²⁷ “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

What was the emotional experience Jesus had, and what caused this reaction in Him? The lexical definition of the word “troubled,” like all words, reveals a range of meanings depending on how the writer uses the term in a specific context. In our English language, to illustrate this point, the word “trunk” can refer to a large suitcase, the main stem of a tree, a section of a train track, or part of a car, elephant, or human body. However, the underlying Greek word for “troubled” has a narrow range of meanings, all very similar. It can be translated variously: to be shaken, stirred up, shaken together, disturbed, unsettled, or to have inward turmoil (BDAG). The ancient world commonly used the term to describe an upset stomach or intestines (TDNT).

Jesus was experiencing that familiar human emotion of anxiety, which a person feels  physically as an internal turmoil. While there is no hard evidence that Jesus had stomach bleeding associated with an ulcer, He would soon be experiencing “sweat [that] became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44). Let that simmer for a while in our contemplation. When Jesus said, “My soul has become troubled,” the struggle does not stop at a physical reaction.

Much modern study has focused on the mind-body connection. The Bible also speaks of the dual nature of humankind, namely the material and the immaterial, the body and the spirit, as Moses describes (Gen. 2:7) or as Jesus distinguished (Matt. 10:28). Yet, in a different context, we read of the tripartite nature of humankind, namely the spirit, soul, and body (1 Thess. 5:23). Still other times, the Scriptures refer holistically to people’s souls (Acts 2:41, 14:22, James 1:21). We take it that there is no definitive way of referring to a person created in the image of God; each configuration of a human life conveys truth differently depending on the context. But we must remember that we were created as whole individuals, not in two or three parts.

Jesus, while being fully God, was holistically and entirely human. We must be careful in separating too finely the human side versus the God-side of His experience. Nor should we spend much time dicing between Jesus’ body, soul, and spirit—such is best left to academics but has little use for worship. The incarnate God-man went to the cross!

Jesus experienced anxiety just like people do when they hear the diagnosis of “cancer,” receive divorce papers, or get fired or downsized from a job. In our Lord’s case, He suffered anxiety intense enough to kill him—remember the sweat like blood! The solution for escape presented itself in His thinking when He said, “[W]hat shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?” In fact, He did ask a form of the question in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39, 44), but like there, Jesus submits Himself to His Father’s will and purpose. That was His mission in coming into the world, the purpose for His incarnation. But it wasn’t easy!

Lord Jesus Christ, I bow down my body, soul, and spirit, worshiping You.