Pastor John,
In today’s TFM (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_thoughts.html?tname=tfm06-18) you write,
Jesus told Peter (…) that he could cry out to his Father and “more than twelve legions of angels” would come to rescue him. So, Jesus endured the cross not to save himself; he could have returned home at any time.
If Jesus had saved himself from suffering and death wouldn’t that have meant that he had disobeyed the Father? And had Jesus disobeyed God wouldn’t that have meant not being able to return to heaven? Or would it simply mean that heaven would be a different place now (with Satan and his angels still there) than what it is today, and we wouldn’t have hope of salvation? It is not a pleasant thought, but I have had this question in my mind a number of times before, I just never thought to ask it.
Zoli
==========
Hi Zoli.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed not to have to go through the torture he was facing, that is, being brutally whipped and abused by the Roman soldiers and being crucified, which was a horrific way to die. It is obvious that the Father gave Jesus the choice of not going through that torture for us, even though the Bible does not say so, because Jesus said to his disciples later that he could ask his Father, and He would send many legions of angels to save him. In that case, Jesus would not have been disobeying his Father if he had chosen not to go to the cross; he would only have been making the choice not to suffer – a choice offered to him by the Father.
The results of that choice would have been unimaginable, as you suggested, but there would have been no disobedience on the Son’s part if he had made it.
Pastor John