The Sufferings of His Broken Heart by Max Lucado

The Sufferings of His Broken Heart
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 breakwith 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.

This is Love - The Extraordinary Story of Jesus

NEW Gift Book! This story from:
This is Love - The Extraordinary Story of Jesus
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2011) Max Lucado