We are one week away from Easter, which means this week we are leading into Easter. We’ll be camping out in Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane, found in Matthew 26:36–46.

    36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

    The cup that Jesus is talking about here is not his eventual death on the cross. The cup Jesus carries is God’s total divine justice. Because of sin, our ultimate rebellion and disobedience against God, which began all the way back in Genesis 3, God must punish us for our sin.

    Jesus looks at this cup and flinches, not because he fears the pain he will endure, but because he fears separation from his Father. Though fully man and fully God, Jesus is looking to his Father with the weight of sin on his shoulders. Not just the sins of a few men, not just those of his disciples, but the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future. Because of his humanity, the weight feels incredibly heavy in this moment.

    Jesus even says, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” This isn’t a moment of nervousness before a basketball game. This is Jesus, the God of the universe and the creator of all things, terrified of what is to come. He knows the separation from the Father will be agonizing.

    Yet Jesus says, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” This moment is the culmination of God’s covenant of redemption. It is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Savior who would bridge the gap between us and Him. Jesus has known, since before time began, that he agreed to come down and save the world. And here, in the Garden, carrying the weight of sin, Jesus actively submits to the Father’s will.

    We also see Jesus repeatedly seek his disciples for comfort, yet they remain asleep, oblivious to what he’s going through. If we look at Luke’s account, we get even more insight:

    Luke 22:43: 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of Blood falling down to the ground.

    Can you imagine the distress Jesus was in? He was experiencing so much stress that God sent an angel to strengthen him. And even while the angel was with him, he continued to pray more earnestly. He was so overwhelmed that his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.

    Jesus was not untouched by this moment. We often think his pain began on the cross, but here in Gethsemane, we see the crushing weight of the cup he had to bear. The Bible says Jesus’ sweat became like drops of blood. He was experiencing hematidrosis, a very rare condition in which someone literally sweats blood. This happens when a person is under extreme stress or fear. Tiny blood vessels around the sweat glands begin to leak blood. Jesus, in this moment, is confronting the reality of divine abandonment, and it stresses him beyond belief.

    Jesus’s pain and agony in this moment is our sweet relief. It shows us that he felt what we feel, that he understands what we understand. He is not far off. He is not a man in the sky with a beard made of clouds. Jesus walked the earth. He lived among us. He lived a real life of perfection. Unlike the gods of other mythologies, gods who were believed to be distant and uncaring toward humanity, Jesus is different.

    Madeline Miller, in Circe, offers an interesting reflection on how gods in mythology view pain. She writes, “You cannot know how frightened gods are of pain. There is nothing more foreign to them, and so nothing they ache more deeply to see.”

    But this is not the case with Jesus. This brings us to this week’s bottom line: Jesus understands when we’re hurting. Isn’t that such a beautiful thing to think about? We worship a Savior who truly understands the depths of our pain and suffering. Why? Because he bore the sins of mankind on the cross.

    2 Corinthians 5:21 writes, “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

    Sin has created countless problems for us. It affects us in ways we cannot fully understand. The insecurities, self-loathing, depression, and addiction we struggle with all stem from sin. The pain we inflict on others lingers, and the pain we’re left with when others hurt us, Jesus bore it all.

    He understands the depths of our pain not only because he was human and felt what we feel, but because our pain was nailed to him on the cross. Jesus is so amazing. Words cannot describe how wonderful our King is.

    As we head into this week, one week closer to Easter, let us remember that no matter what we bring into this week or into Easter, Jesus understands what we are going through. We may feel so alone in life, but the truth is that the God of the Universe, who died for our sins, is with us. He understands our pain.

Song Recommendation of the Week

• He is our King – David Crowder Band