Matthew 26 Our routine is their Crisis

Our routine is their Crisis

            ER – DR – Chaplain – Paramedic – Oncologist

Bridge the gap.  What makes the difference?

            Compassion

            Empathy

            Experience

“Would you mind waiting in the quiet room we need to take your mother to our morgue.”

He has walked in our shoes.  He knows the sorrows of life.  He was acquainted with grief.  He knows rejection.

Does He care?  Does He know?  We especially see this in these final few hours of Jesus life. 

Jesus Was Acquainted with Grief

Think this morning beyond just the grief of rejection, loneliness and discouragement.

            Your not smart enough

            Your not pretty enough

            Your not athletic enough

            Your not funny enough

Look though at what Jesus faced.

Of course there was ongoing opposition, rejection.  We expect this.

But we move from the outside to those closest to Jesus.

            Judas

Disciples

Peter

Peter – James – John

Even God himself

Talk about being dragged through the sieve

How Did Jesus Get Through It

            Honest Prayer

Jesus was not backing down from the cross.  I think we can safely say that Jesus was so fully aware of what was about to happen that he is having a very honest talk with his father.  Note – “My Father”

Never before have we seen Jesus so emotionally distraught. He has faced a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee, totally composed and unruffled. He has faced demonic opposition, satanic temptation, and the grilling of Jerusalem’s religious leaders, with total composure. But here in the Garden, the disciples must have been greatly distressed by what (little) they saw. Here, Jesus cast Himself to the ground, agonizing in prayer. Something terrible was going to happen. Jesus knew it, and the disciples were beginning to comprehend it as well.

Jesus was probing the matter of the cross with His Father to see if there was any other way to achieve the salvation of men. Jesus is asking the Father whether or not there is any other way for the sins of men to be forgiven. The answer is obvious, for the purpose and plan of God stands, and is faithfully pursued by the Lord Jesus.

            Kept Perspective – higher purpose, eternal dimension

            Kept the Faith - 1 Peter 2:23 (NASB95)

23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

How Can We Get Through It

We do have friends – find a few good ones and keep them.

Proverbs 17:17 (NASB95)

17A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 18:24 (NASB95)

24There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The problem though – they will always let you down at some point or they can’t be everything you need.

What does Jesus sufferings tell us this morning:  We have a God who knows.

Come to me . . .  I came to you

Our crisis is never treated routinely

            This is good news for us

            This is good news for others