Did Jesus Ever Get Depressed?

You don't think of Jesus as having a bad day, do you?

Nevertheless, I want to look in this study at what was quite
probably one of the worst days of Jesus' life, and how he
handled the challenge he was faced with.
atthew !"#$"%$&
'$"( )hen co*eth Jesus with the* unto a place called
+ethse*ane, and saith unto the disciples, ,it ye here, while I
go and pray yonder.
'$-( .nd he took with hi* /eter and the two sons of 0ebedee,
and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
'$1( )hen saith he unto the*, y soul is e2ceeding sorrowful,
even unto death# tarry ye here, and watch with *e.
'$&( .nd he went a little further, and fell on his face, and
prayed, saying, 3 *y 4ather, if it be possible, let this cup
pass fro* *e# nevertheless not as I will, but as thou 5wilt6.
7ave you ever been so depressed that you wanted to die?
)hat's how Jesus felt on this day. )here is no record
elsewhere in the gospels where he felt so bad that he told any
of his disciples about it, but that's what he did here. .nd, he
didn't bare his heart before all of his disciples8 he went off
with only /eter, Ja*es and John into the +arden of
+ethse*ane, where he so*eti*es went to pray, and let the*
know how he was feeling. 7e didn't try to put on a good,
9spiritual looking9 front for the*. 7e was honest with the*
about how bad he was feeling.
Now here's so*ething to think about# If Jesus was so
depressed, what was he doing wrong that caused it? :as he
focusing his *ind on the wrong things? :as he failing to look
at things fro* +od's perspective? :as he failing to e2ercise
proper control over his *ind?
:e know even as we ask this question that Jesus was doing
nothing wrong. )here was no sin or guilt in his life to pull hi*
down. )here was no shortco*ing or failure in his walk with +od
that could have caused this. 7e was as fully co**itted to +od
as always, and as disciplined in his walk with +od as he had
ever been. .nd he was still so depressed that he wanted to
die.
)his lets us know that depression is not always the result of
so*ething you or I have done wrong. ;epression can occur even
when we are doing things right. If Jesus could get depressed
in spite of his perfect walk with +od, perhaps we should not be
so quick to conde*n ourselves or others when depression
occurs.
Now being depressed is one thing8 handling it the right way is
another.
7ow did Jesus handle his depression? ;id he seek for co*fort
at the botto* of a bottle? ;id he look for recreational herbs
to nu*b his *ind? ;id he gorge hi*self with food, or seek to
forget his troubles in the ar*s of a wo*an? ;id he seek out
entertain*ents? ;id he cut hi*self off fro* those around hi*?
;id he curl up by hi*self so*ewhere and sleep for hours on
end, unable to do anything?
7ow did Jesus handle his depression? 7e prayed. .nd he did
so*ething else that you never see hi* doing throughout the
gospels# he asked three of his disciples to pray with hi*.
<an you i*agine being /eter, Ja*es or John and having this
weight dropped on you? It's hard enough that Jesus is
depressed8 it's another thing entirely to be asked to pray with
hi* about his proble*. )he disciples had prayed for other
people8 they were not strangers to prayer. =ut praying for
Jesus in a crisis situation was so*ething entirely new %% and,
no doubt, frightening %% to the*.
:hat would you do in that situation? :ouldn't you be on your
best prayer behavior? )his would be the *ost i*portant prayer
you've ever prayed. )he farthest thing fro* your *ind would
be taking a nap. Yet, when Jesus returned to the* after going
off a little way to pray, he found the* all asleep.
:hy was Jesus depressed? >erse $& gives us a clue. Jesus
knew what it was that +od wanted hi* to do, but he didn't
want to do it. )here was a conflict here between the will of
+od and the will of Jesus. =ut rather than running off and
doing his own will, Jesus went right to +od in prayer.
:hat was the conflict? :e don't have to guess about this.
)he ,criptures tell us.
7ebrews ?#-
:ho in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears unto hi* that
was able to save hi* fro* death, and was heard in that he
feared8
)o put it quite si*ply, Jesus did not want to die. )he 9cup9
that he asked +od to let pass fro* hi* was his death.
+od's plan for the rede*ption of *ankind was for Jesus, the
one sinless *an, to die in the place of sinful *an, and for +od
to raise hi* fro* the dead. Now let's be frank for a *o*ent
and forget that we're talking about Jesus <hrist. :hat kind of
plan does this sound like to you? If +od's plan was for you to
die and for hi* to raise you fro* the dead, how e2cited would
you be about the idea? :ould you follow right along, no
questions asked, because of your trust in +od? 3r would you
have so*e serious questions about whether it was really +od
who was talking to you, or whether you had understood 7i*
correctly?
;oesn't this sound suspiciously like the @7eaven's +ateA
incident, where a group of *isguided religious *en and wo*en
gave up their lives in the hope that they would be resurrected
on a spaceship so*ewhere? :e think of people who act like
that as craBy, and if they say that +od told the* to do it, we
consider it a confir*ation of our suspicionsC
Jesus trusted +od, and he had always done what +od told hi*
to do8 but this went far beyond anything +od had ever asked
of hi* before. Jesus was Dust as deter*ined as he ever was to
obey +od at all costs, but here he did so*ething he had never
done before# he asked +od to change 7is will. 7e asked this
not once, but three ti*es. .nd he didn't ask cal*ly,
dispassionately. 7e went before his 4ather with 9strong crying
and tears.9
:hat was he praying so hard for? :hat was he agoniBing
about in the garden? 7e wanted +od to save hi* fro* death.
