The Emotions of Jesus
The Emotions of Jesus
Growing your heart of discipleship through examining the heart of Christ
I’ve started a pilot discipleship program with men at my church where we’re having once a month conversations about their discipleship journeys. As a baseline, they all took the online discipleship self assessment I created over at wholedisciples.com. Over 30 men took the quick quiz that points them toward the likelihood that they are more aligned towards growing their hearts, heads, or hands in their discipleship journey (or a combination of the three.) Since we’re talking about guys that regularly attend a church known for its higher level Bible teaching, I reckoned that most would land predominantly in the head or hands area as their primary motivator for living out their faith and followership.
I was correct.
That’s why I thought I’d dedicate this post to exploring the emotions of Jesus to grow us all into being more whole disciples of Christ. There is an old essay from B.B. Warfield from 1912 entitled, The Emotions of Our Lord, that you Head people might love to read (complete with 128 endnotes!) But for all my Hands and Heart peeps out there, I thought I’d rewrite and summarize in more modern language what Warfield wrote to help us grow not only in the knowledge of the emotional life of Jesus but in our hearts’ growth as disciples of our Savior.
Here we go!
Introduction
Understanding the emotional life of Jesus is crucial for appreciating His humanity. Jesus, being fully human, experienced a range of emotions without sin. The Gospels are filled with stories showing Jesus expressing various feelings throughout His ministry. Yet, it has always been challenging to form a universally accepted view of His emotional life. The mystery of the Incarnation—God becoming man—complicates things further, as people debate how Jesus' divine nature influenced His human emotions. Additionally, there's been ongoing discussion about whether certain emotions can be attributed to Jesus, given His perfect humanity.
Early on, two opposing views emerged within the Church. One view, influenced by Stoic ideals, sought to present Jesus as emotionally detached, reflecting a state of apatheia (freedom from passion) as the model of perfection. The other view, convinced that Jesus needed to embrace and sanctify all human emotions to redeem humanity fully, was eager to ascribe every human feeling to Him. Even today, these perspectives linger, shaping how people perceive Jesus' emotional life. Some tend to downplay His emotions to maintain His dignity, while others emphasize them to highlight His complete humanity. The risk with the former is portraying Jesus as too aloof to relate to our struggles, while the latter might make Him seem too ordinary to command our reverence.
To gain a clearer understanding of Jesus' emotional life, it helps to focus on the specific emotions attributed to Him in the Gospels. By examining these instances, we can develop a more concrete and grounded view of His emotional experiences.
It's important to remember that not all emotions ascribed to Jesus in the Gospels are explicitly linked to His human soul. Often, it's assumed that the emotions depicted are human because the narratives dramatize His human experiences. This assumption is generally valid, but we should keep in mind that the Gospel writers viewed Jesus as having both a divine and human nature. They didn't find it difficult to represent Him with a dual consciousness. For instance, Jesus is described as knowing the Father intimately and being omniscient, yet also as being unaware of certain earthly events. In such cases, it’s wise to be cautious about attributing emotions exclusively to His human or divine nature. However, many emotions are clearly intended to reflect His human experience, either because they are directly assigned to His human soul or because their nature suggests it.
By looking closely at the Gospel accounts and identifying the specific emotions attributed to Jesus, we can begin to form a more accurate picture of His emotional life. This study aims to identify and understand the exact emotions described in the Gospels, offering a foundation for a deeper exploration of this aspect of Jesus' human experience. While this essay won't cover the full scope of Jesus' emotional life, it will establish a starting point by examining the emotions explicitly mentioned in the Gospel narratives. These emotions reveal profound truths about Jesus' humanity and help shape our understanding of His human nature.
Chapter 1 - Compassion and Love
When we think about Jesus, who spent His whole life showing mercy and doing good, it's no surprise that "compassion" is the emotion most often associated with Him. His followers remembered Him as someone who went around "doing good" (Acts 11:38). The word used to describe this compassion was rare in ancient Greek literature and likely originated among Jewish communities. It first became common in the Synoptic Gospels, where it replaced an older, more classical term.
Divine mercy is often described as God’s perfect ability to pity and relieve the suffering of His creatures. This mercy includes both an internal feeling of pity and an external act of kindness. When the Gospels say Jesus was "moved with compassion," they highlight the deep, internal movement of His heart. People would ask Him for mercy, using a more external term, but His response always came from a place of deep pity. His compassion didn't just stay internal; it moved Him to act.
Jesus' compassion was stirred by both individual suffering and the larger misery of humanity. He felt pity for two blind men asking for their sight (Matthew 20:34), a leper seeking cleansing (Mark 1:41), and even a widow grieving her only son without anyone asking for help (Luke 7:13). His pity was spontaneous, like when He fed the hungry crowd simply because they had been with Him for days without food (Mark 8:2; Matthew 15:32)—the only time He explicitly mentioned His own feeling of pity.
