In the Garden of Olives, Jesus suffered agony from, not only fear of all He knew He would have to endure physically, but also from seeing every sin. When He said “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” did He mean sorrowful over our sins, or moreso that He felt what a soul would feel under the weight of the guilt of the darkest sins? Also, on the Cross, when He cried out “My God, My God, why hast Thou abandoned Me!” did He feel what a soul feels when it is condemned to hell? This is the feeling I get. His purpose for being here was to take upon His shoulders all of our sins. Did this mean He felt the darkest guilt, as though He Himself had committed all of these sins?
Hi!
…I’m sorry that I cannot attribute Jesus’ Passion/Agony to the dread of physical torment or death… I cannot reconcile that thought with His insistence in embracing the Hour… with His warnings to the Twelve of His pending and impending betrayal, abandonment, imprisonment, torture, and crucifixion…
Though I concur with you on the issue of “taking on the sin of the world,” I think that it goes deeper than that:
8… However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
(St. Luke 18:8b)
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” (St. Matthew 11:18-19)
31 And he said to him: If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, if one rise again from the dead. (St. Luke 16:31)
…as for Jesus’ exclamation… it is the very first time that the Son of “man” will be separated from the Father–even if it were just a nano second:
32 Behold, the hour cometh, and it is now come, that you shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
(St. John 16:32)
Jesus would not fear death nor hell since He was fully aware of Who He Was (the Lamb of God). However, since Jesus was not only fully God but also fully man, the man-Jesus would take the separation from the Father, at His death, hard.
Consider:
28 Afterwards, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. 29 Now there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar and hyssop, put it to his mouth. 30 Jesus therefore, when he had taken the vinegar, said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost.
(St. John 19:28-30)
…what has been consummated? The Lamb’s Purpose!
Maran atha!
Angel
