“Abba, Father,” He said, “all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
- 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.
- NKJV And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will. ”
- NASB And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
- NLT “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus prays 'Abba, Father,' asking that the cup be removed, yet yields fully to the Father's will. This is the model of trusting submission in suffering.
Overview
'Abba' expresses intimate trust, and 'the cup' signifies the suffering and divine judgment Jesus must drink. He honestly asks for relief but surrenders his desire to the Father's purpose. Here the second Adam obeys where the first failed, securing salvation through perfect submission to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Gal 4:6And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
- Rom 8:15–16For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
- John 5:30I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
- Heb 5:7–8During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.
- John 12:27Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour.
- Phil 2:8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.
- John 18:11“Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”
- Mark 10:27Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
- John 6:38–39For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
- 2 Tim 2:13if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
- John 4:34Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
- Ps 40:8I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
- Matt 6:9So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
- Gen 18:14Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”
- Jer 32:27“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?
- Titus 1:2in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
- Matt 26:39Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
- Luke 22:41–42And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed,
- Heb 6:18Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 14:36 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.