Matthew 26:53-54
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?

Jesus had agonized in the garden, praying and weeping, crying out to His Father, imploring Him for another way. But He asked for God’s will to ultimately be done, and it would be. He had an out. The angels were near, only a command away. But that was not the answer His Father had given Him. The Scriptures must be fulfilled, and that meant going to the cross. There was no other way, and because of that, Jesus chose everything that happened after this moment. He would go forward in the power and will of His Father, strengthened and assured.

Peter had drawn his sword, but this wasn’t a time to fight, but a time for faith. The power Jesus so often displayed was still in Him, as was His authority over heaven and Earth. But He restrained Himself and held back any selfish impulse to end everything right then, just when God’s plan was reaching its conclusion. The mob led Him away bound, but only because He let them. The soldiers did horrible things to Jesus, but only because He let them. Pilate reluctantly sent Jesus to the cross, but only because He let him. They hammered nails into His hands and feet, but only because He let them.

Jesus never hung His head, though they would hang Him on that cross. He would look His accusers in the eye and stand tall and strong through the mocking and the shame. He wouldn’t say a word in His own defense, but let His love speak for itself. He wasn’t weakened and helpless and being manipulated by them. He was bending to God’s will. He was physically marred, beaten beyond recognition, but His Spirit was intact, and it still embodied everything that Jesus was—loving, merciful, gracious and full of power and glory.

When we think of Jesus going to the cross for us, let us not see a frail and helpless person, but a warrior who fought for His people on the front line and overcame everything they threw at Him by Himself. That He chose not to exercise His power does not mean it had diminished. That He allowed Himself to be hung on a cross does not mean He is any less able to deliver. He knew God’s will and He did it, and so must we find God’s will for us and do it. No matter what the world may throw at us, His power is still in us, and He will always be greater than he who is in the world. It may seem like we’re defeated, but we will ultimately overcome through our Lord Jesus Christ.