Jesus Understands
MATTHEW 26–27
AS WE NEAR THE END of the Gospel of Matthew, we get to the heart of the story—what Jesus did for us on the cross. The events move quickly, from arrest to trial to execution.
None of this took Jesus by surprise. He knew what was coming, and He accepted it. Look at the words He spoke while He was being arrested: “This is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures” (Matt. 26:56). Jesus is the One who knows and understands—and He will stay right with you through it all.
Then read what happens next: “At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.” Alone, Jesus went to trial and to the cross. Read the record of what Jesus experienced for us so that He could save us.
Do you have scars? Look at His. Do you feel humiliated? He knows what it’s like to be spit on. Do you feel confused and need relief from the huge mess that is your life? Are you lonely? In anguish? Full of grief or disappointment? Jesus knows and understands.
Have you been abused? Do you suffer from some addiction that makes you feel like you could never show your face around your Christian friends again if they knew? Are you full of shame? Do you feel helpless, enraged, confused, disappointed, depressed, misunderstood, humiliated? Jesus knows and understands.
Are you in real, physical pain, your nerve endings communicating noxious stimuli through your body? Are you facing cancer, or the fear that another heart attack or stroke would end in some physical disability? Do you wonder if God has left? Have you felt like screaming, “Why have You left me out? You’ve answered that person’s prayer, and that person’s prayer, and that person’s prayer! When is it my turn?”
It’s time for you to meet the real Jesus. He is the One who knows and understands. Not only that, but He is also the One who will stay right with you through it all.
Relationally, no one stays closer than Christ. No friend is more caring. No person is more immediately accessible. There is no one else to whom you can talk in the middle of the night at any moment simply by calling out, “Dear Lord!”
Emotionally, no one heals deeper than Christ. If you feel like you cannot get over your grief, that’s where Christ is the Master. He’s “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isa. 53:3). He understands what it is to lose, to feel sorrow, to weep.
Physically, no one comforts better than Christ. His hand on your life in a time of affliction is better than the hand of any friend, any parent, or any child, because when He touches, He brings relief. Oh, the disease may not go away, but His hand will soothe.
No one sees the benefits of our pain clearer than Christ. You see only the darkness. He sees through the tunnel to the light at the end. He sees the rewards that await you: maturity, growth, stability, wisdom, and ultimately, the crown of life, which the Lord promises to all who love Him and go through times of suffering (see Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10).
Jesus is with you, my friend. Every moment of every day, through every pain and sorrow, every joy and triumph, every fear and worry. He is the One who knows and understands—but more than that, He is the One who provides peace and comfort. Accept these gifts that only He can give.
by Charles R. Swindoll (The Swindoll Study Bible)
MATTHEW 26–27
AS WE NEAR THE END of the Gospel of Matthew, we get to the heart of the story—what Jesus did for us on the cross. The events move quickly, from arrest to trial to execution.
None of this took Jesus by surprise. He knew what was coming, and He accepted it. Look at the words He spoke while He was being arrested: “This is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures” (Matt. 26:56). Jesus is the One who knows and understands—and He will stay right with you through it all.
Then read what happens next: “At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.” Alone, Jesus went to trial and to the cross. Read the record of what Jesus experienced for us so that He could save us.
Do you have scars? Look at His. Do you feel humiliated? He knows what it’s like to be spit on. Do you feel confused and need relief from the huge mess that is your life? Are you lonely? In anguish? Full of grief or disappointment? Jesus knows and understands.
Have you been abused? Do you suffer from some addiction that makes you feel like you could never show your face around your Christian friends again if they knew? Are you full of shame? Do you feel helpless, enraged, confused, disappointed, depressed, misunderstood, humiliated? Jesus knows and understands.
Are you in real, physical pain, your nerve endings communicating noxious stimuli through your body? Are you facing cancer, or the fear that another heart attack or stroke would end in some physical disability? Do you wonder if God has left? Have you felt like screaming, “Why have You left me out? You’ve answered that person’s prayer, and that person’s prayer, and that person’s prayer! When is it my turn?”
It’s time for you to meet the real Jesus. He is the One who knows and understands. Not only that, but He is also the One who will stay right with you through it all.
Relationally, no one stays closer than Christ. No friend is more caring. No person is more immediately accessible. There is no one else to whom you can talk in the middle of the night at any moment simply by calling out, “Dear Lord!”
Emotionally, no one heals deeper than Christ. If you feel like you cannot get over your grief, that’s where Christ is the Master. He’s “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isa. 53:3). He understands what it is to lose, to feel sorrow, to weep.
Physically, no one comforts better than Christ. His hand on your life in a time of affliction is better than the hand of any friend, any parent, or any child, because when He touches, He brings relief. Oh, the disease may not go away, but His hand will soothe.
No one sees the benefits of our pain clearer than Christ. You see only the darkness. He sees through the tunnel to the light at the end. He sees the rewards that await you: maturity, growth, stability, wisdom, and ultimately, the crown of life, which the Lord promises to all who love Him and go through times of suffering (see Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10).
Jesus is with you, my friend. Every moment of every day, through every pain and sorrow, every joy and triumph, every fear and worry. He is the One who knows and understands—but more than that, He is the One who provides peace and comfort. Accept these gifts that only He can give.
by Charles R. Swindoll (The Swindoll Study Bible)
Jesus Understands
MATTHEW 26–27
AS WE NEAR THE END of the Gospel of Matthew, we get to the heart of the story—what Jesus did for us on the cross. The events move quickly, from arrest to trial to execution.
None of this took Jesus by surprise. He knew what was coming, and He accepted it. Look at the words He spoke while He was being arrested: “This is all happening to fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the Scriptures” (Matt. 26:56). Jesus is the One who knows and understands—and He will stay right with you through it all.
Then read what happens next: “At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.” Alone, Jesus went to trial and to the cross. Read the record of what Jesus experienced for us so that He could save us.
Do you have scars? Look at His. Do you feel humiliated? He knows what it’s like to be spit on. Do you feel confused and need relief from the huge mess that is your life? Are you lonely? In anguish? Full of grief or disappointment? Jesus knows and understands.
Have you been abused? Do you suffer from some addiction that makes you feel like you could never show your face around your Christian friends again if they knew? Are you full of shame? Do you feel helpless, enraged, confused, disappointed, depressed, misunderstood, humiliated? Jesus knows and understands.
Are you in real, physical pain, your nerve endings communicating noxious stimuli through your body? Are you facing cancer, or the fear that another heart attack or stroke would end in some physical disability? Do you wonder if God has left? Have you felt like screaming, “Why have You left me out? You’ve answered that person’s prayer, and that person’s prayer, and that person’s prayer! When is it my turn?”
It’s time for you to meet the real Jesus. He is the One who knows and understands. Not only that, but He is also the One who will stay right with you through it all.
Relationally, no one stays closer than Christ. No friend is more caring. No person is more immediately accessible. There is no one else to whom you can talk in the middle of the night at any moment simply by calling out, “Dear Lord!”
Emotionally, no one heals deeper than Christ. If you feel like you cannot get over your grief, that’s where Christ is the Master. He’s “a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief” (Isa. 53:3). He understands what it is to lose, to feel sorrow, to weep.
Physically, no one comforts better than Christ. His hand on your life in a time of affliction is better than the hand of any friend, any parent, or any child, because when He touches, He brings relief. Oh, the disease may not go away, but His hand will soothe.
No one sees the benefits of our pain clearer than Christ. You see only the darkness. He sees through the tunnel to the light at the end. He sees the rewards that await you: maturity, growth, stability, wisdom, and ultimately, the crown of life, which the Lord promises to all who love Him and go through times of suffering (see Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10).
Jesus is with you, my friend. Every moment of every day, through every pain and sorrow, every joy and triumph, every fear and worry. He is the One who knows and understands—but more than that, He is the One who provides peace and comfort. Accept these gifts that only He can give.
by Charles R. Swindoll (The Swindoll Study Bible)
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