Jesus Christ came in the flesh and lived a third of a century as a man (Phil. 2:8; Heb. 2:14). He experienced the same emotions that you and I experience. He can empathize with whatever situation we are struggling with in life because He was tempted in all ways as we are, yet He never sinned (Heb. 4:15). The Lord should not just be an abstract thought in our minds, but the person with whom we relate when no one else seems to understand us. Notice the emotions Jesus experienced as a man and how as our Lord in heaven He can relate to us.

First and foremost, Jesus showed compassion on those who were in need. He had compassion on those who were hungry, who had followed Him three days with nothing to eat (Mt. 15:32). This compassion was triggered by His love for every soul (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8). After all, God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16); if Jesus came to reveal God to mankind (Jn. 1:18), then He came to show love (Jn. 13:1). Jesus died for us because He loves us; He said, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:12-13). If He loved you enough to die for you, then you can go to the Lord in prayer and cast all your cares on Him being confident that He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7). As the great high priest, He has compassion on you (Heb. 5:2).

Many in the religious world might be surprised to know that the Lord also showed anger and hate. The Lord hates sin (Psa. 5:6) and those who love the Lord hate sin as well (Psa. 139:21). Jesus expressed His hatred for the deeds of the Nicolaitans and approved of the church of Ephesus for hating these deeds as well (Rev. 2:6). It is in fact the Lord’s love that makes Him hate that which destroys souls. His love rouses His anger to call people to repent (Rev. 3:19). Jesus looked around those in the synagogue in anger because of their hard hearts that objected to healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (Mk. 3:5). It is not a sin to be angry, only to let our anger cause us to sin; in fact, we are commanded to be angry when it is proper but not to express it sinfully (Eph. 4:26). Jesus, as with all His other emotions, never let His anger control Him, but used it to serve Him (Jn. 2:15-17).

Jesus knows what it is like to feel sadness. He is “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). When Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been beheaded, He departed into a deserted place; He just wanted to be alone (Mt. 14:13). Jesus knew the sting of betrayal that Judas inflicted (Lk. 22:48; Jn. 13:1-21). Jesus prayed to God with loud cries and tears (Heb. 5:7). He felt the loneliness on the cross that made Him cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46).

Jesus also experienced joy. The reason He was able to faithfully endure the cross was His concentration on the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2). He knew that through His death many souls would be saved. Jesus wants His joy to be in His disciples, that through Him their joy may be full and complete (Jn. 15:11; 16:24).

Jesus understands you better than you understand yourself. While He was on earth He displayed His ability to look within the hearts of men and bring out their motives when they were not aware of them (Jn. 1:47-48; 2:25). Bring your fears before Him to be cast out in His perfect love (1 Jn. 4:18). Bring your anxieties and lay the cares of this world at His feet. This way you can be anxious for nothing, but let your requests be made known to Him (Phil. 4:6). Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Pet. 5:7).

-Mark Day