A precious friend sent me this message written by Max Lucado. It speaks so deeply to my heart.
The
Sufferings of His Broken Heart
by Max Lucado
by Max Lucado
"Go
with me for a moment to witness what was perhaps the foggiest night in history.
The scene is very simple; you'll recognize it quickly. A grove of twisted olive
trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark
night. Now, look into the picture. Look closely through the shadowy foliage.
See that person? See that solitary figure? What's he doing? Flat on the ground.
Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with
a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on his forehead?
That's Jesus. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Maybe you've seen the classic
portrait of Christ in the garden. Kneeling beside a big rock. Snow-white robe.
Hands peacefully folded in prayer. A look of serenity on his face. Halo over
his head. A spotlight from heaven illuminating his golden-brown hair. Now, I'm
no artist, but I can tell you one thing. The man who painted that picture
didn't use the gospel of Mark as a pattern. Look what Mark wrote about that
painful night, he used phrases like these: “Horror and dismay
came over him.” “My heart is ready to break with grief.” “He went a
little forward and threw himself on the ground.” Does this look like the
picture of a saintly Jesus resting in the palm of God? Hardly. Mark used black
paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling
Jesus. We see a “man of sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3 NASB) We see a man struggling
with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief. We see Jesus in
the fog of a broken heart. The writer of Hebrews would later pen, “During the
days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud
cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.” (Hebrews 5:7
NIV) My, what a portrait! Jesus is in pain. Jesus is on the stage of fear.
Jesus is cloaked, not in sainthood, but in humanity. The next time the fog
finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you
think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next
time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane.
And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on
this dusty planet, listen to him pleading among the twisted trees. The next time
you are called to suffer, pay attention. It may be the closest you'll ever get
to God. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself
to lead you out of the fog is a pierced one."
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