Jesus Gets My Anxiety
Dear friends:
It’s been several weeks since I have sent out a blog post. Cheryl and I traveled quite a bit during June and July. As the Fall is breaking in upon us, I’m going to try and make a better effort at posting. One of the gifts of not preaching on Sundays is I get extra time before church to read and reflect on scripture. This morning, I geeked out on a Greek word in John 13:21. I thought I would share with you some of my process of studying the Bible. I hope that my process, conclusions and reflections encourage you in your apprenticeship to Jesus.
Jorge
Word Study on ταράσσω (tarasso) as found in John 13:21
After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” John 13:21 (NIV)
As I was reading this verse, the phrase “troubled in spirit” jumped off the page. I trusted that this was a nudge from the Holy Spirit.
This verse is found in the story that is a prelude to the Upper Room discourse. Jesus has just gathered with the twelve and washed their feet before beginning a very long teaching in John 14-17. This is the longest, most continuous teaching of Jesus in the four Gospels.
Jesus tells them that one of the twelve will betray him. The verse that follows this verse describes the disciples reaction. They began staring at one another “…at a loss to know which of them he meant” (13:22). “Is it you?” was behind the stares. Maybe even, “Is it me?’”
The Greek word ταράσσω (tarasso) is translated “troubled in spirit” in this verse in the NIV translation.
It appears that it was Jesus who was most anxious in this moment. Was this Jesus on the verge of what we today call “an anxiety attack?”
Insights from www.greekbible.com
John 13:21 written in the Greek language is: Ταῦτα εἰπὼν [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς ἐταράχθη τῷ πνεύματι καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν καὶ εἶπεν, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με.
ταράσσω (tarasso) is the Greek word translated “troubled in spirit” in John 13:21 in the NIV translation of the Bible. www.greekbible.com defines ταράσσω (tarasso) as: to agitate, trouble, as water, Jn. 5:7; met. to agitate, trouble the mind; with fear, to terrify, put in consternation, Mt. 2:3; 14:26; with grief, etc., affect with grief, anxiety, etc., Jn. 12:27; 13:21; with doubt, etc., to unsettle, perplex, Acts 15:24; Gal. 1:7
Six other New Testament verses that use ταράσσω (tarasso)
John 5:7 (NIV): “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
This is the only of the seven verses where a form of the Greek word ταράσσω (tarasso) is used that ascribes the agitation to an object instead of a person or group. The water was stirred or troubled.
Matthew 2:3 (NIV): When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
The insecure and bloodthirsty King Herod heard from inquiring Magi about the birth of “the king of the Jews.” “What? I’m the king around here?” Not only did this leave Herod anxious, but all of Jerusalem. That’s interesting. Why would Jewish citizens be anxious about a king?
Matthew 14:26 (NIV): When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
After feeding 5000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish, the disciples got in a boat on the Sea of Galilee without Jesus. Jesus spent the evening alone with his Father in prayer. A storm arose and as the dawn was coming, Jesus walked on the waves to them. Thinking it was a ghost, they were terrified. It has a horror movie feel.
John 12:27 (NIV): “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”
Philip and Andrew are facilitating an audience with Jesus for some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to worship. Jesus’ response was “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (12:23) followed by poignant metaphors about his death. All of this left their Rabbi troubled deeply.
Acts 15:24 (NIV): “We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.”
Following a noisy meeting about what the Gospel requires of Gentile believer’s, a contingent of leaders authorized by the Apostle’s and the elders from Jerusalem were sent with a letter to bring clarity (Clarity is kindness) to combat some who brought confusion, leading to anxiety in the Body of Christ.
Galatians 1:7 (NIV): …which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
Paul is concerned that the Galatian followers of Jesus “…are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…” (1:6)
Some conclusions from these seven verses
People and objects can be stirred, agitated or troubled.
Individuals and groups can be stirred, agitated or troubled.
This agitation can leave a person or group horrified.
This anxiety is often about the result of anticipating a future event or imminent trouble.
This troubling can also be a result of confusion surrounding principles, policies, and practices leading to disunity among a group.
My reflections on John 13:21 and the Greek word ταράσσω (tarasso)
I like the “He Gets Us” commercials. I know they are controversial and not everyone in the Church agrees with them. They push the boundaries on what most people, especially those outside the Church, feel and think about Christianity. The wisdom of the commercials is that they “rub dirt” on Jesus and Christianity. They focus on Jesus’ humanity in our contemporary world.
In one of my most favorite “He Gets Us” commercials, taking Jesus at his word in John 13 when Jesus washes the disciples feet, ordinary people wash the people who often get marginalized; indigenous peoples, the aged, people of color, the morally broken, the sick, and the poor.
I have always loved the doctrine of the incarnation (that Jesus is mysteriously 100% God and 100% human), but frankly, I have focused more on the “Jesus is 100% God” side of the conversation. “Do you want to see God’s self-portrait? Look at Jesus!” This stuff preaches and teaches well and helps explain and even correct people’s misunderstandings about God.
It has been a new thought for me lately that if I want to answer the question, “What does it mean to be fully human?” that the answer is the same. “Look at Jesus!” I draw comfort from knowing that Jesus gets my anxiety. As he anticipated the horror of his betrayal by Judas, denial by Peter, abandonment by most of his students, accusations by the Jewish religious authors, beatings from the Romans, and ultimately his crucifixion on the cross, Jesus was deeply troubled, agitated, terrified, horrified, unsettled, perplexed and anxious. He really gets us! We have a Rabbi who has experienced our deepest troubles and woes. Thank you Jesus!
