21^st March

“He took Peter, James and John with Him, and He became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Mark 14:33-34

Today’s passage, is probably one of the most clearest narratives depicting Jesus fully as a human being (whilst still being fully God). It shows us that Jesus too had feelings and felt emotions. It shows us that what Jesus was going to suffer in the next few moments, would by no means be something easily done. Yes, Jesus was born as a human for this very purpose, but it was not something He freely wanted to do. Jesus even prayed that God would take the ‘cup of suffering’ away from Him. His heart was anguished. He felt crushed with grief. Not only was He about to be betrayed, an event He had fully prepared for no doubt, but He was going to be ridiculed, embarrassed, shamed, beaten, tortured and killed.

Yet despite all of this, despite being crushed with grief, He knew that at the end of His suffering, He would experience the joy of having a deep and intimate relationship with us. He knew that after He had finished suffering, there would be no more barriers between us and Him. As the writer of Hebrews says, ‘it was because of the joy that was awaiting Him, that He could endure the cross, disregarding its shame’ (Hebrews 12:2). Friends, this is how much the God of the Bible loved and loves us. Yet He is not just bound by words in a historical book. He is alive today and loves you just as much as when He decided to die for you.