Be Emotional. Jesus is… It’s OK to feel… It’s Ok to NOT be OK!

Embracing Our Humanity: Finding Jesus in Our Emotions

In a world where the currents of Stoicism, secularism, Puritanism, and even certain strands within Christianity have often swept our emotions under the rugged mat of “oughts” and “shoulds,” there’s a pressing need to reclaim our emotional landscape as holy ground. The emotional life of Jesus Christ, as captured in the Gospels, offers us not just a glimpse into the heart of God, but also extends a tender invitation to see our emotions as a bridge rather than a barrier to experiencing the fullness of life in Christ.

Compassion: The Heartbeat of Ministry

Jesus’ compassion was not a passive feeling but a dynamic force that moved Him to action. When He looked upon the crowds, harassed and helpless, His heart was stirred (Matthew 9:36). This same compassion reaches out to us in our brokenness, reminding us that in our efforts to minister to others, our tears and heartaches are powerful testimonies of God’s love at work. Let us then look upon the world with Christ’s eyes, allowing our compassion to move us beyond our comfort zones into the very places where love is most needed.

Joy: The Strength of Our Souls

In a remarkable display of joy, Jesus exulted in the Holy Spirit, celebrating the Father’s will with a heart overflowing (Luke 10:21). This profound joy, rooted not in circumstances but in the eternal purposes of God, is also our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). It teaches us that amidst trials and tribulations, there is a deeper narrative of joy woven by God Himself, inviting us to partake in the dance of divine delight that sustains us.

Anger: A Righteous Flame

Jesus’ anger against injustice and hypocrisy (Mark 3:5) challenges the often misguided notion that anger is inherently sinful. Righteous anger, when channeled towards confronting injustice and advocating for the marginalized, mirrors God’s heart for a world marred by sin. Let us not shy away from this holy discontent but use it as a catalyst for change, ensuring that our anger, like Christ’s, is always tempered by love.

Sorrow: The Fellowship of Suffering

The sorrow of Jesus, particularly in the moments leading to His crucifixion (Matthew 26:38), invites us into the fellowship of His sufferings. It reminds us that our tears are not signs of faithlessness but markers of a heart fully alive to the realities of a fallen world. In our sorrow, we are not alone; Christ walks with us, sharing in our grief, and offering us His comfort and peace.

Love: The Foundation of Commandments

Jesus’ love, demonstrated most poignantly through His sacrificial death, calls us to a love that transcends human understanding (John 13:1; Mark 10:21). This love, fierce and unyielding, challenges us to love not just in words but in deeds, to see the image of God in every person, and to serve others with a love that reflects the heart of Christ.

Amazement and Wonder: Seeing with Eyes Wide Open

Even Jesus marveled at the faith of a centurion and was amazed at the unbelief in His hometown (Matthew 8:10; Mark 6:6). This sense of wonder invites us to look at the world with eyes wide open, to marvel at God’s work in and around us, and to remain open to the surprises of the Spirit. Let us cultivate a heart that marvels at God’s grace, remaining ever curious and expectant of how He will reveal Himself.

Grief and Loneliness: Sharing in Christ’s Afflictions

Christ’s moments of deep agony (Luke 22:44) and His cry of abandonment (Matthew 27:46) offer profound comfort in our moments of despair. They assure us that in our darkest nights, we are not forsaken. Our grief and loneliness find a companion in Jesus, who has traversed the deepest valleys of human experience.

A Gentle Reminder: Our Journey with Emotions

As we navigate the complexities of our emotional landscapes, buoyed by the example of Jesus Christ, it’s crucial to remember a gentle yet profound truth: while our emotions are indeed God-given, we are not Christ. Unlike Him, we navigate the frailties and imperfections of our human nature, often struggling to express our emotions in ways that reflect the perfect righteousness of God.

This acknowledgment isn’t meant to dishearten us but to offer a freeing perspective. Recognizing our limitations in understanding and expressing our emotions doesn’t diminish their value or legitimacy; rather, it underscores our need for divine guidance and the transformative work of the Spirit in our lives. Our emotions, in all their rawness and complexity, are not just remnants of our humanity but reflections of the image of a God who feels deeply.

Thus, as we endeavor to live authentically, expressing our joys, sorrows, anger, and love, we lean not solely on our imperfect understanding but on the wisdom and truth revealed in Scripture. The Bible, in its breadth and depth, provides us with the guidance to navigate our emotional experiences without fear, shame, or retreat. It teaches us to discern, to submit our feelings to God’s will, and to allow our emotions to lead us not into sin but into deeper communion with Him.

And so, we approach the throne of grace with boldness, not as those who have mastered the art of perfect emotional expression, but as beloved children. Like little kids, we come—with our messy tears, our untamed laughter, our raw wounds, and our unbridled joy—knowing that we are fully accepted, fully loved. In this sacred space, before the Throne of God, we find not just acceptance but healing and transformation, as we grow ever more into the likeness of Christ.

Let this be our comfort and our challenge: that in our journey with emotions, we are never alone. Our Savior walks beside us, our Guidebook lights the path, and our God welcomes us with open arms, always ready to listen, to comfort, and to guide. In this journey, let’s embrace the full spectrum of our emotions as a gift from God, navigating them with grace, wisdom, and an ever-deepening faith.

Conclusion: A Call to Authenticity

The emotional life of Jesus Christ stands as a powerful antidote to the voices that call us to suppress, ignore, or distrust our emotions. In Christ, we find permission to be fully human— to laugh, to cry, to rage against injustice, and to love deeply. Let us, therefore, embrace our emotions as gifts from God, avenues through which we experience the richness of life and the depths of divine love. In doing so, we not only honor the humanity of Christ, but also affirm our own, finding in our emotional experiences not a deviation from righteousness but a path toward a more authentic, compassionate, and Christ-like life.

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Some Scripture for Consideration

Compassion

1. Matthew 14:14: “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
2. Matthew 15:32: “Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.’”
3. Matthew 20:34: “And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.”
4. Mark 1:41: “Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I will; be clean.’”
5. Luke 15:20: “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

Joy and Exultation

1. John 15:11: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
2. John 17:13: “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”
3. Hebrews 12:2: “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
4. Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
5. 1 Peter 1:8-9: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Anger and Indignation

1. Mark 10:14: “But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.’”
2. John 2:17: “His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’”
3. Ephesians 4:26: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
4. Mark 11:15-17: “And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.”
5. Matthew 23:33: “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”

Sorrow and Distress

1. Matthew 26:38: “Then he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.’”
2. Luke 22:44: “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
3. Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
4. John 12:27: “‘Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.’”
5. 2 Corinthians 7:10: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Love

1. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
2. Ephesians 5:2: “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
3. Romans 8:37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
4. Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
5. 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.”

Amazement and Wonder

1. Matthew 8:10: “When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.’”
2. Luke 7:9: “When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’”
3. Mark 5:42: “And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.”
4. Luke 8:25: “He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?’”

Grief and Loneliness

1. Matthew 27:46: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
2. Hebrews 5:7-8: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.”
3. Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”
4. Isaiah 53:4: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”
5. Psalm 69:20: “Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.”

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I have been in the darkness. I know what it’s like to drown. But I have learned the positive side of drowning. It takes death to truly live.