Vehement Cries to He Who was Able to Save Him from Spiritual Death

"who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him WHO WAS ABLE TO SAVE HIM FROM DEATH, and was heard because of His godly fear....." (Hebrews 5:7) 

It could be said that what Jesus prayed for, asking humbly of the Father with vehement cries, and was heard because of His godly fear, was to be saved from spiritual death. Surely spiritual death surrounded Him, most ardently among many of the Hebrews. He wanted no part of that! Most importantly, He knew what His calling was. If Jesus' cries to His Father had been to be saved from physical death, and the Father heard Him because of His godly fear, then along the way the Father changed His mind (which we know doesn't happen), for we know Jesus was called to physically die for Israel, and all men. No, Jesus humbly asked for the Father's empowerment to save Him from that which would destroy Him and doom mankind.

Jesus informed Paul, in a trial of the flesh which prompted Paul to plead with the Lord three times that "it" might depart from him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)  What empowered Jesus to complete His calling from the Father was His steadfast approach to Him (seeking to find), understanding that He could not finish without the Father and His Holy Spirit, He vehemently cried out to Him Who was able to save Him from spiritual death. Those Satanic temptations (Matthew 4:1-10), if He had succumbed, would have resulted in spiritual death for the Son of Man; that is why it came. But, our Lord was singularly focused on His Sonship from God!

His grace is sufficient for us! Each step toward it makes the Way, the Truth, the Life clearer and empowers those to rejoice in it with thanksgiving. 

Confidence in The Flesh Meets Faith in God

"From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to You!' But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, FOR YOU ARE NOT MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF GOD, BUT OF THE THINGS OF MEN.' Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.' "  (Matthew 16:21-27)

The "things of God" work for the finding of soul prosperity. The apostle John writes, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things, and be in health, just as your SOUL PROSPERS. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth." (3 John v.2,3)

Peter's words to Jesus: "Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" may be translated "Merciful to you; or "May God be merciful". That's sounds reasonable but Jesus immediately rebukes Peter's intent which was born from a mind that did not understand justice. In Jesus' case, the just FOR the unjust. Now, in our case as the body of Christ, if we desire to come after Him in discipleship.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)  "Trusting in the Lord" proceeds to rightly divide the things of men from the things of God.