The story of salvation begins with the lowly birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Judea. But the plan for the rescue of mankind by God Father was wrought upon the first act of sin committed by Adam & Eve. God knew then that this act of sin will have a grave consequence. That simple act of disobedience, will eventually lead to the obedience of His precious Son to sacrifice His own Life for our redemption.
At the start, it seems like a mission impossible. Before Jesus begins His mission and ministry, He was placed in a precarious situation, tempted by the devil. Thrice, the evil one tempted Jesus who was birthed in flesh, to abandon His mission recorded in Matthew 4: 11. The devil knew His opponent well by addressing Jesus as the Son of God. The list of weapon in the devil’s offensive arsenal is common temptations known to man. Without a doubt, one of the temptations was the cause of Lucifer’s own downfall. But the old cunning evil one did not know the savior well enough to tempt Him with the basic needs of existence, greed’s of man, and the pride and ego of man to want to be equal with the sovereign God. The devil himself fell for the temptation of want to be equal with God but Jesus did not because He is steadfast in His mission.
When the devil failed to divert Jesus’ focus and determination through the common ruse of temptations known to man, his next strategy was to make the mission an aborted failure. The diabolical one planned the worst punishment that can be inflicted on a human to discourage Him to fulfill God’s salvation for men. The thoughts of the forthcoming sufferings caused our Lord Jesus to be humanly weak that His perspiration was in bloods as He prayed. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. ….” Matthew 26: 38. The night when He was betrayed, the momentum of events that followed were not for any ordinary person. The moment our Lord Jesus was arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples took flight and went into hiding. He was left alone to face the worst punishments planned by the diabolical one to discourage Him to complete and fulfill God’s plan for mankind salvation. But being an obedient Son, He came to do the will of the Father despite the weight of the trial that awaited Him. At the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed three times if the cup of suffering can be taken away from Him. Nevertheless, He prayed too that the will of God Father be done which meant He will submit Himself to be brutalized by the evil ones. He stated in John 6:38 that He came only to do the Father’s will, not His own. I believe if Jesus wanted, He could and have summoned legions of angels to defend Him; after all, He is a deity that was one with the Father. But as a Son, He chose to submit to the will of the Father. He chose to see the fruition of the salvation plan for mankind devised by the Godhead. That plan could only be affected through His death on the cross. Then, to the cross was the way He chose to go. Praise the Lord for His willingness and obedience that Grace was administrated when He cried, “IT IS FINISHED”.
So, Jesus our Redeemer foresaw the joy and consequence of His act of obedience to the death at the cross mentioned in Hebrews 12: 2. What is His joy that compelled Him to endure such pains and suffering? The faces of us, you and me, redeemed people that can come to His Father through His sacrifices. The veil of separation between God and men was ripped apart when He cried His last words.
So, was it a mission impossible for our Lord? Perhaps, yes if He chose to do His own will. But Jesus Christ our Redeemer and Saviour chose otherwise. His obedience to the Father, even to the death at the cross meant that the mission became possible. The old devil was defeated at the cross. He wanted Jesus’ mission to fail so that the world will perished along with him. But the resilience of our Lord and obedience to the Father compelled Him to the end. When He cried, “It is finished”, it is really finished for the devil but for us, Grace came to bridge the gap between us and God. In glory when we will meet Him, we can sing the Amazing Grace song with gratitude and praises to His mighty Name.