A Study On How Jesus Dealt With Fear

HAVE YOU EVER FELT AFRAID?

Have you ever felt like no one could relate to something you’re going through? Humans learn through experience, and we gravitate towards people who have shared similar experiences to ours. Trying to explain yourself to someone without shared experiences can be difficult and exhausting. It's comforting to be around people who you can relate to. Many times, people encounter this in their relationship with God. They feel like God does not understand them, and forget that Jesus lived a human life. Of course, Jesus lived a sinless life, but he was still tempted and experienced the struggles of humanity. Jesus experienced grief, pain, stress, and fear. He was afraid not only of death, but of the separation from God that would come when he took the punishment for our sins. Be encouraged today as we see how Jesus struggled with fear and how we can use his example to overcome fear in our own lives.

HOW DID JESUS EXPERIENCE FEAR?

We all know the Christmas story that tells of Jesus coming down to earth as a baby and being born in a manger. Since we are familiar with the beginning of Jesus’ life, we are going to move more towards the end.

At the time of Jesus’ ministry, Israel was under Roman control. Rome allowed the Jews to continue to worship, but appointed governors to supervise the Jewish government. Towards the end of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus’ teachings of love and mercy instead of punishment were starting to make the Jewish officials dislike him. The Romans did not allow the Jews to have their own executions, so the Jewish officials had to convince Rome that Jesus was a threat to have him killed.

Thus, a plot was devised by the Jews and Romans to kill Jesus. Of course, since Jesus is God and knows all things, this plot was no surprise to him. However, even in his divinity, he was also human and experienced human emotion. Knowing the day you were to die would certainly trigger fear. Jesus; however, continued in his ministry up until the day before he was arrested. He ate with his disciples and then went to a place called the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

In Mark 26:38 Jesus says, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Jesus falls to the ground and prays, “My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Luke’s account of this scene says that Jesus was sweating drops of blood. This is an actual condition called hematidrosis, which can be caused by extreme distress or fear.

Jesus’ human nature allowed him to be afraid, even though his divine nature knew the eventual outcome of his sacrifice would be his resurrection and ascension. Fear is built into our human nature, and we are not wrong for experiencing it. Fear is not a sin, but succumbing to fear and worry can become a stronghold in your life. Jesus was afraid of the pain and anguish that was soon to come, but he did not let it consume him. All accounts of this story say that Jesus continued to pray even more earnestly when he was in anguish. After this, Jesus was arrested and taken to Pilate and Herod, and then taken to the cross.

WHAT DOES JESUS' FEAR MEAN FOR MY MENTAL HEALTH?

Scripture says that Jesus became a man to relate to the struggles that humanity goes through. Because Jesus experienced fear, he can help you when we are afraid. We can use his example to overcome our own fear. When Jesus was afraid, he first cried out to God and expressed his anguish. Don’t be afraid to ask God for help and deliverance from your fear or pain.

Then, Jesus fell to his knees and prayed fervently. He asked God for deliverance, but acknowledged that God’s plan was sovereign and he wished for God’s will to be done. We are able to ask the Lord for a different outcome in difficult situations, but God’s will will eventually be done.

When you are afraid, the first thing you need to do is bring it to the Lord in prayer. Sit still with God, and express your anguish to him. Scripture says that God is your Wonderful Counselor! God wants to hear your heart and your struggles. Remember, He can relate to your struggles, because he experienced many of them.

Even though you may ask God to help you overcome a situation, you have to remember that it might not be in his will to answer your prayer the way you want him to. Even though Jesus prayed and asked God to change his future, he knew that eventually God’s will would be done.

If you are struggling with fear and would like someone to walk with you through it, schedule a Discovery Call with me today! I would love to help you learn to live free of fear.