JESUS’ EMOTIONS
By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min.
During the visit of some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, the Lord made this heart-wrenching statement: “Now My heart is troubled and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? NO, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your Name” (John12:27).
Jesus’ emotions are revealed in the Greek word for troubled, tarasso. It suggests stirred or agitated, and an illustration is the roiling, turbulent waves of the sea in a storm. A paraphrase renders it, “Right now I am storm tossed. And what am I going to say? ‘Father, get Me out of this?’” (John 12:27). In Jesus’ true humanity the load ahead was enough to create storm-tossed emotions. It would also quite naturally produce the thought: “Father, an escape route, please!”
Our Lord answered His own question with a resounding “No.”
After the Greeks departed, Jesus faced cold rejection from the Jews when He tried to teach about His being the same essence as His Father. Their refusal to believe was influenced by their belief the Messiah would never allow Himself to suffer and be shamefully crucified.
In that situation Jesus cried out in a bold claim to Deity: “When a man believes in Me, he does not believe in Me only but in the One who sent me” (John 12:44). When He looks at Me, he sees the one who sent Me” (John 12:44). The term translated “cried out” is loaded with emotion. It derives from krazo and communicates to call aloud, to exclaim, to intreat (see John 7:37;12:16, 46). At a minimum Jesus spoke to His detractors with a shattered heart and crushed feelings. This kind of emotional struggle is surely part of what the writer of Hebrew’s had in mind: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered, and once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him (Hebrews 5: 7-10).
The phrase, “He learned obedience” does not suggest Jesus had been disobedient in His past. Instead, the sense of the statement is the man, Jesus of Nazareth, “learned the [wisdom of] obedience” because of what He suffered. Nor does the phrase “once made perfect” assume a time when Jesus was imperfect. Instead, the Biblical concept of perfection or sanctification is best defined by the term, set apart for divine service.
When Jesus made His decision in Gethsemane to drink the cup of suffering, He was indeed perfected in the sense of being totally set apart unto the Father’s plan and dedicated to the mission ahead. His objective was to pay the price and become “the source of salvation for all who obey Him” (Hebrews 4:15).
Think about it. It is no accident the Holy Spirit inspired the writer of Hebrews to pen Jesus is “Touched with the feelings of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15).
After Jesus completed washing the disciples feet and sat back down, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me” (John 13:21) Jesus the Son of Man was certain about His pending betrayal, and that knowledge was understandably very emotional for Him. In addition, the devil entered the room to possess Judas. Jesus recognized his presence, but His disciples did not. Then Satan entered Judas and possessed him.
Think about it. We should never forget the fact that Satan can possess and control people.
Jesus began to relax after Satan entered Judas and they left the meal. In fact, the whole atmosphere of the meal changed. Jesus began to look past His betrayal and death and started talking with His disciples about His pending glorification (John 13:31-32).
Man of sorrows what a name
for the Son of God, who came
ruined sinners to reclaim:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned he stood,
sealed my pardon with his blood:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
