REMOVE THIS CUP FROM ME: DID JESUS WANT HIS PART OF THE MISSION TO BE REMOVED?

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In the book of Mark chapter 8 verse 31, Jesus described His mission to His disciples which involves being killed/ crucified.

(Mark 8:31 KJV) And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

However, in the book of Matthew, Mark and Luke, He made statements which seem to suggest that He is unwilling to fulfill this mission. 

(Matthew 26:39 KJV) And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 

(Mark 14:36 KJV) 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.

(Luke 22:42 KJV) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Some critics of Jesus' mission have jumped at this Scripture to state that Jesus didn't want to obey God and be crucified. They said if being crucified was His main mission, why did He pray to the Father for His part of the mission to be removed.

What these critics have refused to realise is that in the same verse Jesus clearly states that it will not be His own will that the cup is removed, rather it would have been the Father's will if the prayer was answered.

More so, these critics misunderstood the difference between dislike of the pain and suffering which Jesus was about to experience and the willingness to go ahead with the mission. For instance, most of us are willing to do something unpleasant voluntarily. Most of us were willing and desirous to go to the University but do not like it whenever exams come. 

Jesus was willing to voluntarily fulfill His mission of redeeming mankind by being crucified, which can clearly be seen from His statements in the above verses.

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