Matthew 26 - The Friend Who Will Never Forsake You!
Click Here to Read or Listen to Matthew 26
Verses of the Day
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
At the core of our Christian theology, which ensures we don't stray from the clear principles of the bible, is the teaching that Jesus is fully God and fully man. We see many instances of Jesus showing He was God. He turned water into wine. He fed 5,000 people with a few loves and fish. He healed a man covered with leprosy. He healed the blind, the mute, and the lame. I believe his greatest miracle, proving he was God, was raising his friend, Lazarus from the dead.
But throughout the gospels we also see the human side of Jesus. He got hungry, especially after spending 40 days without any food. He got thirsty as he carried the cross the hill, where he would be crucified. He was lonely when everyone betrayed him. He shed tears when he looked over the Jewish people realizing how many would reject him. He got angry when he went into the temple and realized the people had turned it into a "den of robbers". These are just a few of the instances which show that Jesus was truly human.
But, in my mind, Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane showed his humanity more than any other moment in his life. First, Jesus had told the disciples three times he was going to be handed over the religious leaders to be condemned and sentenced to death. These are the guys he spent three years with. They ate together, drank together, slept together, and did ministry together. They were true brothers in every way.
As Jesus came near to Jerusalem, he knew what lie ahead. He know how he was going to die. He even knew his disciples would deny him and one would betray him. So you can imagine as a human being he was feeling a bit anxious to say the least. So on this occasion he asked his best friends if they would only just watch and pray with him.
As he prayed, he became "sorrow and troubled" to the point of death.. In Luke 15, Luke the Physician says as Jesus agonized over his fate, "He sweat became like great drops of blood". With all of this at stake, what did the disciples do? They fell asleep when Jesus needed him the most.
In his darkest hour Jesus prayed for His Father to take the cup of suffering away from him. This reminds us that Jesus was really struggling. He was God, but the emotional distress and anguish was exactly what we would be feeling if we were him. In the upcoming days we will see that Jesus even felt forsaken by His Father.
Application for Life
1. What does if mean for you to realize that Jesus is 100% human? He has experienced everything you have ever experienced and even more?
2. Reflect on the fact that Jesus says to you, "Never will I leave you or forsake you?" What does this mean when you go through your darkest hour?
3. Are you going through a time of suffering in your life right now? How can knowing that Jesus has gone through, and knows what you are going through, help you to withstand this trial?
Prayer of the Day
Jesus when I feel alone help me to know you are near when I feel forsaken help me to know you will never abandon me. When I am fearful and anxious give me your peace which passes all understanding Amen
Comments
Post a Comment