With a capital T

"My soul also is greatly troubled"

Psalm 6:3

I gotta be honest ~ I'm feeling troubled today.  A little ill-at-ease.  Somewhat frustrated with a circumstance I've been dealing with.

This is one of the times when I'm grateful for the truth of Hebrews 4:15, which says that Jesus is our High Priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses.  I know that He knows how I feel.

As I've been studying the Gospel of John, I've come across several times when we are told that Jesus was "troubled," "in great distress," "anguished," and "saddened".  But what Scripture doesn't tell us, is why He was troubled.  And you can read a lot of commentators, or ask a lot of people, and you'll get a lot of different opinions as to why He was troubled.   

It could be that He was troubled because of the pain that was coming, or at the thought of being separated from His Father. 

It could be because He was to be betrayed by one that He loved, and who supposedly loved Him. 

It could be aching compassion for all the hearts that He knew were ~ and would ~ reject Him, and the salvation He offers. 

It could be because of those who did believe, and truly loved Him.  His death would cause them great pain, and confusion, and maybe He wished it didn't have to be that way.

It could be that He was troubled by the knowledge that He would bear the weight of all sin, and take on the wrath of God.  This is the thought that troubles me the most.  The idea of Jesus becoming sin for us. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 ~ "He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 

He would be as a murderer, a rapist, a liar, a thief. 

He would be as if covetous, a drunkard, a fornicator. 

And as all of these sins, He would be as one who was disobedient to the Father, because that is all sin.  And that must have anguished Him.

But let's go back to Hebrews 4:15.  The verse continues after the part about Him sympathizing with our weaknesses.  The second part of the verse says, "He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."

This knowledge, I love.  He was troubled, yet without sin.  Therefore, being troubled, distressed, or discouraged is not sinning.

God knows, as I do, that my faith has not weakened any; it's just that my heart is a little weary today. 

And not only does He know, He sympathizes.

~ "Peace I leave with you,

My peace I give to you;

not as the world gives,

do I give to you.

Let not your be troubled,

neither let it be afraid" ~

John 14:27

~