Embodied HopeSample

Hidden Wounds

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit . . . (v. 21)

She was fifteen years old. She rolled up her sleeves and showed me the scars on her forearms. “I cut myself,” she whispered, looking down in shame. “I do it because the pain is so deep inside, and I need somebody to see it.” Sometimes the deepest wounds we carry are invisible. We’ve been hurt spiritually, mentally, or emotionally—in places that are hard for others to see. What happens beneath the surface in the realm of our spirit affects the body.

In today’s reading, John tells us that Jesus was “troubled in his spirit.” Why? Because Jesus knew that Judas Iscariot, one of his most trusted friends, was already preparing to betray him. Jesus also knew the path before him, the humiliation and suffering that awaited. As Good Friday draws near, we tend to think about the physical suffering Jesus endured. What gets overlooked is the spiritual, mental, and emotional suffering Jesus experienced in being betrayed and abandoned by those who were closest to him, especially by God the Father himself (Matt. 27:46).

Perhaps you know what it’s like to be betrayed or abandoned by someone you trusted, or maybe you carry some other mental or emotional wound that remains hidden. No matter how deep your pain or how hidden your wounds, Jesus sees them. He calls you his beloved and invites you tenderly to take this bread and this cup, his body and blood given for you. He offers healing for all your wounds.

As you pray, get honest about your inner hurt and ask God to bring healing to those hidden places.