DOES JESUS CARE?

It is a privilege to speak to you again today. The pastor has afforded me the opportunity to do several sermon series here on an annual basis, so much so that I have begun to regard myself as somewhat of a lay minister. But you needn’t call me “Reverend.” And you definitely shouldn’t call me “late for dinner.”

On a more serious note, I want to speak to you today about a topic which is rarely alluded to. I think preachers and evangelists have spent a great deal of time on Jesus’ divinity, and it is well that they have. However, the subject of Jesus’ humanity has pretty much “gone begging” as our English ancestors might have said. That is, I’m convinced that we simply haven’t given enough time or place to this topic in our pulpits.

After all, Jesus has never ceased to be a man. The God-man to be sure, but still a man. I have referred in the past to the possibility of God having a new experience. Well, He certainly did when He found a way to contain Himself in a human egg for nine months, to be born as any baby is born, to live out thirty-three years on the earth, sharing the Gospel message and performing amazing miracles, when He submitted Himself to arrest, flogging and death on the cross, when He lay in the grave for three days, was resurrected and finally ascended into heaven. Well, my friends, Jesus who had only known a spirit body for multiplied billions of years is still living out His new experience as a man. For in comparative terms He has only worn the body of a man for the briefest of time; a mere two thousand years. And, as I have also said here before, but it bears repeating, if Jesus appeared behind this pulpit today, and said, “Get out of the way, Royce. I have something really important to say,” well, I can assure you this is the only place He would be at that moment. The God-man has voluntarily limited Himself to what we might refer to as “space and place.”

I have titled today’s message, “Does Jesus Care?” If I were to be slightly sacrilegious I might just as easily have called it “Does Jesus Give a Rip?” Well, my friends, I can assure you Jesus cares and Jesus absolutely gives a rip. And if you don’t feel it, at least take my word for it. Better yet, take the Word of God for it.

I want to examine three scriptures today in which our Lord experienced a well, human experience, and the resulting emotions He felt as a result of such experiences. I think it is interesting, if that is the right word, that our Lord not only walked the lonely road to Golgotha for us, but that He submitted Himself to human experiences and emotions; so that He could, as it were, understand the human condition in a way He had never experienced it in the eons of His divine existence.

I will be reading passages from my own New Testament paraphrase today. As a result, I can almost guarantee that if you turn with me to the various scriptures my wording will be slightly different from the words and sentences you are reading. But close enough, and I hope my rendition adds a bit to the topic at hand.

Turn with me, if you will, to John Chapter 11:32-36

"When Mary arrived where Jesus was resting, she prostrated herself at His feet.

She repeated her sister’s words. 'If only You had come to my brother, Master, he would have lived and not died.'

When Jesus observed Mary’s tears, and the way those who were with her were grieving for His friend, Lazarus, He became distressed in His spirit.

'Where is his sepulcher?' He asked.

'Lord, follow us and we will show you,' some in the crowd responded.

Suddenly, the Savior became emotional, and tears ran down His face.

'It is apparent how much He loved him!' The Jews whispered among themselves. While some seemed to question the depth of His love."

Rather than keep you ‘til midnight, and have some of you growing drowsy and falling from the third floor loft as one fellow once did who sat listening to Paul speak, I will not spend a great amount of time on any of these passages of scripture.

Suffice it to say here that we can surmise one major thing about the depth of emotion our Lord was experiencing that day in Bethany which contrasted with what the Jews surmised about Jesus’ emotion.

Although Jesus loved Lazarus, there could be no question about that, His tears were the result not of His love for him, but because of the grief which the crowd displayed in the presence of the One who had the power to raise the dead from the grave. Jesus wept hot tears that day as the result of their unbelief. Read it. Jesus became distressed because of Mary’s tears and the way the crowd was grieving for the man who was all decked out in funeral clothes and tucked away in the sepulcher.

If you carefully examine the four Gospels, as I have in the past year as I worked through seven edits of my New Testament paraphrase, you will discover that John 11 references one of the four or five most profound displays of Jesus’ emotion in His 33 years on earth; at least that we are told about.

"Jesus wept." The shortest verse in scripture. But it reveals so much about the heart of God.

Let’s hurry along to the second passage of scripture I want us to look at, and which details another example of Jesus’ emotional human nature.

Turn with me to John Chapter 6, verses 66-69.

Rather than read the verses which precede this passage allow me to inform you that Jesus had been teaching the people about the sacrifice He was preparing to make on the cross, and the remembrance of His death they would regularly celebrate when they figurately ate His body and drank His blood during the communion service. However, many of Jesus’ outer circle obviously misunderstood the teaching. Here’s where we will pick up.

"As a direct result of His teaching about His body and blood, many of His disciples walked away from Him. And Jesus, (no doubt, exuding great emotion) said to the Twelve,

'And will you also regard what we have shared together as little or nothing, and step away from our relationship?'

