Jesus’ love for us meant his suffering
Jesus, our great High Priest, was no stranger to anxiety. Check out this passage from Matthew where Jesus prays in Gethsemane prior to being betrayed by Judas:“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See,the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.””
Matthew 26:36-46, Emphasis added
Jesus knew what needed to happen. He knew the Isaiah 53 suffering Savior was him. He was faced with the prospects of an agonizing death- torturous physical abuse, shame and public ridicule, mocking and beating, and abandonment by His followers. But incomparably worse than those was the full wrath of God that He alone was going to bear the burden of- He was going to make the full and complete payment for the sins of all of God’s children throughout the millennia. For all of history. Millions of slights, betrayals, wrongdoings, abusive behaviors, murders, murderous thoughts, acts of rape, theft, coveteousness, failures to do the right thing, unrighteous anger, slander, sexual sins, adultery, blasphemy, hatred, filthy language, idolatry, drunkenness, sorcery (fellowship with demonic forces), and the like.
It would be comforting to think that maybe someone (besides just Jesus) got through life without committing sin. But David speaks directly to this in the Psalms, noting that “none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Psalm 53:1-3). We had all together, as humanity, fallen short of any hope of righteousness on our own. We were powerless in our state and could do nothing to remedy our problem of sin and sinful hearts. “Surely [Jesus] has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we [thought] him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But [Jesus] was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6). Jesus was, is, and will be the only One who was fully Man and fully God. He was, is, and will be the Only one to be able to pay for “the iniquity of us all”- the sins of all of mankind.
And that was an infinite burden full of grief, sorrows, suffering, and agony according to Mark 26:36. That bit, “he began to be sorrowful and troubled”, is translated with words of suffering. Deeply distressed. Sad. Troubled, Grieved. Agitated. Sorrowful. Very heavy. Agonizing sorrow. But for me, this causes some confusion. Aren’t we commanded over and over again in the Bible to not be anxious? So how is it that Jesus, who was a perfect man and never sinned, still experienced anxiety?
Jesus’ overflowing love for us
One (worldly) way to cope with anxiety is to turn off your feelings and try not to care anymore. The opposite of anxiety is not apathy. Apathy is present with a lack of love. Jesus was “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”- because he was overflowing with love for us. He submitted Himself to the Father’s will, and that obedience led Him to gruesome death and suffering.
“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush [Jesus for our sins]; [The Father] has put [the Son] to grief; when [Jesus’] soul makes an offering for [the] guilt [of all of us], he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
God’s will was to have Jesus die for our sins, so we could be made sons and daughters of God. God’s will was accomplished through Christ’s obedience. Now He lives forever.
Out of the anguish of [Christ’s] soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and [Jesus] shall bear their iniquities.
Christ’s sufferings on the cross paid the price for our sins. His righteousness is imputed to us now when we accept His saving work and accept Him into our lives. His righteousness is now counted as covering us, and we are no longer trapped in our hopeless cycle of sin and guilt, disconnected from God. We have been made His children, and adopted into His family.
Therefore [God the Father] will divide [for Jesus] a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because [Jesus] poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:10-12
Jesus was willing to die the death of a criminal, and indeed be viewed as a criminal by his contemporaries. However, there was no wrongdoing found in Him. Instead, He paid for our sins, and more than that, continues to forgive our sins and pray to the Father on our behalf continually. But this gift was bought at great personal cost to Jesus. It was “out of the anguish of His soul”. Matthew’s passage also speaks to this. How/why was this anxiety not sin?
Our anxiety- and God’s response
Anxiety is a very human emotion that we all experience. Life doesn’t go according to plans, which can cause a great deal of anxiety and upset. Sometimes it is experienced in response to very real events, such as war breaking out in your neighborhood. For some, it is living paycheck to paycheck. For others, it may be worrying about hypotheticals that never even come to pass. As Mark Twain put it, “worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe. I have spent most of my life worrying about things that have never happened”. In all of these cases, worry and anxiety are signals that something is wrong- either real or perceived threat. And there is room to rightly be concerned. Wisdom is present in making contingency plans, or efforts to shore up losses. There is definitely space for grief in these situations. And the Bible encourages us to seek out wise counsel in these sorts of situations, as well (Proverbs 11:14).
