This Good Friday morning, I read from the Gospels all the events that took place the day before the arrest and crucifixion of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Although I have read these portions of Scripture numerous times (Matt. 23-26, Mark 13-14, Luke 22-23, John 13-17), this time I was struck by the sheer density of those final hours. 

Some key moments include Jesus’s bone-chilling rebuke of the Pharisees and Scribes, his precise predictions of his death and the temple’s destruction, Judas’s betrayal, Peter’s denial, his declaration of himself as the Passover Lamb through the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the jaw-dropping act of servant leadership by wrapping a towel around his waist to wash the disciples’ feet, and his prayer for all believers, a prayer on which we still stand today! Yet, amid all of this, it was Jesus’s experience in the Garden of Gethsemane that shook me to the core. 

We often read that Jesus withdrew to desolate places to commune with the Father, a practice evident throughout his life and ministry. However, we are often left wondering about exactly went on during these lonely night vigils. In Gethsemane, though, we finally get a peek into the raw intimacy of his personal prayer life. Here, we witness not merely a prophet, a teacher, but a Son… the Son of God, emotionally vulnerable yet utterly yielded to His Father in the Spirit. His plea, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42) is the heartfelt cry of an obedient son.

Leading up to this pivotal moment, the Gospels portray Jesus with unwavering resolve. As Jesus looked toward the cross, he “set his face like flint” toward Jerusalem. This powerful Old Testament imagery, found in Isaiah 50, speaks of a hardness, an unrelenting determination, and an unyielding resilience. Just as flint is difficult to break, nothing could deter Jesus from accomplishing the Father’s will.

Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant resonates deeply here. The servant is given a tongue to teach, an ear to discern God’s voice, and a willing spirit to obey, even in the face of brutal opposition. He willingly endured beatings on his back, the plucking out of his beard, and the indignity of being spat upon in the face as he waited for vinication from the Lord. Sounds familiar? When Jesus set his face like flint on the cross, he was willing to go to hell and back, not just because he was determined but because he was absolutely surrendered to the will of the Father.

And this is the paradox that struck me: Jesus’s boldness, his courage, his unwavering focus, and his single-minded determination were not born of his divine power or self-will (Phil. 2:6-8). Instead, they flowed from a deep well of humility and a complete yielding to the Father’s will. His strength was found not in grasping for his own way, but in releasing it entirely.

In our own lives, the desire for control often becomes a subtle yet powerful enemy of grace. We cling to our plans, our timelines, our desired outcomes, resisting the gentle nudges and sometimes forceful shoves of God’s leading. We struggle to yield, to defer, to wait… actions that feel counterintuitive in a world that champions self-assertion.

Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane offers a profound counter-narrative. His plea to his Father wasn’t weakness; it was the ultimate display of strength. His willingness to relinquish control, even in the face of unimaginable suffering, paved the way for the ultimate act of grace. To drink the cup of wrath for the salvation of all who would believe on Him! 

On this Good Friday, may we reflect not only on the immense sacrifice of Jesus but also on the profound lesson of his yielded spirit. May we recognize the subtle ways control creeps into our hearts and hinders the flow of God’s grace. May we find the courage to release our grip, to set our faces like flint on Jesus, not ourselves and our ways! May we be softened by surrender, trusting in the perfect and loving will of our Father. For it is in yielding to the Spirit that we truly find strength, and in letting go that we receive the fullness of God’s grace.

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25