Origen's Meditation On The Passion




But it is likely, because of the verse “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Mt. 26:39), that someone who does not accurately understand the intent of Scripture will suppose that the Savior proved a coward at the night of the Passion. And if He proved a coward, someone might say, who will ever prove to be noble? First, let us inquire of those who entertain such suppositions about the Savior whether He is inferior to the one who said, “The Lord is my light and my Savior; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my persecutors and enemies grew weak and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident” (Ps. 27:1-3). But it may be that these words are spoken by the prophet of no one else but the Savior, who feared no one because of the light and salvation given from the Father, and who was afraid of no one because of the protection with which God shielded Him. And His heart was not at all fearful when the entire host of Satan encamped against Him. His heart, filled with sacred teachings, hoped in God when war rose up against Him. Therefore, it would be contradictory if it was from cowardice that He said, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Mt. 26:39) and yet said with courage, “Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear” (Ps. 27:3).

Perhaps, then, something in the passage has escaped our notice, and you will find it out by noting how the cup is mentioned in the three Gospels. Matthew writes that the Lord said, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Mt. 26:39). Luke writes, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me” (Lk. 22:42). Mark writes, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; remove this cup from me” (Mk. 14:36). Therefore, since every martyrdom completed by death for whatever motive is called a “cup,” see whether you cannot say that when He says “let this cup pass from me,” He does not refuse martyrdom in general, but only one kind. (Otherwise, He would have said, “let the cup pass from me.”) Consider carefully whether it is not possible that the Savior saw, so to speak, what the different kinds of cups were and what would happen because of each of them, and that when He had considered their differences by some vast depth of wisdom, He refused one kind of martyr’s death, while in secret He asked for another kind that was probably harder, so that some more general benefit that would overtake a greater number might be accomplished through that other cup. But this was not at all the Father’s will, which was wiser than the Son’s will, since He was ordering events by a way and an order beyond what the Savior saw. At any rate, clearly “the cup of salvation” in Psalms is the death of the martyrs. That is why the verse “I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord” is followed by “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Ps. 116:13, 15). Therefore, death comes to us as “precious” if we are God’s saints worthy of dying not the common death, if I may call it that, but a special kind of death, Christian, religious, and holy.