Jesus Wept!
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV)
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 KJV)
Emotions Matter
The Lord made us with emotions. Because the Lord was a real man, I am convinced that he experienced emotions as well. We know He was righteously angered by the money changers in the temple. I am convinced that He experienced fear in the Garden of Gethsemane as He anticipated the crucifixion. I am convinced that He experienced sympathy at the tomb of Lazarus, I am convinced that He experienced sorrow as He wept over Jerusalem in Luke 19 knowing that their bad decisions were going to lead to their destruction under Titus.
I am also convinced that He experienced joy. Likely he experienced that at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. We read, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV). Ultimate joy motivated Him to endure the cross. We also know that there is joy in heaven when sinners repent and come to saving faith. I would think that joy would include the Lord who is now in heaven. We know that in the presence of the Lord there is joy. We read in Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Bad Counsel
Sometimes I feel that we make normal human emotions “sin” when they are simply normal human emotions. We tell people to fear not. Yet the Bible says the prudent man foresees evil and hides himself. Fear should not consume us, but there are times when it should guide us. When we are angry (and have reason to be) we are told to move on and forget about it rather than following the Matthew 18 guidelines for dealing righteously with the reason for the anger. Often we do not sympathize with people’s feelings where I believe the Lord always did. He knows we are weak and even He needed to be strengthened by angels when tempted in the wilderness and again when agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane. I am convinced He takes note when we are “down” or “sad” or “discouraged” or “sick” or “grieving.” I am convinced that He cares. Peter admonishes us to be “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for (or concerning) you (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV).”
We cannot tell people to do something that they cannot do as humans. We cannot pretend that we are not grieving when loved ones die. We cannot pretend that we don’t fear what our children are going to be facing in this Christ-rejecting world. We can’t say that we aren’t depressed and discouraged at times. And I am talking about Christians who are sealed with the Holy Spirit. I think the Lord cares for the unsaved and the rebellious as well or He wouldn’t have wept over Jerusalem and their coming destruction. But I can’t encourage the unsaved who have rejected the love of Christ. Their end is destruction. I can encourage those who feel real emotions that sometimes make them “feel worthless” or like a very “weak Christian” that the Lord cares about them. One of the things that should encourage a Christian is that these emotions are not sin, what we do because of the emotions might be sin. So remember, “Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5 NKJV).”
No matter how we are “feeling” today, joy is coming!
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of January 23, 2022