Man.
Jesus. Was. A. Man.
I think sometimes we forget that Jesus was a man. A human. He absolutely lived a life here on Earth for thirty-three years. As silly as that may sound to you, it is so incredibly important to understand. I think we also tend to forget just how much Jesus experienced as a man and I'm convinced that we need to be reminded of these things.
Temptation, divorce, abandonment, unfaithful friends, abuse, suffering,... Jesus experienced it all.
In Matthew 4, the devil had tempted Jesus by offering him an easy way out of his suffering, his crucifixion. He offered him all the kingdoms of the world and all of it's beauty if Jesus just bowed down and worshipped him. Though tempted, Jesus responded "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"
Figuratively speaking, Jesus was married to the nation of Israel. In Jeremiah 31, Jesus had made vows to restore this nation, but even his greatest promises and everlasting love for the people of Israel wasn't good enough. All throughout the Old Testament we see Israel's constant disobedience- choosing their way over God's. The people of Israel had seemingly divorced Jesus.
Hanging on the cross, Jesus cried out to his father, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Even Jesus asked "why?". He was abandoned by his own father.
Judas, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, his best friend, was the one who betrayed Jesus, crucifying him.
Jesus was unfathomably abused. Mocked, embarrassed, spit on, a crown of sharp thorns shoved into his head, thick nails hammered through his hands and feet, beaten and whipped over and over and over again, people scorning him, telling him how worthless he is,... abused is an understatement. Jesus was tortured to death. Let me remind you that he endured it all for you. If you were the only one person on this Earth, he still would have gone through it- knowing you might not love him back. That's how deep his love is for you.
Temptation, divorce, abandonment, unfaithful friends, abuse, suffering,... He gets it.
These things are so familiar to us. It's so humbling, so comforting to know that Jesus gets it. When we go through suffering- when friends hurt us, when people we love abandon us, when we're tempted to choose ME instead of HIM- remind yourself that the God who redeems, forgives, unconditionally loves, comforts and strengthens; the God who desperately wants you, treasures you, and adores you; the God of peace, joy and life, shares in your suffering. He hurts when you hurt. He completely understands what you're going through. He's been through it.
Hear this.
"36 Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”42 Then Jesus left them a SECOND time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 So he went to pray a THIRD time, saying the same things again."
Jesus knew was was about to happen. His best friend was about to betray him and he was soon going to be tortured to death. He desperately cried out to God, not once, not twice, but THREE times to please take this suffering away from him. BUT GET THIS. Despite his desperate cry to God to stop what was going to happen to him, he closed each prayer with these words, "not my will but Yours be done."
This. THIS should be our prayer in everything. It's okay to ask God to take away your pain. He is so capable. But you have to understand that sometimes God is going to say no and you're not going to get it. We aren't supposed to get it. There are always going to be things in our lives that we don't understand- these things that are so incredibly painful for us are God's way of saying "trust me, I know this is hard but I am so incredibly greater than this. You don't understand what I'm doing but later you will." Bad things happen to people who don't deserve it. Look at Jesus. When we surrender fully to Him, when we say, "not my will but Yours", God honors that. Though Jesus had to go through all that pain, he knew that it was only for a little while and he knew the purpose of it all. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, walked the Earth for forty days and forty nights and then went to be with His father in Heaven- free of pain and suffering. The cross was the purpose. There's not resurrection without the crucifixion. It's all part of the plan. It pleased God to bruise Jesus because He knew what would come next.
Let the cross be a reminder that joy comes in the morning and that pain is only temporary.
Today we celebrate all that you are and all that you've done, Jesus. You are so good.
It. Is. Finished.