(In spite of Peter’s propensity for instability, this was, apparently, one of his best days). For now, Simon said, "Lord, who do you expect us to follow? Your Words are authoritative, and authentic and pave the road to life eternal! And I believe, and I am sure that You are the holy Son of Almighty God."

Is there a sadder portion of scripture in the New Testament? Well, not many. “Will you also step away from our relationship?” Or as one translation put it, “Will you also go away?”

Again, we are given an entre into the depth of human emotion which Jesus was feeling during one moment of His earthly existence. And again, we notice an example in which unbelief influences the human emotions of the Lord of lords and King of kings; the Creator of the universe.

I think we can all come along side Jesus at this time in His life, as He has so often come along side us. All of us, without exception, have been “stepped away from.” The late Bill Pearce, host of the “Night Sounds” radio program speaks of the estrangement and alienation he endured in regard to a couple of his own children. I have interacted with the one and only current employee of this program, and she tells me that Mr. Pearce’s son allowed his father to languish in the nursing home, and go on to his reward without ever reconciling with him.

Every facet of Jesus life, existence and emotions were experienced by Him for a reason. And that reason is so that He might better identify with us, and that we might understand that He understood, and continues to understand the depths of our feelings.

Turn with me one final time to the Book of Luke, Chapter 22, verses 39-44.

"Then, the Lord departed the City of Jerusalem and climbed up the Mount of Olives, (as He had done numerous times in the past), and the Twelve followed Him up the mountain. And when He reached the spot in which He generally secluded Himself, He said to them,

'Pray that you may resist temptation!'

Then, the Savior walked off alone; about a hundred feet from where the disciples rested. And prostrating Himself on the ground, He prayed aloud.

'Father, if you see fit, remove this awful cup from Me. However, may Your will be done.'

After He said these Words, an angel materialized before Him and imparted strength to Him.  And the Lord agonized in His spirit and began to pray even more feverishly, so that His sweat was like huge drops of blood dropping to the earth."

There is a very rare human condition, with the emphasis on “human” in which a man or woman is capable of exuding blood from the pores of their skin. This condition is called Hematohydrosis. If our Lord ever experienced and understood the emotions which reside in the bosom of a human being, He did so that night. I dare say no one in this sanctuary has ever sweat drops of blood. I’m doubtful if any living person in this city, county, state or country has experienced this condition. At least I never met anyone who has made such a claim.

At this moment in time Jesus was in the midst of the most hideous human emotions He would ever experience, so much so that blood oozed out of his epidermis. My first pastor from half a century ago used to say, “Think of that.” Well, my friends, think of that!

Jesus understood all that awaited Him over the next few hours. He knew the end from the beginning. He realized He was about to be tried for sins He never committed, that He would be scourged with a whip embedded with rocks and lead which would rip out pieces of the flesh from his back, that He would be nailed to a cross, that a spear would be thrust into His side, and worse yet, if that were possible, that He would bear the sins of over one hundred billion people on His sinless back! For it has been estimated that along with the eight billion people who inhabit this planet today, there are over ninety billion who have gone on to their reward before you or I moved, and lived and breathed.

Yes, Jesus experienced very human emotions. It might be said He experienced super-human emotions since His emotions were based on the most extraordinary experiences any man would ever know.

As I bring my message to a close, I wish to leave you with my favorite passage of scripture; a passage which has everything to do with Jesus’ emotions.

You needn’t turn to this portion of scripture. Just listen as I read the words which are found in Hebrews 4:15-16.

“For we do not have a High Priest Who is incapable of empathizing with our weaknesses, but He was tempted in each and every way that we have been tempted, but without giving sway to that temptation and resulting sin.

Let us approach the throne of Grace without the slightest hesitation, so we may receive mercy, and grace to help when there is nowhere else for us to turn.”

God the Father, God the Son and God, the Holy Spirit conspired together before the worlds were made. Our Lord was already aware that Adam would sin and bequeath sin to every man, woman and child who would ever inhabit the earth. He knew that we would need a great Savior, and Jesus agreed to be that great Savior.

He is touched by the feelings of our infirmities. As the result of the things He was allowed to experience and the emotions He was allowed to endure, He has a human wherewithal to come along side us in all our human experiences and all our human emotions.

In the deepest of your valleys, in the darkest of your nights, Jesus cares, understands, comes along side, intercedes before the Father, and intervenes for you and me.

I will close my message today with the most fitting songs I can think of to accompany such a message.

(by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright Pending

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DOES JESUS CARE?

1	Does Jesus care when my heart is pained Too deeply for mirth or song, As the burdens press, And the cares distress, And the way grows weary and long?    (Chorus)
	O yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; When the days are weary, The long night dreary, I know my Savior cares.
2	Does Jesus care when my way is dark With a nameless dread and fear? As the daylight fades Into deep night shades, Does He care enough to be near?
3	Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed To resist some temptation strong; When for my deep grief There is no relief, Though my tears flow all the night long?
4	Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye” To the dearest on earth to me, And my sad heart aches Til it nearly breaks, Is it aught to Him? Does He see?