An Emotional Man

Is it hard for you to see Jesus as an emotional man? I mean, He’s God after all. Let me just show you “Exhibit 1” as to the emotions of Jesus. Mark 14:33-34 – “And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.’”  The weight of what Jesus faced in the Garden of Gethsemane was great. But what lay behind those emotions? What caused such turmoil in His soul? The answer to that may help us consider the place of godly emotions in our own lives. The emotions of Jesus were not fueled by disappointment in the disciples who fell asleep, nor was it the fear of physical pain yet to come. The depth of the emotions that sat heavy on His heart were all related to His relationship to His Father. He would soon face separation from the intimacy He had always enjoyed with the Father and soon feel the cup of God’s wrath poured out on Him against sin. His emotions were real but not selfish, honest but not discontent. He didn’t shrink back from sorrow yet remained steadfastly committed to the will of God. Most importantly, the weight of His emotions drove Him to prayer. As fallen humans, we feel all kinds of emotions. May I suggest that at the core of processing our emotions we ought to be most concerned about our intimacy with the Father and a Gospel-contentment that our sin has been forever dealt with at the cross. Whatever you’re feeling today, a watchful spirit and prayerful heart is your way forward. And you can move forward today because the sorrowful soul of Jesus didn’t keep Him from submission to the will of God, and His death dealt the death blow to death itself!