Jesus Wept (3)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 9/27/2020
I vividly remember the 1991 NBA finals. After four hard fought years of disappointment, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pipen had just led the Chicago Bulls to their first ever NBA Championship over Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Spectators, TV crews and journalists rushed the floor. Everyone was celebrating and excited, but all eyes were on Michael Jordan, sitting against the wall in the locker room clutching that Championship trophy with tears streaming down his face. That image is burned into the memory of countless basketball enthusiasts. There was just something compelling about the tear on his face. That outpouring of emotion just added to his legacy and legendary status in the game of basketball.
Although it was never captured on video nor broadcast in High Definition, there has always been something equally compelling, even captivating, about the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).
The Bible actually records three different times when Jesus cried, each time in a different place and for a different reason. Every single tear that Jesus wiped from his cheek is meaningful and significant. Like Michael Jordan, the tears of Jesus add to his remarkableness and relatability. Jesus wrestled with much of the same tension and turmoil that we experience in life. He experienced deep, gut-wrenching sorrow.
Two weeks ago, we examined the first time Jesus wept. He wept with Mary and Martha in the wake of their brother's death. Through Mary and Martha's experience, we learned that Jesus is coming, Jesus is caring, and Jesus is capable.
Last week, we saw Jesus weep again as he gazed upon the city of Jerusalem. He wept because of the Jews disbelief and the Jerusalem's impending destruction. But Jesus's determination moved him to dry his eyes and continue his mission.
Fast-forward just four days—following the last supper, Jesus leads his followers across the Kidron Valley to a secluded olive Garden, known as Gethsemane. Hidden in the shadows of the knotted and knobby olive trees, this Garden provides Jesus with a quiet place to spend his final hours. It's now midnight. The night sky sparkles with a thousand stars. Insects sing in the background as a cool breeze whispers through the trees. This serene setting would become the stage upon which Jesus's would shed his final tears.
The Bible says, "Jesus prayed to God, who could save him from death. He prayed and pleaded with loud crying and tears, and he was heard because of his devotion to God" (Hebrews 5:7 GWT). Here in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' humanity becomes clearer than ever. Jesus didn't enter into the Garden to escape death or to hide from it; he went there to prepare for it. That preparation meant wrestling through his own soul-crushing grief and sorrow. As he grappled with his feelings and his fate, he broke down in loud crying and tears.
All three of the synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—record the events of that emotional evening. We'll look at excerpts from each, but for now, here's how Matthew remembers it:
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit here while I go over there to pray." He took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Matthew 26:36-39 NLT)
I think Christ's experience and example in the Garden of Gethsemane demonstrate how to deal with hardship and heartache. There are certain things Jesus did that night that we can all do whenever we're wrestling with overwhelming distress or despair. First, Jesus sought solitude.
• SOLITUDE
Following the last supper, Luke's Gospel says, "Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives" (Luke 22:39 NLT). The Mount of Olives was an olive grove just outside the city, across the Kidron valley. This secluded olive Garden offered Jesus a quiet, peaceful place to work through his emotions. As he prepared to meet his faith-shaking fate, Jesus sought out a place of solitude, where he could deal with his dilemma uninterrupted. Jesus was always in the public eye. Crowds followed him everywhere he went. He spent his days teaching in the public square and healing throngs of sick and injured villagers. Jesus always took time to help the helpless, to heal the unhealthy, to love the unloved. But tonight, as he prepared to climb the hill of Calvary, he made no time for the sick or the sinners. The "Great Physician" would be taking no appointments.
Jesus walked away from the spotlight to focus on the crushing grief within his own soul. "He got out of eyesight of the multitudes, out of earshot of the disciples, and got in touch with His Father. He went into the Garden to collect His thoughts, wrestle with God's purpose for His life, and gather the strength He would need to face tomorrow." (Allen Webster)
This is something Jesus made a habit of doing. Notice this verse says Jesus went "as usual" to the Mount of Olives. This was one of Jesus's favorite places to go. Elsewhere, the Bible says, "Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer" (Luke 5:16 NIV). I think it's significant that Jesus sought solitude outdoors, in the wilderness or in a garden.
Anne Frank expressed a profound truth in her diary. On February 23, 1944 she wrote, "The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be." That's just what Jesus did.
The message that Christ left for those who suffer today is: take some time away. Unplug. Take some time off work. Get off of social media. Take a break from the daily grind. Get outside where you can be alone with the heavens, nature and God. Maybe that means sitting in a deer stand, or going on a camping trip, or just taking a walk through the park or the timber. Find a place to get away from it all, sort things out in your own mind, get some perspective, and get in touch with God.
In addition to seeking solitude, however, Jesus also sought support.
• SUPPORT
Mark's Gospel tell us, "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 NLT).
Of the twelve apostles who had committed their lives to following Jesus, these three—Peter, James, and John—were his closest friends. And even though Jesus sought solitude as he faced his greatest challenge, he also sought the emotional support of his friends. Jesus's friends were important to him and, although he prayed alone, he kept coming back to see them. Matthew and Mark both tell us that Jesus would pray, then go check back with his friends. He alternated between His Father and His friends. He wanted them to stay awake and pray for him and with him. Even when Jesus needed to get away from it all, he never wanted to be too far from his friends.
Unfortunately, the Bible says, "When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say" (Mark 14:40 NLT). Sadly, when Jesus needed them the most, his closest friends failed him. We can't be too hard on them, though. It was late at night and it had been an emotional evening for everyone. And even though Peter, James and John fell asleep, that doesn't mean Jesus was left alone.