But Jesus’ compassion wasn’t just about physical suffering. He saw physical ailments as rooted in spiritual destitution, which moved Him even more deeply. For example, Mark 6:34 tells us that Jesus felt pity for a crowd because they were "like sheep without a shepherd," leading Him to teach them many things. The parallel passage in Matthew 14:14 mentions that He healed their sick. By combining these accounts, we see that both their spiritual ignorance and physical suffering elicited His compassion.
The New Testament writers don't use any other term for Jesus' compassion. However, they describe its expression through tears and sighs. Jesus wept silently when He saw Mary and her companions mourning Lazarus' death (John 11:35), showing His sympathy. He also wept audibly over Jerusalem's stubborn unbelief (Luke 19:41), demonstrating His profound pity. His sighs also reflected His compassion. He sighed deeply when healing a deaf and mute man (Mark 7:34) and when faced with the Pharisees' unbelief (Mark 8:12), showing His deep emotional response to human suffering and sin.
Jesus' primary characteristic was love, which is the foundation of compassion. The only instance in the Synoptic Gospels where Jesus' emotion of love is explicitly mentioned is Mark 10:21, where He felt love for the rich young ruler and advised him on what he lacked. This wasn't a love of approval but a benevolent love aimed at doing good, closely related to compassion.
In John’s Gospel, love is emphasized more than compassion. Love underlies compassion, and Jesus' love for people is often highlighted. This love is both compassionate and benevolent, sometimes expressing sheer delight in its object. Jesus’ love for God is mentioned explicitly only once in John 14:31, where it is presented as the driving force behind His obedience and sacrificial work. His love for humanity culminates in His statement that there is no greater love than laying down one’s life for friends (John 15:13-14), showing that Jesus' mission was rooted in profound love and compassion.
In conclusion, Jesus’ emotional life, particularly His compassion and love, reveals His deep connection to human suffering and His desire to relieve it. His emotions were not just abstract feelings but powerful forces that moved Him to act, demonstrating the depth of His humanity and the divine mercy He embodied.
Chapter 2 - Indignation and Annoyance
When we think about moral beings, it's not just about distinguishing right from wrong; it's about feeling and reacting appropriately to these differences. For someone truly moral, seeing wrongdoing should stir up a reaction—indifference isn't an option. This is particularly true for Jesus, who lived in a world marred by sin. Given His perfect moral nature, Jesus couldn't stand by without reacting to the wrongs He encountered. It's no surprise then that the Gospels recount instances where Jesus showed anger and indignation, emotions that are a natural part of a moral response to evil.
Mark's Gospel, which often provides vivid and detailed accounts of Jesus' actions and emotions, tells us explicitly about Jesus' anger. For instance, in Mark 3:5, we read about Jesus' reaction to the callousness of the Jews who prioritized ritual purity over human compassion. When confronted with a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath, the Jews watched to see if Jesus would heal him, hoping to accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath law. Jesus, recognizing their hard-heartedness, asked if it was lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill. Their silence angered Him deeply, and He looked around at them with anger, grieved by the hardness of their hearts. This anger wasn't just mixed with grief—it was driven by the pain He felt from their stubbornness and lack of compassion.
Jesus' anger wasn't just about isolated incidents. It stemmed from a deep-seated moral conviction. His reaction to the mistreatment of the Sabbath law and the suffering of the innocent showed a profound dissatisfaction that translated into anger. This anger, rooted in His moral perfection, was a natural response to witnessing such callousness and injustice.
Mark also tells us about a lighter form of Jesus' anger. In Mark 10:14, when His disciples tried to prevent people from bringing children to Him, thinking they were protecting His time and energy, Jesus was indignant. He saw their action as a misunderstanding of His mission and was annoyed, expressing His irritation by telling them to let the children come to Him and not to hinder them.
Moreover, there are instances where Jesus expressed anger in a more intense way. For example, after healing a leper and two blind men, He sternly charged them not to tell anyone about the miracles (Mark 1:43; Matthew 9:30). The word used here implies a strong, almost enraged warning. This wasn't just a mild rebuke; it was a forceful, passionate command. His anger in these situations likely stemmed from knowing that His instructions would be disobeyed, leading to misunderstandings about His mission and premature confrontations with His opponents.
Jesus' anger was also evident in the story of Lazarus. When Jesus saw Mary and the Jews weeping for Lazarus, He was deeply moved and troubled (John 11:33, 38). The term used suggests a strong indignation. He was not just grieving but was also enraged by the sorrow and death caused by sin. His tears were of sympathy, but the underlying emotion was a fierce anger against death and the powers of darkness that bring suffering to humanity. Jesus approached Lazarus' tomb as a champion ready for battle, highlighting His determination to conquer death and evil.
The Gospels provide numerous accounts of Jesus' righteous anger. Whether driving out the money changers from the temple, calling out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, or rebuking His disciples, Jesus' anger was always justified. It was the reaction of a perfectly moral being confronting the presence of sin and injustice. His anger was not a flaw but a necessary aspect of His holy character, demonstrating His commitment to righteousness and His deep compassion for humanity.
Understanding Jesus' anger helps us see His humanity and His passionate commitment to justice. His indignation was a righteous response to the evils He encountered, and it reveals the depth of His love and His unwavering stand against all that is wrong. Jesus' emotional life, including His anger and annoyance, shows us that true compassion often involves a strong reaction against evil and injustice.
