March 24, Morning

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"He was heard in that he feared." — Hebrews 5:7 · KJV

Did this fear arise from the hellish suggestion that He was utterly forsaken? There may be sterner trials than this, but surely to be utterly forsaken is one of the worst. "See," said Satan, "You have a friend nowhere! Your Father has shut up the bowels of His compassion against You. Not an angel in His courts will stretch out a hand to help You. All heaven is alienated from You; You are left alone. See the companions with whom You took sweet counsel — what are they worth? Son of Mary, see there Your brother James, see there Your loved disciple John, and Your bold apostle Peter — how the cowards sleep while You are in Your sufferings! Look, You have no friend left in heaven or earth. All hell is against You. I have stirred up my infernal den; I have sent my summons throughout all regions, calling every prince of darkness to set upon You this night, and we will spare no arrows, we will use all our infernal might to overwhelm You. And what will You do, You solitary one?" It may be that this was the temptation; we think it was, because the appearance of an angel strengthening Him removed that fear. He was heard in that He feared; He was no more alone, but heaven was with Him. It may be that this is why He came three times to His disciples — as Hart puts it, running backward and forward thrice, as if He sought some help from man. He would see for Himself whether it were really true that all men had forsaken Him. He found them all asleep, but perhaps He gained some faint comfort from the thought that they slept, not from treachery, but from sorrow; the spirit indeed was willing, but the flesh was weak. At any rate, He was heard in that He feared. Jesus was heard in His deepest woe; my soul, you shall be heard also.