Getting There
- Stacy Mal
- Oct 21, 2021
- 3 min read
Towards the end of the gospels we hear a lot about the sufferings of Jesus. The crowning, the scourging, the punches. A lot of us can relate to physical suffering, right? đđ»ââïž
But I often wonder if one of the most painful parts of Jesusâ passion wasnât something exterior but rather, something interior. Donât get me wrong, Jesus physically suffered more than any other human ever could.
But what about interiorly? Mentally? Emotionally? I think more of us can relate to this kind of suffering. Am I right? đđ»ââïž
Jesus was condemned by the people who should have known Him best. The religious leaders. He was betrayed by an apostle and supposed friend. Judas. He was abandoned by those who said theyâd give their life for Him. Peter.
These werenât strangers or mere acquaintances. These were people who He was very close to â who quite literally hung Him out to dry. And for what? Their reputation. Money. Fear. Distrust. Jealousy.
Some of us understand this kind of pain and suffering more than we want to talk about.
I get it, friend. I do.
And no, this isnât a âbut hereâs what I doâ kind of post. Iâm not even going to try and pretend like Iâve somehow figured out a saintly response to betrayal. Iâm not there yet. Some days I wonder if Iâll ever get there. đ€
No, this is a âhereâs what Jesus didâ kind of post.
In Luke 23:34, Jesus was hanging on the cross alone, in unimaginable agony. People were scoffing below. And what did Jesus do? He prayed, âFather forgive them, for they know not what they do.â
Like I said, Iâm not there yet. đ€Šđ»ââïž
The key here is that Jesus prayed while in agony. He didnât wait for the agony to stop before praying for them. He didnât wait to feel better first. He didnât pray, âFather make this stop hurting so much so I can forgive them.â
He prayed âFather forgive themâ while He was still hurting.
Dang.
Again, Iâm not there yet.
Because hereâs the other thing. Jesus didnât pray, âFather, make them see my side of things, so they know now what theyâve done.â
Many of us have prayed that prayer before, am I right? đđ»ââïž
But thatâs not praying for them like Jesus did in Luke 23⊠thatâs indirectly praying for ourselves. Because think about it: if they come to see our side, and understand what they have done to us, then in a way, weâll be redeemed.
But Jesus didnât pray to be redeemed or acquitted. He simply prayed for the Father to forgive them, to have mercy on them, to be good to them. He wished blessing on them even though they âknow not what they do.â
And isnât that one of the hardest parts? The fact that some people just donât get it. They truly donât understand what theyâve done. Some people may actually live their whole lives never really knowing that what they did was wrong.
But to âlive like Jesusâ means to pray blessings upon them anyway. To pray for them completely independent of our own redemption. To pray that they will be blessed and forgiven, even if they never come to know the truth.
Dang.
Remember⊠we arenât talking about a small beef with some random acquaintance. Itâs not âFather forgive my Facebook friend for that rude comment. They know not what they say.â
Thatâs easy. (Well, some days. đ€Šđ»ââïž)
No. Weâre talking about the worst kind of betrayal by the most beloved people. Weâre talking deep, emotional pain. And Jesus prayed in it. Not after it was over. He prayed IN it. Through it.
Again, Iâm not there yet.
But I want to be. Someday.
So maybe, for now, itâs just about taking baby steps. Maybe itâs about âreadingâ the difficult words of Luke 23:34 prayerfully, even if I donât âfeelâ them yet.
Maybe itâs just sitting with a crucifix to remind myself Iâm not the only one whoâs ever experienced this. Someone else understands my pain.
And maybe, just maybe, this isnât even about me and the person who betrayed me. Maybe itâs about me and Jesus⊠and what Heâs trying to teach me through the heartache. Maybe right now itâs not so much about âgetting thereâ as it is about âbeing thereâ with Him in it.
MaybeâŠ. Just maybeâŠ
After all, He is the only way weâll ever truly âget there.â
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