Joy and Sorrow
We often call Jesus "the Man of Sorrows," which makes sense for someone who came to bear humanity's sins and give His life as a ransom. However, this title isn't actually used in the New Testament, and in Isaiah 53:3, it might refer more to the external sufferings of the righteous servant rather than his internal emotional state. Regardless, it's crucial to remember that Jesus didn't come to be defeated by sin and death but to conquer them. He approached His mission with the joy of imminent victory in His heart. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising its shame (Hebrews 12:2). He worked with the confidence of victory, not doubting the outcome or the methods.
In Luke 10:21, we read that Jesus "exulted in the Holy Spirit" as He considered God's ways in bringing many sons to glory. This term suggests an exuberant joy, a joy that filled His heart. It's implied that this joy was a result of the Holy Spirit's work in Jesus' human nature, sustaining and strengthening Him. Jesus' mission was announced as "good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10), and the message He proclaimed was known as "the good news." It's unlikely that He went about this work with a perpetually sad demeanor.
It's a bit misleading to say, as Jeremy Taylor does, "We never read that Jesus laughed and but once that he rejoiced in spirit." While we don't have records of Jesus laughing, we do know He was often accused of being a "gluttonous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners" (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34), which suggests a more joyful and approachable presence.
However, it's incorrect to imagine Jesus as always lighthearted and carefree, as some have tried to portray. Jesus' joy wasn't a superficial delight in living but a deep-seated exultation in His redemptive work. This joy underpinned His entire ministry, even as He faced suffering and death. We get only glimpses of this joy, just as we get glimpses of His sorrows, but these glimpses assure us of their presence throughout His life.
Jesus was indeed "the Man of Sorrows," but He was also profoundly "the Man of Joy." Although we rarely hear of His lighter, pleasurable emotions, we do read of His distress and grief. The sight of Mary and her companions weeping at Lazarus' tomb moved Him deeply, causing Him to weep (John 11:35). The stubborn unbelief of Jerusalem led Him to wail audibly (Luke 19:41). He sighed at human suffering (Mark 7:34) and over the hardened unbelief of people (Mark 8:12). He felt deep pain at humanity's inhumanity (Mark 3:5). But the most emphasized aspect of His emotional life is His mental anguish leading up to and during His crucifixion.
During His ministry, Jesus said, "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished" (Luke 12:50). This refers to the overwhelming suffering He anticipated, a constant pressure throughout His life. The thought of His impending suffering was a perpetual Gethsemane. This foreknowledge came to a head in the actual Garden of Gethsemane, where He experienced "agony" as described in Matthew and Mark. This term conveys intense distress, a mix of loathing and dread.
Jesus' declaration, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34), expresses a sorrow so intense that it was almost unbearable. Luke's account of His agony includes the detail of His sweat falling like drops of blood (Luke 22:44), emphasizing the extreme stress He endured. Even in this agony, He submitted to God's will, showing His complete trust and obedience.
Finally, on the cross, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). This cry reflects the ultimate depth of His sorrow and mental anguish, a feeling of abandonment that was part of the price He paid for humanity's redemption.
In summary, Jesus' emotional life, characterized by both profound joy and deep sorrow, reveals His full humanity. His joy was rooted in His redemptive mission and His relationship with the Father, while His sorrow stemmed from bearing the weight of humanity's sin. This blend of joy and sorrow underscores the depth of His sacrifice and the completeness of His victory over sin and death.
Conclusion
When we think about Jesus becoming human, there's a debate about whether He took on the nature of fallen or unfallen humanity. The right answer is that He took on unfallen human nature. Paul tells us He came "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3). This means that although Jesus' flesh was under the curse, it wasn't because of Adam's sin but because He bore our sins. Jesus wasn't cursed because He became human; He was cursed because He took on our sins. He suffered and died not because of His humanity but because of the sins He carried. From birth, Jesus was our sin-bearer, a fact that affected His entire emotional life.
Some emotions Jesus experienced were due to His role as our sin-bearer. For example, His compassion had a special quality because of the curse He bore. His anger towards the powers of evil and the sorrows and dreads that gripped His heart, especially in the face of death, were part of His atoning work. When we look at Jesus' emotional life, we see not just His humanity but also His role as our Savior. The cup of suffering He drank wasn't His but ours, and He drank it to save us.
As we explore Jesus' emotional life, we understand that He experienced emotions just like us, but without sin. His emotions were real and intense, reflecting His deep love, righteous anger, and profound sorrow. This understanding helps us see Jesus as both fully human and fully divine, perfectly balancing His emotions in a way that reveals His holiness and compassion. Through His emotional experiences, we see the depth of His sacrifice and the completeness of His victory over sin and death.
In summary, Jesus' emotional life shows us His full humanity and His deep connection to our struggles. His emotions were not just fleeting feelings but powerful expressions of His divine mission. By studying His emotions, we gain a deeper appreciation of His love for us and His commitment to our salvation.
