Truly Human Emotion

Truly Human Emotion

“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

Luke 22:42

Christ is very God of very God. He is also truly human. It is important for us to bear these two things in mind, especially as we view His sufferings. As we see Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, which is the location where He uttered our text for today, we hear Him speak words which may sound strange to our ears, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me….” What are we to make of this? Was Christ seeking to avoid the suffering and the cross? That cannot be, for He had steadfastly purposed to arrive in Jerusalem at just this time. His whole life and ministry was to accomplish the fulfillment of the Law, both in precept and in penalty. Of what then is He speaking when He says, ‘Father if it is your will, take this cup away from me?’ I submit to you, as a possibility, that Christ was here demonstrating His truly human emotion of desiring not to have all of His disciples abandon Him. The weakness of His disciples was clearly a matter of some distress to Him. He warned them in verse 40, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” He expostulated with them in verse 46, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” In Matthew 26:40, He addresses to Peter the question, ‘What, could you not watch with me one hour?’  Christ demonstrated this truly human emotion of desiring that these, nearest and dearest to Him not forsake Him in this most trying hour. In this, Christ shows us that He is a most Empathetic Savior. He understands how we feel. His true humanity emerges. Perhaps today you are feeling very isolated, alone, and abandoned. Christ understands.   By virtue of what Christ, Himself faced, He is able to walk with us through whatever we ourselves face.

Our utterly Sympathetic Savior,
we praise You, that You know, first hand,
all that we face.
We thank you, that You embrace us with Your loving arms,
to carry us through every trial.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning