Are You All “Bottled Up?” by Carl McMurray

In Matthew 26:37-38, our Lord revealed a little about Himself when He admitted to His friends that His soul was “deeply grieved, to the point of death.” We might have said we were, “scared to death!” We often think of Jesus as one who calmed the waves, cleansed the lepers, and even raised the dead. But, do we think of this powerful one as one who was intensely sorrowful about what He was going to suffer, even to the point of death? There are some powerful emotions being expressed here and I believe it should give us some things to think about.

Our culture has some real problems correctly expressing emotion. We bottle up our feelings in order to put on a good front for others until we either explode in a rage or give up to the weight of depression. Christians are certainly not immune to this syndrome. We sometimes try to convince others as well as ourselves that we have no problems. After all, problems mean we’re doing something wrong, don’t they? Fear and doubt are signs of weakness aren’t they? We shake hands and say, “I’m fine,” when we’re sometimes very far from “fine.” We have to keep the front up. I’m convinced that this reasoning is not “fine,” it’s “bogus.”

Our great example has some things to teach us in his last hours before undergoing great trial. For example, he teaches us that there are times when we actually might be, “scared to death.” And that’s alright. Fear is ok. Doubt can be dealt with. These things are natural reactions to situations in which we lack absolute knowledge of the outcome, or as in Jesus’ case, we know the outcome and we know that it’s going to be hard. Fear should make us gather information, pay attention, and get ready for what’s coming.

Jesus also teaches us that it is the right and proper thing to ask our friends to be with us, wait with us, and keep watch for us. It’s right to open up to those we trust, and to seek help from others. It’s when we act like we already know all the answers that we usually get ourselves in trouble. In the presence of strong emotion it is often wise to seek counsel outside the situation. Shared burdens are always lighter.

Lastly, when Jesus uttered the words above He was on His way to pray. When His friends let Him down, and when events could not be altered, Jesus still talked it over with His Father, and yours. He prepared Himself by releasing Himself completely to God. No twinkle, twinkle little star, wish of a prayer this. Jesus agonized in prayer because it was real to Him. It can be to you also, if you also are a child of God. Feelings are natural and should be expressed correctly. Friends can help and you Father waits.