Did Jesus get discouraged?

I closed my day with a prayer that reflected weariness and some discouragement, too. “Father, I find the passion for my work fading. My vision is clouded. I am ready to walk away from tough situations. Strengthen me so that I will live for You, serving well.” It was less a request of faith and more a moan from my soul born out of fatigue, frustration, and yes; faithlessness! I was experiencing a little of the ‘grass is greener on the other side of the fence’ syndrome, too.  I’d been reading about a man who started a church in his living room 12 years ago that has grown into a ministry to many thousands. As I compared my work to his,  the trap of envy was sprung. Nothing ever good comes from that.  After my whiny prayer, I started to give thanks specifically for God’s gifts!  It’s a long, long list for He’s a good God!

When I opened my Bible this morning, I wondered, “Did Jesus ever get discouraged?”  The answer came from the gospels of Matthew and Luke.  Jesus communed with His Father on the mountain. He took Peter, James, and John with Him for prayer. The Spirit came down and Jesus was ablaze with the Presence of heaven! Then, He left that holy place to go back to work. What does He find?  A mess! A huge crowd has gathered to watch the disciples try to heal a boy who is possessed and in distress. They have failed spectacularly!  The crowds press in on Jesus to see what He will do.  The boy’s father approaches and says, "I asked your disciples to deliver him but they couldn’t.” Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring your son here.”  (Luke 9:40-41, The Message) There is an edge to His words. He’s frustrated that they still just don’t ‘get it.’ Yes, He is discouraged. But, He does not throw up His hands and walk away. He healed the boy and the chapter closes with the summary that ‘everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did.’

This commentary about that scene blessed me. “An expression of something like impatience escaped His lips at this very season. When He came down from the mount and learned what was going on at its base, He exclaimed—with reference at once to the unbelief of the scribes who were present, to the weak faith of the disciples, and to the miseries of mankind suffering the consequences of the curse—“O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?”

Even the loving Redeemer of man felt tempted to be weary in well-doing—weary of encountering the contradiction of sinners and of bearing with the spiritual weakness of disciples. Such weariness therefore, as a momentary feeling, is not necessarily sinful. It may rather be a part of our cross. But it must not be indulged in or yielded to. Jesus did not give Himself up to the feeling.”
 (Training of the Twelve, A. B. Bruce, 1894)

Immediately after the incident, Jesus tried to bring His disciples into understanding of God’s plan, that He must die for the sins of the world, before His Kingdom could come. Did they get it then? No!  They started fighting with each other about who was going to be most important in the Kingdom. Once again, Jesus did not quit on them. He brought a little child to His side and taught them about humility.  Here’s the lesson the Spirit brings to us.   Discouragement and frustration will come. We cannot surrender to it. Instead, we must let it drive us back to our knees in prayer, to discover again (and again, and again, and again) that ‘in our weakness He is strong.’  Our sense of desperation is no excuse for sin. It is a reason to hold ever more tightly to the One who is always faithful.

Here’s a  word from the Word.  "Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you."

(Hebrews 12:1-4, The Message)

“Lord, forgive me for my self-pity and willingness to complain.  Strengthen me for the work. Let me see Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Amen.”