The Suffering of Jesus’ Soul - Matthew 26:36-46
Songs:
The Suffering of Jesus’ Soul
Matthew 26:36-46
Silence strangles the courtroom. The jury is filing in, ready to give their decision. Monique Kitts is on trial for hiring a hitman to kill her husband. Judge Robin Free waits expectantly for the last juror to take their place and asks, “Has the jury reached a verdict?” “We have, Your Honor,” replies the foreman. “In the case of the State of Louisiana v. Monique O. Kitts, how do you find?” “We the jury find Monique Kitts…” and you can’t even hear the verdict over the wailing coming from the defense table. “Guilty.”
If you know my brother and me, you might be surprised to know we didn’t always get along. Or maybe that doesn’t surprise you. And as sometimes happens with brothers, playing goes a little too far. Little brother gets hurt. And what does big brother say? “Don’t tell mom! Just hit me back.” I didn’t want Mom to find out because I was afraid of getting in trouble.
Tonight, we see Jesus suffering in the garden. It’s not yet time for the bruises or the lashes or the spitting in the face. That will come. But already in the garden, Jesus has begun to suffer from guilt and fear. Tonight, we ponder the suffering of Jesus’ soul.
Jesus brings his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. He tells eight of the eleven remaining disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He takes Peter, James, and John with him. He chose these three for some of the highest points of his life on earth. They were with him when he said to Jairus’ dead daughter, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” They were there on that mountain when Jesus’ face shone like the sun and his clothes were as bright as the light. When Moses and Elijah appeared. When a voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
What a change in Jesus since that time! No longer shining with glory. No smile on his face. He began to be sorrowful and troubled. His words match his face. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” He is so anguished, so churned up inside, that he feels like he can’t even go on.
Already Jesus feels the fires of hell lapping his cheeks. He carries the weight of the world’s sins on his shoulders. Picture the guilt you feel when you’ve hurt someone close to you, when you’ve secretly sinned to hide your shame, when you’ve turned your back on God. Now multiply that guilt and multiply it again. The sins of the world weigh on Jesus’ heart as he takes on their guilt as his own. As he anticipates the coming punishment, a punishment he does not deserve.
With his suffering over our guilt, he also suffers fear. Fear of the whippings, the beatings, the mocking. Fear of the crown of thorns pushed down over his head. Fear of being nailed to a cross. And that’s only the worst human beings can do to him. God will inflict his own punishment on his Son. All the tortures of hell as indescribable as they are. The fire that does not go out. The worm that does not die. God forsaking him.
What little relief he may have found in his disciples, they do not offer him. These men, who said they would die with him, do not even stay awake long enough to suffer alongside him. Even now, they have already failed to do their part. To bear even a little bit of Jesus’ sufferings.
But this is the way it must be. Christ alone must carry the cross. The only relief he may find is in his Father. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” He makes no demand of his Father. He does not shirk his mission. He only asks if there is another way. Surely, his Father will find one if there is.
But there is not. “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Always conforming his will to his Father’s. Trusting his Father. Though guilt and fear fill his soul, he presses on. A third time he prays, “Your will be done.” An angel comes to strengthen him. For soon physical pain will be added to the anguish of soul. “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
This is your guilt he carries. It’s the guilt that washes over you when for no reason you remember something you did years ago. And even though it happened a long time ago, your face still flushes, your heart still aches. It’s the guilt you feel when you see that face you’ve hurt. It’s the guilt you haven’t been able to let go of no matter how many times you’ve heard the words, “All your sins are forgiven.”
This is your fear he carries. The fear of punishment whether by God or by someone else. The fear you try to hide by thinking you’re getting away with it. The fear of knowing what your deeds truly deserve.
Here in the garden, Jesus carries this guilt and this fear for you. We may think it is our duty to carry the guilt and fear we’ve brought on ourselves. But look at the disciples. They couldn’t share in Jesus’ suffering. Neither can you. Jesus does not ask you to punish yourself by holding onto your guilt and fear. No, he takes them from you. He bears them for you. He takes them to their end by receiving the punishment your guilt deserves.
The suffering of Jesus’ soul proclaims peace to yours. His suffering soul tells your soul, “Rest, my child. I have taken your guilt. The memory of your past sins, I have carried their weight. The fear of punishment, I too have felt and have borne the sentence for you.”
Jovan Jackson awaited the verdict. He was on trial for possession of marijuana and selling it for a profit. The jurors filed back into the jury box. The judge asked, “In the case of the People v. Jovan Jackson, how do you find?” The foreman responded, “We find the defendant, Jovan Jackson, not guilty.” Tears streamed Jovan Jackson’s fate. He was not guilty. He didn’t have to fear the punishment of that crime.
What joy a not guilty verdict brings! What further peace Jovan would’ve had if he’d known the verdict beforehand. No need to dread a guilty verdict. No need to fear punishment. This is what we have. By faith in Jesus, we know that we are declared not guilty.
Tonight, give your guilt and fear to Jesus. He bears the cross for you. Let go of your guilt and fear. Rest in the assurance that because he has borne your guilt and your fear in his soul, your soul is now at peace with God.