“You, however, are [not controlled] by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9) It all has to do with our hearts, and where we place our sense of control, our anchor. All humans have a basic need for safety. The Lord has taught me that when I functionally live without him, spending days, weeks, or months apart from the Word, with prayerlessness more of a rhythm in my life instead of the exception; I am choosing to live in the flesh. Depending on my own strength, I am thoughtlessly depriving my own spirit of the power and the life that God would breathe into me every day. And that especially includes the strength and dependability that He wants to be for me in the midst of situations that are completely out of my control.
When we are faced with impossible situations outside of our control, it can very much cause a storm to brew in our hearts. There are a few responses, look to God to uphold you in the midst of the storm, look inside yourself to figure things out, or look to other things or people to distract you from the pain or try to save you from the situation. Looking to yourself will quite naturally result in anxiety and hypervigilance, because we know that we aren’t in control. We know that we can’t fix things like cancer, or a loved one who has passed away, or a layoff, or a narcissistic parent. To rely on someone or something else to bethe silver bullet that fixes everything is also going to end in disappointment, anger, and anxiety. People make really poor gods. They aren’t in control, either.
But we know that God is in charge of everything. He holds all the cards. Fully relying on God does not mean “if I pray hard enough, I won’t have suffering in my life”. God is not a gumball machine in the sky, or a butler who can be summoned at will. “In this world, you will have trouble” is what Jesus warned us. Sin is rampant, and the effects of sin are felt everyday. But God is good.
My mentor once told me that “God’s blessings are sometimes heavily disguised. His ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts like our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8) What He does and does not allow in our lives doesn’t make sense to me. But I know (in my head) that all things work together for those who love God. I have these promises on one hand, on the other hand everything is burning down and I’m full of anxiety. What now?
Anxiety in proper context
One thing I want to note before continuing is that sometimes anxiety is a result of brain chemistry being off-balance, and medicine is one of God’s common graces to us. If a doctor is suggesting trying medication to address your anxiety, that doesn’t mean that your faith isn’t strong enough. Again, in this world, we will have trouble. This includes physical and mental health struggles for some folks. Be careful of the prosperity gospel messages that may have infiltrated your heart around this issue. God has not promised us health and wealth in this life. He never said that he was going to cushion us from pain and disappointments. He said to expect suffering in this sinful world, but He has also promised us His continuing presence with us through it all. Anxiety is not a lack of faith– as if I had enough faith I wouldn’t be anxious. There is an appropriate and helpful time and place for medication for some people. Be careful that this doesn’t become a source of shame for you, or a roadblock to receiving medical care.
Rooting ourselves in prayer and connection with God
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7
The way we are encouraged to address anxiety is again, a very similar method to how the Bible encourages us to deal with suffering. Paul urges the Philippians to turn to the Lord, laying their needs and requests before the throne of grace with thankfulness in their hearts. The trick is not relying on ourselves, but turning our anxious hearts to the Lord. We thank the Lord for His precious promises that He has given us, and He gives us His “peace that surpasses understanding”.
He, in response to our obedience to turn to Him in prayer, guards our emotions and our thoughts in the midst of whatever anxiety-provoking situation we may find ourselves in. The answer to anxiety is more of Him. Because He is never taken off guard. He is never surprised by events. He is more than we can understand. “We have access to the peace of God, because we are at peace with God” according to Jamin Roller, a pastor at Citizen’s Church. If you are His child, He is always with you. God doesn’t shame us for our sadness or anxieties, instead He encourages us to “cast all your anxieties upon Him because for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Tune back in tomorrow as I continue this blog post, talking about how God addresses our anxious thoughts.
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