Good thing he’s wearing suspenders, I appraised the lanky frame of the youth. What could possibly interest him in learning to conduct a vegetarian cooking school?
This week of training would culminate in a sample program for the community, so we divided into groups to develop presentations. I chose the weight-control/breadbaking group. To my dismay the tall, gangly young man sauntered over to join us. What does he know about losing weight? I stewed. Hope he knows something about baking bread.
We discussed our plan and divided the responsibilities. He offered to give a lecture on weight-loss methods. I announced to him that I was an authority on the subject since I had lost 100 pounds. His eyes brightened. “Really?”
I laughed. “Yes; I have gained five and lost five and gained five and lost five at least 20 times.” He sank back as the group chuckled.
When I realized that this skinny creature was going to ignorantly tackle a difficult subject, I assured him that I would help. Later I swamped him with information on weight loss as he graciously listened.
The day of the program came. I did my part in the breadmaking demonstration and sat back as the gangly boy stood awkwardly in front of the crowd. He began by acknowledging the misery and humiliation of obesity—how hard it can be to tie your shoes and to walk. I glanced around the room, wishing we had assigned breadbaking to him. Listeners suppressed snickers and glanced skeptically as their eyes ran up and down the slender frame. Then he said, “I say this because I know. I used to weigh 150 pounds more than I do today.”
I have often mistakenly assumed that Jesus was no more able to understand my feelings and emotions than that young man comprehended weight struggles. Many often feel guilty as they wrestle with intense negative emotions, and they look at Jesus just as I did at that skinny kid. They assume that Jesus was never angry, sad, or troubled, and conclude, “If I were a good Christian, I wouldn’t feel this way.” But Jesus had a rich emotional life with the full spectrum of feelings.
Every Color of Emotion
1Marvel. We tend to think that Jesus was never surprised, but look at this passage, “Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, ‘Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel’ ” (Matt. 8:10, NASB).1 This same word is used in the Greek Old Testament to describe Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction to finding Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego safe while in the fiery furnace. It captures the reactions of the disciples when Jesus calmed the sea during a storm. Jesus? Feeling marvel? What a surprise!
2 Compassion. “And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34, KJV). Jesus was moved with compassion numerous times. As I have prayed for struggling people whom I have seen in my counseling practice and have felt overwhelmed by their situations, I have been reassured that this same Jesus, who felt such strong emotion, still has tender yearning for the hurting.
3 Anger. “And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, ‘Stretch forth thine hand.’ And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Mark 3:5, KJV).
The word for anger means violent passion. Anger is physiological—racing heart, taut muscles. It is preparation to address a situation energetically. In a sense, anger is a secondary emotion that flows from primary emotions such as hurt, powerlessness, fear, and guilt. Here in Mark both the primary and secondary emotions of Jesus are identified. The secondary emotion is anger, and the primary emotion is grief. He thinks, Their hearts are hard, and this grieves and angers Him.
4 Sorrowful. “Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me” (Matt. 26:38, KJV). To capture this word I think of a depressed client. She drew herself suspended in a water droplet and penned a poem about drowning in a tear. Jesus experiences this woman’s pain, and the pain of all of us, because He felt this same sense of engulfment in sorrow.
5 Troubled. What about the emotions we associate with anxiety? Some deny that they ever feel anxious or troubled. They paste on a smile and say they trust God and thus never feel sad or distressed. But Jesus felt troubled. “Jesus . . . became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me’” (John 13:21, NASB).
This is the same emotion that Jesus’ disciples felt when they saw Him walking on the water and thought He was a ghost. Herod experienced this when the wise men from the East inquired about where they could find and worship the newborn King. Jesus felt this emotion again when the Greeks sought Him in the Temple not long before His death. This anxious sensation seems to run through the background of His story as the time draws near for His crucifixion.
6 Distressed and afraid. “And He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch’” (Mark 14:33, 34, NASB). Notice that when Jesus experienced this combination of intense emotions, sometimes translated by such strong words as “full of terror” and “distress,” he sought companionship.2 Jesus didn’t deny His experience; He identified the emotions, verbalized them, asked for support, and gave Himself to prayer.
Did Jesus always know what would happen next? Or did His life unfold like ours, with uncertainty about what the next hour will bring? The book of Hebrews describes His Gethsemane experience like this: “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death” (Heb. 5:7, NASB).
Jesus did pray according to God’s will: “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36, NASB). But Jesus didn’t want to experience the horror of His death, and He must have had some hope of His prayer being answered or He wouldn’t have asked. Notice how tenderly His faith is expressed as He notes that all things are possible for His Abba.
As the time drew near, He felt a sense of being encompassed with sorrow—drowning in a tear suspended—along with inward, gut-wrenching dread, uncertainty, and rolling disquiet of mind and body. He experienced it all—for us.
7 Abandoned. It can be troubling to try to weigh these potent negative emotions alongside the promise of perfect peace, shalom, for those who trust in God. Shalom conveys safety in a complete and restored relationship.3 But Jesus, at times, felt abandoned. “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ ” (Matt. 27:46, NASB). Was Jesus at peace, experiencing shalom, when He cried out, “Why have You forsaken Me?” He had to dig beyond His emotions and rely on His Father’s words to commit His spirit into His Father’s hands.
8 Joy. Jesus experienced many more emotions, but the one I find most amazing is the anticipation of joy in the midst of His tears. “Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2, NASB). I experience joy and marvel when reading this verse. How could He, for the joy of saving me, endure all those emotions?
A High Priest Who Sympathizes
We have a Savior who truly experienced human emotions, even the most intense and negative ones. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isa. 53:4, KJV). “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:15, 16, NASB).
When I think of His understanding of my feelings, I suck in my breath, much as I did that day the gangly young man stood before the crowd to lecture on obesity. What could He, One without sin, possibly know about our roller coaster of emotions? How can You say You sympathize with us? we ask.
And just as we sit back, sure He has nothing to say, a subtly surprising answer comes. “I say this because I do know how you feel. See, I have been there too.”
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1 Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
2 “The two verbs together describe an extremely acute emotion . . . nowhere else portrayed in such vivid terms” (The UBS New Testament Handbook Series, copyright © 1961-1997 by United Bible Societies).
3 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1980).
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Sandy Eickmann writes from Glendive, Montana. She is a licensed professional clinical counselor in private practice, and a happy grandmother who enjoys hiking with her husband, Timm. This article was published July 28, 2011.