The Bible says, "Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him" (Luke 22:43 NLT). Jesus has friends in high places. Who was it, I wonder? Was it Michael who gave Jesus a shoulder to cry on as he wept in the Garden? Or, was it Gabriel who spoke tender words of encouragement, gently lifting the spirit of Christ? Whoever it was, they gave Jesus the emotional and spiritual support that he needed.
Like Jesus, we all need the support of our friends when we're struggling with grief, heartache, and emotional distress. Solomon, who was given special wisdom from God, once said, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help" (Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT).
In other words, all of us are stronger when we have the support of our friends. Our friends may be unable to offer the perfect solution or even to come up with suitable words of comfort. But just having them there, just being able to talk to someone, speaking our mind is often a relief. You've probably heard the saying, "A joy shared is doubled; a burden shared is halved."
If you're struggling with discouragement or depression, you need to know that you are not alone. There are people who love you and are willing to listen and support you. If you're a member of the church, you've got a whole church family to love and support you when times get tough. We're in this together. So lean on each other. Carry each other's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Finally, in addition to seeking solitude and support, Jesus also spent the hardest night of his life in strenuous supplication.
• SUPPLICATION
Supplication is just a five-dollar-word for prayer. Walking a stone's throw away from Peter, James, and John, the Bible says that Jesus "bowed with his face to the ground, praying, 'My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine'" (Matthew 26:39 NLT). Jesus knew that this battle could not be won on his feet; it could only be won on his knees.
We notice immediately how passionately Jesus prayed. His posture here reveals his total dependence upon God. First, he kneels down to pray. Then, he falls on his face as if being crushed by the weight of the sins of the world. He wore no façade. No masks. He honestly confessed that he did not want this "cup of suffering." Luke writes, "he was in such agony of spirit that he broke into a sweat of blood, with great drops falling to the ground as he prayed more and more earnestly" (Luke 22:44 TLB). Jesus prayed so intensely that his capillaries burst into his sweat glands, and he literally sweated blood! Had you visited Gethsemane at daybreak, you could have found a damp piece of earth tinged red with Jesus' blood. Never before or since, has anyone prayed so passionately. He also prayed repeatedly. His words were few, but persistent. Three times, Jesus repeated the same prayer: "Abba, Father," he cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me" (Mark 14:36 NLT).
Whatever pain or problems you're facing, prayer should be your first response. According to a study released in 2008 by Brandeis University, ninety percent of Americans pray at least once a day and half pray several times a day. We all pray... some. We pray to stay sober, centered, or solvent. We pray when the lump is malignant. When the money runs out before the month does. When a dear friend is in the ICU. When our marriage is struggling or our kids are straying. Jesus demonstrates that passionate, persistent prayer is essential in enduring life's heartaches and hardships.
Maybe you’re anticipating a season of chemo therapy and you’re praying for God to heal you; maybe you’re anticipating the loss of a job and you’re praying for God to provide for you; maybe you’re experiencing nagging depression and you’re praying for God to restore your joy. Pray passionately and persistently, asking that God might remove this cup and make the hour of suffering pass! God just might remove this cup! God just might change your circumstances! But O how I hope you will also declare with Jesus, “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).
In the end, Jesus surrendered to his Father's will. "Thy will be done," he said. Even though Jesus prayed passionately and persistently, God didn't change his circumstances. Jesus still had to go to the cross. The same might be true for you. We each have a cross to bear and sometimes God refuses to take it away. Paul likewise prayed three times that God would remove his "thorn in the flesh" whatever it was. And each time, God refused. Instead, God told Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT). The true power of prayer is not in getting what we want, but in experiencing the grace of God in the midst of life’s disappointments and disasters. Maybe God will change your circumstances, maybe he won't. But either way, you'll feel better if you just let go and let God worry about how it's all going to turn out. Surrender your life and your situation to his will and everything will work out in the end.
Conclusion:
So, when Jesus's soul was crushed with sorrow to the point of death. These are the things he did, and these are the things we can do to endure in times of discouragement and despair. He sought solitude—he spent time outdoors in a quiet peaceful place. He sought support—he wanted his friends close by. He poured out his soul in supplication—prayed and pleaded with loud crying and tears.
As we bring this series to a close, I'm reminded that we all shed some tears on occasion. Jesus wept three times, in three places, for three reasons. At Lazarus's tomb, Jesus wept over a hurting family. At Jerusalem, he wept over a lost city. In the Garden, He wept over the cross. The tears at the tomb were a small stream belonging to one household. The tears for Jerusalem were a river, belonging to an entire country. And the tears in the Garden are an ocean, belonging to the whole world.
I began this series with a well-known quote from Ella Wilcox: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone." Well, whatever heartache or hardships you might be facing, you don't have to weep alone, because Jesus will weep with you. And someday, when Christ returns, God will wipe every tear from our eyes and there will be no more crying or sorrow or pain, because all these things will be gone forever. Let's find joy as we anxiously await that day.
Invitation:
While we wait, if you're feeling discouraged or disheartened, I want to encourage you to follow in Jesus footsteps. Take some time away from it all in solitude. Find a friend, perhaps myself or someone else at church to support you. And saturate the situation in supplication. In fact, let's pray together right now…
Dear Lord, we all struggle with discouragement, disappointment and depression at times. It's comforting to know what Jesus too wrestled with soul-crushing grief. I pray that we all might follow his example as we wrestle with life's heartaches and hardships. I want to lift up those who are struggling emotionally right now. Help them to see the light in the darkness—the light of Jesus. Until that day when you wipe every tear from our eyes, may we find hope and healing in the tears of Jesus. Amen.
