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Matthew 26:37 
And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

There are glimpses of Jesus’ heart, his human emotional life in the gospels.
Here we see the human heart of Jesus.
We see the reality of his true human nature, that he was one of us. We see the depths of his grief.

v 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
Jesus speaks from his heart.
Jesus sorrows as a human being. His sorrow overwhelms him even to death. He even longs for human company in his emotional torment.

v 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

His heart, his emotions, longed to be free of this suffering. But despite the pain in his heart, he submits his will to God. He accepts obedience though his emotions cause him to drop sweat like heavy drops of blood.

John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

We see his human heart. His human love and emotion for his mother. His sorrow at abandoning her in this world and his concern about what will happen to her. Jesus grieves for his mama.

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?”

Once again we see his heart. His emotional life breaks out in his voice. He speaks a desperate psalm.

Suffering the consequences of our sin,
he feels separation from God. In his pain he feels abandoned by God.

All the suffering of his people for their sins is breaking his heart.
All of this sorrow was given to him because of our sin.

Ask God to show you your sin today.
Ask God to show you Jesus’ sorrow.
And know your sin is the cause of His sorrow.

When you feel this in your heart,
you will from the heart
adore your Lord.

Luke 23:32 
Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[d] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The thief is so close to death, so desperate that he speaks straight to the point. His need is now. His need is urgent.
The thief knew he was a sinner. He had stolen from other people. He had broken God’s law. He deserved death.
This is the moment when all of us finally reach Jesus in prayer. When we finally see that we deserve punishment, that we are dying and have no future.
Apart from Jesus.

In one of Flannery O’Connor’s story a character says about an old woman: “She would have been a good woman IF there had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.” In other words,
if she had always known she was about to die, she would have lived a better life.

This is all of us. When we know we are going to die,
then we repent. Then we consider finally how we should have lived. Then we see all our sin.
We all face we have wasted much of our lives, and we are running out of time.
Then all we can do is repent. Say to Jesus, “remember me!” I offer you nothing, but simply ask that you in mercy remember me.


Jesus does not reject any who turn to him. Even at the last hour, when there is little left to give him.
The thief does not say, remember my good deeds. He says, “remember me.” In mercy, remember me.

We were made for paradise. We have been crying for it all of our lives. Even when we didn’t know we were crying for it. In our pain and loss and emptiness and failure, we weep for paradise.
There Christ will live with us and we will live with him and for him. In love.

The cherubim and the flaming sword have barred our way to paradise for all of history.
Now Jesus has opened the path.

Do think you will like the company in paradise?
There will be many thieves there, and many other disreputable ones. Because they lived in the dirt but repented at the end.

If you think you are more qualified than them, then you have understood nothing.
You don’t belong there either.
You have only one hope: “Jesus, when you come into your kingdom… remember ME.”

John 13:3 
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

Washing feet is an ancient practice in warm climates where people walk around barefoot or in sandals on the dusty roads.
When someone entered your home to rest or eat, it was a courtesy and kindness to provide for the washing of their feet. Abraham provides water for the three strangers who enter his tent. Lot does the same in Sodom.
Jesus loves them as guests in his home. Members of his church, his kingdom. Welcomed by their Lord.

The actual duty of washing was often given to the lowest of the servants in a household. Jesus loves his disciples as the lowest servant of their company.
He puts himself at the bottom.

Jesus’s rank was above them and he deserved their worship and obedience, but he loved them and served them.
Jesus’s love was much greater than washing feet.
Jesus washed all of his people in his own blood by giving himself to die.

Jesus is our model. We are to be like Christ in his humility, his service, and his love.

What person do you not love, because to love that person is too humbling? That one is too low.
What act of love do you refuse, because that act is too humbling? too degrading? too humiliating? That act is too low for me.
What love do you find beneath your dignity?
Follow Jesus’s WAY in the pain and humiliations of real love.

Remember your Lord and Savior stripped and washed his disciple’s feet.

