How Jesus Handles Sorrow

Posted on Apr 16, 2018 by Anna Thoreson in Devotions |

“They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.” (Mark 14:32-33 NLT)

Jesus surely wasn’t just now feeling all this sorrow. It had to have been mounting for months, even years, and tomorrow was day. The morning would come and the cross would come for Him, the hinge of history would turn on His back in just a few, brief hours. Over and over in the gospels we’d seen Him step away, alone, to pray. Perhaps to grieve and resign Himself with God’s plan? 

What I’ve learned about grief is that it demands to be felt. When my dad first passed the tsunami of responsibility was far larger than the tsunami of grief. There were many, many times when I felt a specific sorrow; a memory tripped over while cleaning out his house, a thought would snag my heart, I’d hear  someone who sounded like him, and I’d simply have to chunk it over a wall in my mind to deal with it later. I did not have the capacity to feel my way through it then.
 
But there came a day when all that loss screamed for feeling and I had to lift the gates a bit before the bulging wall came crashing down.

I suspect Jesus did this, what I would call grief-damming. When He felt sorrow over the impending cross, it seems He tucked it away to deal with it in His quiet moments with the Father. But He didn’t ignore it forever. 

If we have to dam up our grief, we also have to find safe moments to open the flood gates and alleviate the pressure. Otherwise the dam itself will compromise and wash away the life below.

Today I am thankful for Mark 14. I’m thankful that our Savior pulled His disciples close and let them in on His most aching moments so we could read of it thousands of years later. It’s in the garden scriptures that we learn how to rightly process our own setbacks and sorrows.  

Jesus’ vulnerability in the garden let’s us know that it’s human to hurt and there are godly ways to deal with grief. He shows us that we grieve up. We ask for help from our friends and family. And when the sun rises, we rise to the tasks of the day, even if our faces are still tear-stained.

“But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.” (Psalms 18:6 NLT)

“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.” (Psalms 18:16 NLT)

Thank You Lord, for Your example of healthy sorrow. Thank You for never leaving us alone in the dark, even when our well-meaning friends fall asleep. We are so grateful for Your story, it’s life-giving in our own. Amen.