And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Mark 14:36 — King James Version

“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Mark 14:36 — New International Version

And he said, “Father, my Father, you can do everything; let this cup pass from me, yet not my own will, but yours.”

Mark 14:36 — Aramaic Bible in Plain English

He said, “Abba! Father! You can do anything. Take this cup [of suffering] away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.”

Mark 14:36 — God’s Word Translation

“Abba!” (that is, “Dear Father!”) “All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me! Still, not what I want, but what you want.” 

Mark 14:36 — Complete Jewish Bible

Thoughts on Today’s Verse

By Elizabeth Haworth

We cannot begin to imagine the depth of agony that our Lord Jesus Christ experienced in Gethsemane, when three times in succession He asked Abba, His God and Father: if it were possible to remove the bitter cup He was about to drink, for He knew that all things are possible with God – and yet the thundering silence that pounded from a shut and brassy heaven, revealed that there was no other way whereby we must be saved. And so Christ was enabled to pray, nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done.

Christ was asking if it were possible for mankind to be redeemed in another way, other than by His own substitutionary death, burial and resurrection, but there was no other way to pay the enormous price of sin.. except by means of the precious blood of the holy Lamb of God -poured out for your sin and for mine.

Christ’s bitter anguish in the Garden can only be grasped in the light of what was about to take place, as He hung of the cross – for He was about to bear the full weight of the sin of the whole world. He was to become the sin-substitute and be made sin for us. He was to become the sacrifice for sin, and was about to bear the full force of the curse of the Law of our account – as the inexhaustible wrath of God was poured out upon Him, in fullest measure.

Jesus was not seeking to extricate Himself from His God-appointed responsibility, for He knew that for this purpose He had come into the world – to save lost sinners by means of His substitutionary death. Indeed, according to the writer of the Hebrews, the Lord Jesus asked to be saved out-of death and not saved-from death: Who in the days of his flesh, having offered up both supplications and entreaties to him who was able to save him out of death, with strong crying and tears.

Our dear Redeemer, ‘ere He breathed His last breath and gave up His spirit.. prayed that He would be raised from the dead – which was fully granted at His glorious resurrection.There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin – but He was made sin for us, so that we who believe in Him, might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father – what amazing grace that You should send Your only begotten Son to be born as a Man and suffer and die for me. Thank You that the Lord Jesus was willing to face the enormous consequences of the cross and become sin for my sake. Thank You that the wrath of God that I justly deserve was poured out in Him in my stead, so that by believing in Him I might be forgiven, redeemed, justified, sanctified and glorified – to Your praise and glory, AMEN