He told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him. Then he began to be very sad and troubled. Jesus said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, “My heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. Wait here and stay awake with me.” (Matthew 26:37-38 ERV)
I was reading a John Piper devotional last week and he used these scriptures to talk about how Jesus dealt with depression and anxiety. I was floored by the application.
Jesus was clearly hurting. He realized what was ahead. "He began to be very sad and troubled." Have you felt that way before? How do we deal with that?
Jesus did not need these three men to deal with his pain. Even though he was fully human, he was fully God and could call on an angelic army to bring him comfort. But he modeled a way that I can use to deal with pain or anxiety or fear or depression.
Notice that he spoke " to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee". He called on his core group, his pit crew, his inner most circle of friends. Gracious! Who do you call on in a time of depression or fear? Who is your small group of trusted confidants? Can you name them right now? I believe that this should be a group that is totally outside your family. I adore my family. They are the best! Our families are indispensable but they are not always the best group to gather with in a time of crisis. They are not always objective. They may not even share your beliefs. Love and cherish your family but this is not the group that Jesus was refering to.
Maybe you can't think of a group. Pray without ceasing until you get one. Invest heavily in this group with your time and unselfish acts. Love these people unconditionally because they will disappoint you at times because they are not perfect. Hopefully, they will love you unconditionally when you disappoint them when you act less than perfect.
God has blessed Mark and I with a small group of friends that attend my church. He literally "dropped" them in my lap about 15 years ago. I do not think it was coincidence that we all served together in a ministry at church. Serving with friends in a ministry is a great way to find the type of friends that Jesus was referring to. It may be one of the best ways to find this group. Join a Bible study. Can't find one? Might be time to start one so that you can meet the quality of people that you want to call your core group. My inner circle is TOP QUALITY and I thank God for bringing them into my life.
The interesting thing about my small group is that we are so radically different. My husband and I often feel like the "weak link" in our pit crew. There have definitely been times when I needed them more than they needed me. I am incredibly thankful that they haven't kicked me out yet:). God chose women in my group with varying gifts in the body of Christ. But they all have the gift of servanthood. They open their homes to others. They don't feel like they own their possessions. On the contrary, they are much like the church in Acts. They would give anything they own to others in need. More important, they are prayer warriors. We have seen many answers to prayer in our small group. We send out a group text if a prayer need is urgent. They will pray right at that minute. I depend on that kind of support.
Another application from this verse...be open and honest with your friends. Don't pretend around them. I have learned not to pretend that my kids are doing okay when they are in a crisis. I have learned to swallow my pride and admit that my world is crashing in around me. Only prideful people keep their problems a secret. Jesus said "My heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. " What if he had pretended that he could handle this crucification thing all by himself? Even though the disciples did not have the power to deliver him, he modeled for me to be transparent with my inner circle.
Often I don't feel like I fit into my small groups of friends. When I feel this way and share it with my friends, they usually remind me that I have been wandering off from the herd too much:). Staying close to the herd provides great protection from getting eaten by the predators. Jesus said "Wait here and stay awake with me.” He was showing me that "not wandering off" is the way this friendship thing works.
I am always falling more and more in love with Jesus for so many reasons. But this was a great reason to love him more. He showed me what to do in a crisis and how to call on your friends. Jesus absolutely did not need these weak, sinful guys in his time of crisis. But Jesus showed us that we DO need our small group of friends to call on in stormy times.
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