his grace?
With these nine mighty pleas, provided by the Spirit of God, I wrestled with the Most High, matching omnipotence against omnipotence. And lo, he has granted me my desire; for this night, I drank of the cup of Christ with my brethren, and partook of his fullness, just as he partook of my weakness. His nature, Holiness, and presence were as real to me this night as if they were mine by right. God grant me the spiritual power to grapple often with the Covenant Angel, and to cling to him for the blessing of this cup. God grant me the perseverance to not let go until I have obtained it. And having obtained it, God grant me the grace to sit and drink it, in communion with my God, never to neglect it in favor of the deceits of this world. Oh Christian, as Christ drank your cup, and offers his to you freely, sit and partake with him, and be satisfied with nothing else until you do.
