The time had come for Jesus to be arrested and handed over to the authorities to be tried and condemned. Death would be His sentence, but He did not fear what they would do to Him. He Himself said: “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” (John 12:27) The decision had been made in Heaven, and Christ would fulfill it. Even if He had the opportunity to escape, He would not act according to the enemy’s will.

As soon as they arrived at the Mount of Olives, the Lord told His disciples to pray so that they would not fall into temptation (Luke 22:40) He stayed about 20 to 30 meters away from them so that he could pray. The Master knew that the moment of darkness was coming (John 14:30), so He commanded them to pray, but unfortunately, they were overcome with sleep and sorrow and did not pray (Luke 22:45).  In the Word that the Lord gives us, there is more than advice; there is power to resist evil.

The Son of God knelt and cried out to His heavenly Father about the cup He would have to drink. He prayed, saying: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) Jesus knew everything that would happen to Him from the moment He was taken to the authorities, who would condemn Him to death.

Prophets had foretold the death of the Messiah, as Isaiah did about 700 years before what happened in Jerusalem with the Savior. The prophet foresaw Christ’s descent to Hell, symbolized by Bozrah, capital of the Kingdom of Edom: “Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?” – “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” (Isaiah 63:1) Believe in the Truth!

The worst was yet to come. When our sins were placed upon Jesus, God momentarily turned away from Him. This indeed happened, and He experienced spiritual death—the separation from the Father: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

In great agony, because of the pain caused by our transgressions, Jesus received the sour wine and said: “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John 19:30) This declaration means that we no longer have to suffer, because Christ paid the price for our redemption. We are no longer under the yoke of the devil.

The Savior descended alone into the realm of the dead. The apostle Paul said that Christ triumphed and stripped the principalities and powers of darkness from the authority Satan had stolen from Adam, when Adam sinned (Colossians 2:15). Through the work of Jesus, we have been freed from all evil. The Good News—the Gospel—which Christ commanded us to preach is that in Him we are free!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares