Bible Questions Answered:
Jesus said that His soul was “...exceeding sorrowful, even unto death...” did He fear death that much?
Jerome/ Waterloo, Canada
Bible Text:
Matthew 26:36-39 KJV
36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me.
39 And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Our Lord's soul was not sorrowful over His coming death, He had come to do the Father's will.
John 12:27 KJV
Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
What had made the Saviour sorrowful was...
1.) Jesus had called Judas His friend, and yet He knew it was he who had betrayed Him. Can there be any doubt, that the sin of Judas brought sorrow to our Lord?
Matthew 26:47-50 KJV
47 And while He yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He: hold Him fast.
49 And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed Him.
50 And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.
2.) After the Lord's apprehension, not only would the disciples be scattered, but Peter would deny his Lord.
Matthew 26:55,56 KJV
55 In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take Me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on Me.
56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled.
Matthew 26:69-75 KJV
69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the Man. And immediately the cock crew.
75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
3.) The lost state of the nation of Israel caused our Saviour much sorrow.
Luke 19:41 KJV
And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luke 13:34,35 KJV (Christ's lament.) (Mother love of Christ!)
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.
4) And the coming destruction of Jerusalem, brought much sorrow to the Lord. (Destruction under, Roman Emperor Titus, 70 A.D.)
Luke 19:41-44 KJV
41 And when He was come near, He beheld the city (Jerusalem), and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
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Matthew 26:38 KJV
Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me.
Our Saviour, a man acquainted with sorrow.
Isaiah 53:1-12 KJV
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
4 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken.
9 And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for
the transgressors.
Hebrews 2:17,18 ESV
17 Therefore He (Christ) had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
18 For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
