That Really Moved Me

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit….” John 11:33 (ESV).

 ‘That moved me to tears.’ 

 ‘Wow, that was so moving.’ 

This idea of things we encounter moving us is very common in our everyday language. Often, we attribute the cause of this movement to the thing that ignited emotions in us whether that’s experiencing something heartbreaking or seeing a friend suffering.

In reality, what we experience is a neutral force. But how we react or feel about what we experience causes this movement.

In other words, your emotions have the power to move you. 

In John 11, Jesus was visiting His friends, Mary & Martha, after the death of their brother, Lazarus. Upon seeing those mourning Lazarus, Jesus was deeply moved. In verse 38, John tells us that Jesus was deeply moved again upon seeing Lazarus’ tomb. Jesus then raised Lazarus back to life.

Jesus’ emotions moved Him.

The emotions of Christ are not often talked about, but there are many instances of Him expressing them. In Matthew 23:33, Jesus was angry at those who defiled His Father’s house. His emotions moved Him to drive the buyers and sellers out of the temple. In Hebrews 12:2, we learn that Jesus saw the joy on the other side of the cross. His emotions moved Him towards Calvary.

But the emotions of Jesus were not seated on the throne of His heart. The Father was.

In each of these examples, Jesus allowed these emotions to move Him to action because this movement was in alignment with the Father’s will. 

However, in Mark 14:33-34, Jesus did not allow His emotions to move Him to action. “…and [Jesus] began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And He said to [His disciples], ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.’ 

Jesus did not allow the deep dread He felt to lead Him to an untimely death, even though that was where His emotions were leading Him. Instead, He submitted those emotions to God and placed God’s will above His own. 

Jesus exercised His sovereignty over His own emotions. For He knew that to be completely in line with the will of God, all other things must become secondary. The authority to control one’s emotions is not unique to Jesus. This authority has been given to every one of us. 

Emotions are a gift from God. They are vessels that allow us to feel, express and enjoy life. But emotions have power. They can move us into alignment with God’s will or out of alignment with God’s will. 

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus taught us that we are not slaves to our emotions. We have been given the authority to discern which emotions should move us and which should not.

By submitting to God’s will: 

A hot temper can be cooled.
An impure thought can be banished.
A distracted mind can be reeled in.
A panicked heart can be stilled.
And wandering eyes can be focused in alignment with the will of the Father.

You have the power!

Your Turn: What will you allow to move you? Share your response with us in the comments box below.