The Reality of Sorrow

By Romina Chevren

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’”—Matthew 26:36–38 (NIV)

Have you ever felt burdened? Perhaps you were going through a season of loss and grief. Perhaps the unexpected happened and you felt like the wind got knocked right out of you. Perhaps you found out that a close friend or family member was battling something you didn’t know about and you shared in the weight of that burden with them.

In these moments, it’s normal to feel heavy-hearted. What’s so encouraging about today’s passage is we get an inside peek at this part of Jesus’ experience on earth. In His humanity, He felt the same heavy-heartedness we so often feel in our lives.

In this Scripture, Jesus is only a few hours away from being arrested and walking down the road to His crucifixion. He retreats to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples and tells them to sit while He goes to pray. He takes Peter, James, and John further with Him and the waves of emotion begin to hit.

We read, “He began to be sorrowful and troubled.” The words used here in Greek also mean “to be grieved, depressed, dejected, pained, and anguished” (StepBible.org). Here, we see Jesus feel the pain and anxiety that so many of us often experience. He probably experienced it even more intensely because He was going to endure a humiliating and excruciating death He didn’t deserve. Not only would He be in physical pain, but He’d be in emotional and spiritual pain as He held the burden of all the sins of all people past, present, and future!

There’s no doubt Jesus understands when we feel burdened. This is why we can come to Him with all of our troubles, because “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NIV).

Today’s passage also shows us how to walk through such hard moments. Jesus does two important things I want to highlight.

He openly shares His experience. Matthew writes Jesus “said to them.” He didn’t just keep His emotions to Himself. He went to God with them, as we’ll see in the next devotional, and He invited His closest friends to share this with Him. The simple act of being honest about it and having them present was enough.

He asks them to stay with Him. Jesus doesn’t expect His friends to do anything to fix His problem or emotions, but He does ask them to stay with Him. He says, “Keep watch with me.” Other translations say, “Stay awake with me.” Jesus asks them to bear the burden with Him by being in it together. This is what a community should look like.

When we experience difficulty, we don’t have to bear it alone. It sometimes seems easier to do it alone because we can avoid being vulnerable with others and protect ourselves from any further hurt, but this is a tactic of the enemy to try and get us isolated and further from God. Galatians 6:2 (NIV) says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Romans 12:15 (NIV) says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Jesus modeled this for us, so what’s holding you back from modeling it in your own life?

Sorrow is hard, and it’s inevitable in this world. However, it’s in these moments we get a glimpse of the glory that’s to come—the glory that’s seen in praying like we’ve never prayed before, in worshiping God even when it's hard, in fighting to believe His character never changes, in choosing to be grateful, in experiencing the comfort and peace of God that surpasses our understanding, and especially in embracing the heavenly and holy family of believers wrapping their arms around us and fighting for us when we’re too weak to fight at all.

Jesus is interceding on your behalf, my friend. Invite Him and others into your journey because going together is the best way to go.

Pause: Where are you holding back from letting others into your burdens or difficulties? Why?

Practice: Let someone in today. Maybe it's a close friend, a parent, a mentor, or a small group leader. Pray and ask God to help you choose wisely and give you the courage to open up.

Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for being present in the darkest times. I know You’ve called us to live together in unison and bear one another’s burdens. It’s hard to live that out sometimes, so help me today to be willing to honestly share my struggles with the trusted people You’ve put in my life! Help me to be trusted with other people's burdens as well. May You help Your people endure trials and temptations together, both rejoicing and mourning with one another. Amen.