And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet, not My will, but Yours be done.”
And an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground.
— Luke 22:41-44
Very few of us really understand the heading up. Only Christ fully knows. In the process that Christ went through, His submission was so marvelous. Even before creation He fully realized what was going to happen in God’s economy. He designed the whole universe (Prov. 3:19-20). He knew what would happen to man. Adam’s fall was not a surprise to Him. Christ realized that the 4000 years of human history before His incarnation were a preparation for Him to come, to suffer, and to die. No one knows how much He suffered. Only in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His crucifixion do we get a glimpse of how difficult His path was. Even though Christ had engineered the whole process and even though He knew He would be in that garden on that night, yet He still prayed to God to remove the cup if He were willing (Luke 22:41-44). He wept and prayed even to the point that His sweat was like great drops of blood. Yet He still fully submitted to God’s headship.
Even Christ’s resurrection and ascension were under God’s authority. After He resurrected, He waited for God to call Him to ascend to the throne. He did not presume that because of His accomplishments He deserved to ascend, but He waited for God to call Him. Philippians 2:9 tells us that it was God who highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. Everything is under God’s headship.
Adapted from Sisters’ Messages, pages 44-45.
Tomorrow: “Fearful of Offending the Headship”