7e wanted to obey +od, but he didn't want to die. Jesus *ade
it clear in his prayer that if there was no change in +od's plan
for hi*, he would carry out +od's will8 but he also prayed that
if it were possible, 9this cup9 would pass fro* hi*.
Jesus was heard by +od when he prayed, but he didn't get the
answer that he prayed for. +od did not change 7is will.
Instead, Jesus 9was heard in that he feared.9 :hat does this
*ean? Jesus' prayer was answered by his being given what he
needed to carry out +od's will willingly. )he 9fear9 referred to
here is obedience.
7ebrews ?#1%&
'1( )hough he were a ,on, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered8
'&( .nd being *ade perfect, he beca*e the author of eternal
salvation unto all the* that obey hi*8
/hilippians !#1
.nd being found in fashion as a *an, he hu*bled hi*self, and
beca*e obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
3nce Jesus rose up fro* this intense ti*e of prayer, there is
no further hint of depression on his part. )here is no sign of
hesitation or unwillingness to carry out the assign*ent +od had
given hi*. :hy is this? :hat had changed? :hat enabled
Jesus to face the cruel, agoniBing and sha*eful death of the
cross without looking back?
7ebrews E!#!
Fooking unto Jesus the author and finisher of 5our6 faith8 who
for the Doy that was set before hi* endured the cross,
despising the sha*e, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of +od.
)here's the answer. Jesus was able to endure the cross
because of 9the Doy that was set before hi*.9 +od's solution
to Jesus' depression was to give hi* Doy.
:hat was it that Jesus was Doyful about? )here was nothing in
his i**ediate situation that called for Doy8 he still faced the
suffering and hu*iliation of the cross. )he answer is right
here in the sa*e verse# +od had hi* look beyond the cross,
not Dust to his resurrection, but to what he would be doing
after his resurrection. :here is Jesus now? 7e is seated at
+od's right hand. )hat's what +od set before hi*, and that
was the source of the Doy that kept hi* going unhesitatingly to
the <ross.
)he right hand of +od is a position of authority and power.
.ccording to /sal* E", it is also a place of Doy.
/sal* E"#1%EE
'1( I have set the Ford always before *e# because 5he is6 at
*y right hand, I shall not be *oved.
'&( )herefore *y heart is glad, and *y glory reDoiceth# *y
flesh also shall rest in hope.
'EG( 4or thou wilt not leave *y soul in hell8 neither wilt thou
suffer thine 7oly 3ne to see corruption.
'EE( )hou wilt shew *e the path of life# in thy presence 5is6
fullness of Doy8 at thy right hand 5there are6 pleasures for
ever*ore.
/sal* H?#"%-
'"( )hy throne, 3 +od, 5is6 for ever and ever# the sceptre of
thy kingdo* 5is6 a right sceptre.
'-( )hou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness#
therefore +od, thy +od, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows.
+od enabled Jesus to overco*e his depression by focusing his
attention on so*ething that he could not have yet, but which
was guaranteed to hi* in the future. In other words, +od gave
hi* so*ething to hope for.
)here are two vantage points available to the <hristian that
enable hi* or her to set in proper perspective the things that
are happening in life. )he first is to look at things fro* our
legal position, where we are seated with <hrist at +od's right
hand.
Iphesians !#H%-
'H( =ut +od, who is rich in *ercy, for his great love wherewith
he loved us,
'?( Iven when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with <hrist, 'by grace ye are saved8(
'"( .nd hath raised 5us6 up together, and *ade 5us6 sit
together in heavenly 5places6 in <hrist Jesus#
'-( )hat in the ages to co*e he *ight shew the e2ceeding
riches of his grace in 5his6 kindness toward us through <hrist
Jesus.
+od has raised us up together with <hrist and *ade us sit
together in the heavens in <hrist Jesus. :hen you're sitting in
the heavens in <hrist, everything on earth looks s*all. No
*atter how i**ense or unsolvable our situation *ay see* fro*
the vantage point of the earth, they all see* s*all and
*anageable fro* the vantage point of the heavens. 3ur
7eavenly 4ather is *ore than able to deal with anything we are
confronted with in life.
)he second vantage point that sets things in proper perspective
for us is looking at things fro* the vantage point of <hrist's
return. Fooking at our lives and our situations fro* the
viewpoint of <hrist's return re*inds us that all we see around
us is te*porary, while what +od has given us and done for us in
<hrist is forever.
7ave you ever, while reading a tense part in a suspense novel,
looked ahead to the end of the book to *ake sure a favorite
character was still around? If he is, your an2iety about what
he's going through in the *iddle of the book is considerably
lessened, because you know it's only te*porary. .t the end of
the book he or she will be alive and well.
:ell, we've read the end of the book %% +od's book %% and
guess what? If you've confessed <hrist as your Ford, you're
still alive and doing well at the end of the bookC Jnowing this
gives you strength for dealing with whatever difficulties you
are faced with now, because you are assured that they are
te*porary, and you will still be here when they are gone.
<haplain ark 7. ,tevens, .in