Jesus Understands
Hello Everyone! I wrote a sermon, which I preached on several months ago. There was a message I once heard when I attended at Weekend Retreat for the Youth in Connecticut last year. A good friend of mine and I attended different seminars throughout the day; but one of them really got to me and touched my heart. It was a seminar for "Healing for Damaged Emotions", which was being led by a Pastor from Massachusetts. He talked about past experiences and what it was like for Jesus to have the same human emotions and experiences as we do. My friend and I felt so uplifting and inspiring and today, I want to share it with you all.
The theme was "Jesus Understands" and I have learned that He listens to your prayers that he hurts with you. Jesus understands our emotions. He felt those very same emotions through out his earthly life. Do you remember when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane? Can you imagine how he felt at that point in his life? If you read Matthew 26: 38; it says, "Then He said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Then He goes just a little further, not so far where they could both see and hear him. He then falls prostrate to the ground and prays, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken from me." 'Don't let me through this terrible death.' His hair sticks to his forehead, wet with sweat and blood. He sweat blood while praying and knowing His crucifixion was about to take place.
He prays for his beloved friends in the Gospel of John in Chapter 17, verse 11: "Holy Father, protect them, by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one." Yet even as He prays, his friends fall asleep and fail to keep watch with Him. He felt that the unity of His Father had broken up. He was afraid that in His human nature, He would not able to endure the coming conflict with the power of darkness. He felt alone and abandoned. When we feel abandoned, we want sympathy, even when we suffer. We want to hear words of comfort from our friends when we feel abandoned. Before Jesus had spent entire nights praying for His friends, so that their faith would not fall. He could not even find that from his friends, who were asleep in the quiet garden. Even in His darkest hour, His own disciples could not stay awake to pray with Him for one hour. Do you know that feeling that you're all alone without a friend and you are so sure no one else even cares about you at all? Jesus felt alone and abandoned and to anyone to who has ever felt that. Jesus understands!
With a great effort, He cries out, "Father, don't do what I want, do what you know is best!" He returns and finds his friends asleep, he says to them, "Could you not stay awake with me for a single hour? Get up now, here come my enemies." It was at this point, where Judas enters the garden, surrounded by armed men. He then goes to Jesus and says "Hail Teacher!" Judas then kisses Him. Jesus looks steadily at Judas, "Why are you here, friend? Have come to give me give away with your kiss?" Has anyone here ever been betrayed? By a close friend, whom you trusted? Perhaps you might have told this person a deep and personal secret and this person promised you that he or she will not say anything and yet that person tells other people anyway. Well Jesus knows. He loved his disciples, even Judas and I believe that even Jesus spent those nights praying for Judas as well. Let me tell you, Jesus Understands!
The soldiers then grab Jesus and hold him securely. His terrified friends scatter among the trees. The Shepherd was struck and the sheep were scattered. He felt alone and abandoned, even by his closets friends, and even John, the beloved disciple who leaned against him at the Last Supper. He ran away too! Jesus understands! He had had those feelings too. But Jesus had foretold of his desertion in John 16:32, which says, "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me."
Later on in the story, Jesus is arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. He is taken down to a praetorium. The soldiers beat Him, they spit on Him, and they whipped Him. Red marks crisscross his back. They force a crown of thorns on his head and blood gushes out, mixing with saliva. They put a purple cloak on him and they bowed to him jeering, "Long Live the King of the Jews!" "Behold A King!" Yet all through this, Jesus remains silent. You know it makes me think of kids at a playground or recess at school. You know when you're at school; you get teased by other kids. That hurt's doesn't it? Kids are often made fun of at school and even Adults too, perhaps at work or someplace else. When insults are hurled at us, and you know that feeling you get when you've been humiliated. Let me tell you, Jesus Understands! He's been there too!
And so He was sentenced and Jesus was led away to die. He had to carry His own cross. It must been really heavy. He was under enormous pressure. It was too heavy for Him in his weak and suffering condition. On the road, He stumbled and fell under the weight of the cross. He fell fainting beneath this terrible burden. So far he endured thoughts of death, abandonment from His closest friends, the anguish of betrayal and the scourge of humiliation. He's been through it all. He's had enough and he wants to give up, but this moment, when Jesus turns around, he sees YOU. It is your face that He sees and he says, in his heart, "My Father, I will die for them. I will die for the everlasting kindness of the human heart, which you have created!" Then He finds the will to keep on going. He bears the cross with firmness and dignity and even the crowd watches Him stagger on the road to Calvary, they are puzzled to see such a man to carry such a humiliating load. He did it for you, even if you had been the only person living on the face of this earth, He would have done it for you. Jesus Understands! He's been through it all.
Jesus understands human emotion; He understands the pain that we go through because he has had those very experiences. He listens to your prayers and He hurts with you. He loves you more than words can say and more we can see. When we sin, God says, "This person deserves to be punished," but Jesus intercedes for us saying, "I know what person is growing through! I have had those thoughts! I understand!" and He still intercedes for us. If you are experiencing problems and are discouraged to the point of giving up, the most important thing you can know right now is that Jesus loves you and He understands completely what you are going through and what you are feeling and He cares. He knows your heart and He knows that you love Him.
God wants to make a difference in your heart. He is very near you, only that sometimes we don't feel Him when we have a lingering negative attitude. God is saying tonight that He loves you, He listens to your prayers and He hurts with you. I want to encourage not just the congregation, but especially the youth: Do not give up as you continue to seek God, because God wants to make a difference in your heart. He's always there. You may be lonely, but you're never alone. He promised never to leave you (Hebrews 13:5). If no one else understands, He does. If everyone else fails you, He will not.
Even after that there is a promise of hope, Jesus is coming again. The very same Jesus, who understands our pain, our suffering, our affliction – He is coming again. The very same Jesus, who healed the sick, raised the dead, loved the children, and told such wonderful stories – He is coming again. The very same Jesus, who did so many kindly deeds for the poor and needy, who was always so gentle and gracious and good – He is coming again. It will not be another Jesus or a different Jesus, but this same Jesus. Time will not age or alter Him, for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. When He comes back down that shining pathway through the skies, it will be the very same Jesus who went away, unchanged by the changing years. We shall know Him by the smile on His face, by the gentleness of His voice, and by the marks of the nails in His hands.