Jesus (the Human Experience)

I was rereading some rough drafts I have of a devotional I led at school when I was chaplain and stumbled across the story of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. Lazarus’ story was not new to me; in fact, the Lord spoke to me for a few months primarily through the story of Lazarus. As I was rereading the story in John 11 (v 1-45), a few verses that I had apparently missed last time caught my eye:

"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Then Jesus wept Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

Verse 33-36

Jesus was weeping WITH Lazarus’s loved ones. I believe I’m not the only one that sometimes forgets Jesus was human. That may sound a bit strange to you, but when we see him performing miracles, casting out demons, and loving others so well, I forget that Jesus was sent to not only die for us but to live through the same life experiences we do. The Garden of Gethsemane is a perfect example of Jesus’ humanity. He knew that his time on earth was coming to an end. Jesus’ 33 years on earth were really similar to our time here. He had a childhood, he was a teenager, he had a family, he had friends he basically lived with for 3 years. Those were the same friends that betrayed him and denied him. Jesus knew everything that was going to happen, and he felt the same human emotions we do. He was scared like we would be; he felt the same fear and nerves we would feel if we knew we were about to suffer a gruesome death. And even though Jesus (like we would) asked God to spare him from that pain, He understood that dying that gruesome death was the only thing that would spare us from the penalty of our sins.

As I was meditating on this, I remembered an Instagram thread I had read a few months ago that really moved my heart (I'll insert it down below).

The following text is an Instagram thread by Anthony Gurrola. 

(Instagram: @Anthonygurrola || https://www.instagram.com/anthonygurrola)

“The presence of the divine changes everything.

No matter the pain you have endured,

His glorious light is still brightly shining.

No matter your suffering,

In His presence, your soul will once again feel it's worth.

No matter the darkness,

He is bringing with Him, a new and glorious morning.

Even in the womb,

Cousin John could not help but respond with joy at the presence of His Messiah.

The savior has come.

Love is born.

The prophecy is now breathing His first breath.

Jesus is here.

His presence carried by purity in a girl named Mary.

That alone will preach.

Born naked and died naked.

Born needing His mom and died needed His mom.

From the changing of diapers to the changing of the world.

He didn't remove Himself from our human experience.

He was the human experience.

He can be found in all of it.

The goodness and the suffering.

Every pain,

Every temptation,

Every disappointment,

He felt so we wouldn't feel it alone.

May we never forget we, as sons and daughters share in the glorious divinity of Christ.

We share in the good, the pain, and the glory.

May the thrill of hope carry your soul into the glorious anticipation of His arrival.

Rejoice!

The son of God is here.”

-“A Trill of hope” by Anthony Gurrola (https://www.instagram.com/p/C0e1UrxRhbh/)

"HE FELT SO WE WOULDN'T FEEL IT ALONE."

There has never been a moment when you have not been fully seen and understood by Jesus. (Seriously, I've tried to think of tons of situations, and Jesus went through a similar one himself: Heartbroken? Let down by another human? Betrayed? Ignored? Being talked about? Hurt by the church? Your closest friend betrayed you? There are so many scenarios we can think of, and believe it or not, Jesus went through the same emotions you went through in some way.

My hope for you today is that you will be able to recognize his presence in whatever season you find yourself. I pray that you will be sensitive to his presence so that you will recognize that he is with you in your suffering. He is with you right now. Maybe you feel alone, maybe you haven’t been able to sense his presence for some time now. His promise will always remain; he is with you always, even until the age

 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:20).