Jesus Afraid?

[Odë:hgöd]

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• Matt 26:42 . . He went away a second time and prayed: My Father, if it is not
possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.

Jesus must've been really dreading the ordeal that he was facing because he
prayed like that three times.

During the incident, an angel showed up.

• Luke 22:43 . . Now an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening Him.

I've been curious for some time now to know exactly what that angel did to
strengthen Jesus. Did it bring him some water, or a bite of high energy food?
Possibly.

This next verse gave me a hint.

• Luke 22:44 . . And being in agony, he was praying very fervently; and his sweat
became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

The Greek word translated "agony" basically refers not to pain, but to struggle.

Well; I may be wrong about this but I suspect Jesus was right on the edge of panic,
and thinking seriously about bolting for the door-- so to speak --when his Father
sent that angel to calm him down because oftentimes when people are in a high
state of anxiety; they can't think straight. (cf. Matt 4:11)
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• 1John 4:18 . . There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because
fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

That verse is sometimes utilized to prove that seeing as how Jesus was a sinless
man, therefore he was fearless. But that passage has nothing to do with ordinary
fear; it's about fear related to one's future existence in the afterlife.

• 1John 4:16-18 . . God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on
the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

There are denominations-- e.g. Roman Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist --whose
adherents are unsure of their future in the afterlife. They're hoping for the best
whilst in the backs of their minds dreading the worst; which indicates to me that
their association with God is not on the best of terms.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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Though Jesus may, or may not, have known all the details pertaining to what was
in store for him, the prophet Isaiah gave him at least a hint of what to expect.

• Isa 52:14-15 . . there were many who were appalled at him-- his appearance was
so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness
--thus will he sprinkle many nations

The Romans whipped the Lord to within an inch of his life, slapped him around,
crowned him with thorns, and drove nails into his hands and his feet. But that was
child's play compared to what God did. By the time those hours of darkness around
the cross lifted; the Lord's own mother would have trouble recognizing him.

Though it's said that Christ was led to his death without protest (Isa 53:7)
according to the 22nd Psalm, Jesus did what any man would do when undergoing
severe abuse: he yelled at the top of his lungs with the strength and volume of a
roaring lion.

• Luke 23:48 . .When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw
what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.

Yes, of course they beat their breasts; and I suspect it was not only because of the
earthquake and the darkness, but also because they were having trouble catching
their breath. The extent of the Lord's injuries were so horrific that they could
scarcely tell he was the same man.

• Isa 53:5-6 . . But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds
we are healed.

. . .We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and
The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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Most Christians will readily attest that Christ was fully God and fully Man, while in
reality they only believe he was a divine hominid rather than a bona fide h.sapiens
biologically related to Adam via David and Abraham.

Jesus was on track to become a high priest. Well; the letter to Hebrews says that
priests are chosen from among men because it's essential that they be able to
relate to the men they represent.

A divine hominid would likely have much in common with divine beings, but
certainly not all that much in common with human beings, viz: a divine hominid for
our priest would be like a bunny rabbit representing honey bees. It just wouldn't
work because the differences in the respective natures of those two species makes
it impossible for them to relate to each other.

• Heb 2:16-18 . .We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham,
not to help the angels. Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect
like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High
Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of
the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able
to help us when we are being tempted.

• Heb 4:15 . . This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all
of the same trials we do.

• Isa 53:3 . . A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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• Heb 5:5-10 . . Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He
who said to him: You are My son; today I have begotten you-- just as He says also
in another passage: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

. . . In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud
crying and tears to the one able to save him from death, and he was heard because
of his piety.

. . . Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things which he
suffered. And having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the
source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to
the order of Melchizedek.

That passage is sometimes construed to suggest that Jesus came into this world an
imperfect man and needed his rough edges smoothed off. No; it means that until
he underwent the many slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune that plague us
all, he was unsuitable for the priesthood.

He was pious enough, but Jesus didn't know by personal experience what it's like to
comply with God's requirements as an h.sapiens in a world gone mad with evil till
he gave it a try himself.

Great Spirit: grant that I may not criticize my neighbor
Until I have walked a mile in his moccasins.
( Native American Proverb )
_

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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When I joined the US Army back in 1961, the government gave me a written test,
and put me through a rigorous physical exam, to make sure I had enough potential
to become a soldier. But it wasn't until I successfully completed boot camp that I
went from being a potential soldier to being a competent soldier.

Before coming into the world as a human being, the WORD lived a life of luxury,
power, and privilege; thoroughly insulated from hardship, disappointment, anxiety,
fear, danger, illness, aging, injury, fatigue, thirst, stress, hunger, despair, sadness,
loneliness, loss, grief, heartbreak, shunning, ridicule, rejection, harsh criticism,
abuse, demeaning comments, betrayal, poverty, etc. all the really disagreeable
stuff that at times make life definitely not worth the living.

As I was before boot camp; the WORD was born into human life with the potential
to become a high priest, but it wasn't until he successfully completed thirty plus
years of the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune common to all men that he
became a competent high priest.

In other words: those years of rubbing shoulders and sharing experiences with the
human race were the WORD's boot camp. By the time he was all done and recalled
back home to be with his Father, he was fully prepared to go to work as a high
priest.

• Heb 4:15 . . This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all
of the same trials we do.

NOTE: In my opinion, there are far too many Christians out there preferring a
bullet-proof Jesus that nobody can relate to instead of a Jesus that's been thru the
mill and got himself all dented and scratched up same as they have. The distressing
part of it all is that they have been very effective with their sophistry that has but
one purpose; and that's to de-humanize him.

The danger is: When a rumor is repeated often enough, loudly enough, and by
people respected enough; in time the rumor becomes accepted as truth by the
masses without thought or question.
_

 

[atpollard]

It sure is intellectually perplexing, isn’t it.

God is perfect. He was always perfect and He will always be perfect. PERFECT, by the very definition of perfect, cannot be made “more perfect” (or it was not PERFECT to begin with). Therein lies the paradox - the glorious MYSTERY - that PERFECT God became a man and that act somehow made Christ MORE PERFECT.

I just accept the paradox and fall back on “if I could completely understand it, it would not be God”.

 

[Odë:hgöd]

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I like the way that the NLT puts Mark 14:34 like this:

"My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death."

Well; I don't know about all you iron men out there, but I've been down Jesus' road
enough to know an anxiety attack (a.k.a. panic attack) when I see one. It's my
guess that at this point in the garden, Jesus' knees were weak, his overall vigor was
ebbing, and he was feeling faint.

However, the Bible says that he was willing to go thru with his crucifixion because
of "the joy he knew would be his afterward". (Heb 12:2)
_

 

[Albion]

In my opinion, there are far too many Christians out there preferring a
bullet-proof Jesus that nobody can relate to instead of a Jesus that's been thru the
mill and got himself all dented and scratched up same as they have. The distressing
part of it all is that they have been very effective with their sophistry that has but
one purpose; and that's to de-humanize him.

As I was before boot camp; the WORD was born into human life with the potential to become a high priest, but it wasn't until he successfully completed thirty plus
years of the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune common to all men that he
became a competent high priest.

In other words: those years of rubbing shoulders and sharing experiences with the
human race were the WORD's boot camp. By the time he was all done and recalled
back home to be with his Father, he was fully prepared to go to work as a high
priest.

There's no Scriptural basis for this theory.