It was so shocking and disturbing that Peter refused to have his feet washed by Jesus.
BUT we must be served by Jesus first, before we can serve others.
Go to Jesus and receive his service, his forgiveness and grace and love, and then… die to yourself and serve.

Isaiah 50:5-6
The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

Jesus listened to the word of the Father and obeyed him and did not turn backward.
He obeyed even when he was struck and abused.
Even when he was mocked and disgraced.
Because it was God’s will. Because in God’s love for us, he commanded Jesus to suffer for us. And Jesus heard and obeyed. By his obedience, not your own, you are saved.

vv 7-8 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.

Jesus faced adversaries and set his face like flint,
because he knew that the Lord God helped him.
He knew he would not be disgraced, he would not be put to shame.
He knew the one who vindicated was NEAR.
The Father would raised him from the tomb.

Let us live like our Lord. Let us follow in his footsteps. Let us set our faces like flint and live among enemies and staying on the path.

v 10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

Let us walk by faith in the darkness. Trusting God.
Let us obey the voice of God’s servant, Jesus Christ.

v 4 The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.
Jesus knows how to sustain with a word the one who is weary. Are you weary?
Jesus, by his cross, sustains the weary.
Does Jesus speak to you?
Listen to him in Moses, in the prophets, in the psalms, in the gospels, in the epistles. Listen to him speak.

John 13: 36-38
Simon Peter said to [Jesus], “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Simon Peter overestimated his devotion to Jesus.
He overestimated his obedience. His faith. His self-denial. His commitment.

We do the same. We say we have faith. We say we love the Bible. We say we are disciples. Following Jesus. Then we leave Him in a moment.
In a crisis, we act like we have no faith at all.
In a moment of fear, we leave Jesus.

Will we lay down our lives for Jesus?
Or will we refuse to follow that far?
Will we leave Jesus, our Lord, again today?
Turn our back on him again.
And for what? A trifle. The smallest thing.
A fear. A pain. A comfort. A pleasure.
Let us truthfully examine ourselves. Let us rightly assess our devotion and faith.
We are not courageous disciples. We are checked by an unkind word or the loss of a few dollars.

Luke 22:31-32 [Jesus’s words] “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

There is great comfort in these words.
Jesus: we leave you every day. Satan has defeated us a thousand times.
Jesus: pray for us. pray for me.
I return to you today.
Pray that my faith may not fail. By your grace give me devotion and courage.
Help me to follow you in this world.
I will strengthen my brothers and sisters who struggle like me.

Isaiah 42:1
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

The first few verses of Isaiah 42 is a servant song. Isaiah prophecies the coming of Jesus, the Servant of God. “Behold My Servant” is God speaking.
Jesus pleases God. God delights in him.
He fulfills God’s plan.
He establishes God’s universal kingdom of justice and righteousness.

v 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

Jesus did not seize power by violence, by screaming for attention, by assaulting the crowds with fiery speeches and political propaganda. He came in gentleness, caring for the sick and speaking God’s truth plainly.


v 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.

Are you a bruised reed? Are you damaged, hurting, weak? Jesus came for you. And he will not break you, but nurse you in your pain and grief. Mend you. Heal you.

Are you a candle smoking about to go out, guttering, flickering out, discouraged, sad, losing hope, losing faith?
Is this you?
Look to Jesus. He has medicine for those losing hope and faith, the discouraged, the depressed.
He will not extinguish your flame, but give you new fire and bring you back to a glow again.
He gives faith and encouragement.
He loves bruised reeds and smoking candles.

v 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

Do you sit in the darkness of the prison house of your own heart and your own sin?
Do you sit in the darkness of the prison house of this evil world of death and violence, injustice and terror?
Do you sit in the darkness of the prison house of your own pain and sorrow?

Only Jesus can bring out prisoners from the prison of this evil age, this world of sorrow.
He has ransomed us, he made the payment of his body and blood.
On the day that he returns to us, he will lead us out into the light.