Today’s Reading: Mark 14:32-34
Today’s Reference: Hebrews 2:17 “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
Here in Gethsemane, we have the gift of seeing Jesus’ humanity most clearly. He was “greatly distressed and troubled,” going through emotional turbulence so painful He couldn’t even stand up under it. He knew He was about to have the full wrath of God unleashed upon Him because of your sin and mine. Completely sinless Himself, He dreaded that onslaught of sin laid on Him.
Do we understand this? When we suffer, Jesus is never far off. He knows. Whatever tragedy has happened in your life, He knows. He has “been made like [us] in every respect,” so that you and I never have to suffer alone. That was part of God’s plan—to give us a Savior unlike anything in any other religion, a Savior who understands everything because He has experienced everything, yet without sinning. Friends and family may desert us in our time of need, but Jesus is always there bearing our sorrow right along with us. What a friend we have in Jesus, indeed!
Prayer:
Father, thank You for giving me a Savior who always understands. When trials come, help me remember that Jesus has compassion for my sorrow and I don’t have to bear it alone.
In Jesus’ name, amen.