Anguish: Heading to Gethsemane
Read Matthew 26:37, 38; Mark 14:33, 34. What was Jesus experiencing here at Gethsemane?
Jesus knew exactly what He would be facing within the next few hours. The experience was extremely painful and disturbing. At the moment He reached Gethsemane He could no longer contain His emotions and began to share them with Peter, James, and John (Matt. 26:37, 38; Mark 14:33, 34). The language He used is very important.
“He began to be deeply distressed and troubled” (Mark 14:33, NIV). The Greek verb ekthambeo, translated “deeply disturbed,” designates a highly emotional condition of deep excitement caused by something perplexing, amazing, or disorienting. It often is accompanied by fear, even terror and trembling. Matthew uses the verb lupeo, translated “overwhelmed by sorrow,” to designate a high level of emotional distress, sadness, and anxiety (Matt. 26:38). The second verb in Mark 14:33, troubled (Greek ademoneo), expresses more clearly anxiety, distress, and horror. The emotional and physical condition of Jesus was reaching new and unknown depths of discomfort and upheaval. The peace that characterized Him appeared to be waning; fear, trembling, and anxiety were taking over instead. Notice that Mark says that Jesus “began” to feel that way as He got to Gethsemane. This emotional turmoil was going to get worse.
Also, although no specific reason is given for the physical and emotional state of Jesus, through the light of the New Testament we can conclude that this is the result of bearing the world’s sin, not from fear of what humans would do to Him.
“ ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death’ ” (Mark 14:34, NIV). This is the way Jesus Himself described His condition to the disciples. “My soul” could be interpreted as an emphatic expression, “I, myself,” or as designating the all-inclusive nature of His experience. The expression “overwhelmed with sorrow” is the translation of the Greek word perilupos, which usually designates a sorrow or affliction measureless in intensity and depth. In this particular case the intensity of the sorrow was bringing Jesus to the borders of the second death. He was already starting to suffer the fate that should have been ours.
| Look at the sufferings of Jesus here and realize that this should have been you, not Him. How does this make you feel? How should those feelings be translated into a changed life? |
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