Nothing Means Nothing

"Nothing means nothing."

BEAUTIFUL SONG. Wrong lyrics. Beautiful, beautiful song. And I love to hear it. And no, I won’t tell you what song. The Spirit says too much named criticism is spoken by CHRISTians. It is NEVER His will for us to call someone out. That’s N-E-V-E-R.

But of the song, what is spoken in its lyrics is a common misconception about Jesus in Gethsemane. I’ve made this statement several times before, but there’s a Truth that puts the stamp on it. Jesus WAS NOT pleading with the Father to avoid the cross. HE WAS NOT. There was great mental pressure, but He did not give into it at any point, and that WAS NOT THE TOPIC of His prayer.

“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” (Luke 22:43)

These Truths are in the Word. Plus, I know Him. I have spent time with Him, and that is so far outside of His nature. Jesus willingly died, period, exclamation point. The Father was WITH HIM. He states this in John 16:32. He is the Christ, the Anointed One, and was NEVER without the Spirit of God who is the anointing upon Him WITHOUT MEASURE. These are John the Baptizer’s words in John 3:34. He died when He chose to die. Though men condemned Him, His physical death was at the time of His own bidding. He gave up the ghost (Luke 23:46). We must know this.

In Hebrews 2:17-18, we are told He suffered in the same way we suffer and that this makes Him the perfect High Priest. We’ve taken these words and made them into mistruth. It is true that He lived as a man on the earth. He gave up His memories to be born an infant. He knew nothing but what all human babies know. They cry for food, for physical discomfort. Jesus had to grow and mature in knowledge and physical stature (Luke 2:52). He saw sickness. He saw death. He felt hunger (Luke 4:2). He heard coarse jokes. He knows all the workings of a physical body on the earth. But He also said that Satan had NOTHING IN HIM, John 14:30. Nothing means nothing.

Jesus is the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He is a spotless Lamb, without blemish, as was required by the Old Covenant Law (Hebrews 9:14). He did not sin in thought, in word, or in any behavior. He came to earth to die, just as all men die, but death and all the effects of death had no hold on Him. All of mankind are slaves to physical death because of sin. Jesus wasn’t. That is the point of His death, to begin with. He delivered us from the fear of death forever (Hebrews 2:15).

What cements the subject of His prayer in the garden is His love for people. In Matthew 26, where His prayer is stated, we must see two things. Before it is mention of Judas’ betrayal. After it, Jesus tells Peter he will deny him three times before the cock crows. Between the two moments, He states, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night (Matthew 26:31).” His disciples were His concern. We see this also in John 14. And in John 14:27, we read Jesus’ words to them about these things. “My peace I give unto you (Verse 27).” He tells them the Comforter will come when He’s gone, that being the Holy Spirit, and through Him, He will be with them. He then promises them His own peace.

How He can be seen by anyone as fearful after saying He has peace? We must ask this and know the answer. He can’t because He wasn’t. Even greater, WORRY IS A SIN.

“Therefore I say unto you, TAKE NO THOUGHT for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Matthew 6:25)

“Be CAREFUL for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)

“Take no thought”, “Careful”, G3309, to be anxious about: - (be, have) care (-ful), take thought.

God knows we worry. He is a loving, gentle Father, who sees our fears and forgives. He’s promised to be enough for us in any situation. And Jesus understands fully. He is one. But since He never sinned, and worry is a sin, then Jesus was not worried when He prayed. There between Judas and Peter is His pleading with the Father. “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matthew 26:39).” Don’t make me condemn Judas. They’d spent their lives together, the last three years. They’d eaten together, slept in the same places. Judas had gone out two-by-two to minister in the villages. He’d cast out devils and laid hands on the sick.

After all he’d seen, after knowing the compassion of Jehovah, and experiencing it, after believing Jesus was the Messiah, Judas hated Jesus. His betrayal was not for any other reason but hate.

Jesus prayed for Peter also. In Luke 22:32, He tells Peter this, and just a short time later, scolds him for falling asleep. Matthew 26:40. Jesus wanted His disciples to have what they needed to last through what would be traumatic to them. He pleads for them again in John 17. I encourage you to read it. HE SO LOVED THE WORLD. He died for murderers like Paul, then Saul, for Jews and Gentiles, “circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [or] free (Colossians 3:11)” in order to FORGIVE. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).”

John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash.


----------
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com