Was Jesus ever anxious?

[C. M. Sheffield]

Sounds to me like alarm and distress, not anxiety. I can be alarmed or distressed about something without having anxiety about it. I'm alarmed and distressed about how the UK parliament is trying to sabotage Brexit. I'm not in a state of anxiety about it.

Brother, you'll have to forgive me, but I believe your reasoning to be purely semantical. And the issue seems to arise from the idea that all anxiety must have distrust in God as a necessary component. I do not believe it does. There are natural anxieties (like the one's mentioned above) that may be free from a sinful distrust in God even though they be very great. That is what I believe our Lord experienced in a pure and holy manner. And that is one of the ways, as our High Priest, he was touched with the feeling of our infirmities and was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

 

[alexandermsmith]

Brother, you'll have to forgive me, but I believe your reasoning to be purely semantical. And the issue seems to arise from the idea that all anxiety must have distrust in God as a necessary component. I do not believe it does. There are natural anxieties (like the one's mentioned above) that may be free from a sinful distrust in God even though they be very great. That is what I believe our Lord experienced in a pure and holy manner. And that is one of the ways, as our High Priest, he was touched with the feeling of our infirmities and was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

There is a difference between emotions on the one hand, and a psychological state on the other. I see anxiety as falling under the latter. Anxiety is not just a lack of trust in God, it also suggests the mind is in a continuous state of worry and uncertainty. I don't see evidence of Christ suffering from such a thing. When we think about what we understand by someone saying they "have anxiety" do we see Christ exhibiting that? I don't think so.

Now maybe I've misunderstood what the OP was asking. If you want to say that Christ was anxious defined as distressed, in an agony of soul, then fine. But if you want to say that Christ suffered from the condition of anxiety that we have today then I don't see that in Scripture.

 

[Jeri Tanner]

Two different people obviously will have two different views of the connotations of a word or term, in this case anxious or anxiety. That’s permitted.

 

[Nomos]

Sounds to me like alarm and distress, not anxiety. I can be alarmed or distressed about something without having anxiety about it. I'm alarmed and distressed about how the UK parliament is trying to sabotage Brexit. I'm not in a state of anxiety about it.

"Distress" and "alarm" are functionally synonymous for "anxiety". Perhaps you define those terms differently, but distress itself is conventionally understood as an extreme form of anxiety.

 

[Nomos]

The Bible tells us to be anxious for nothing. In the Garden of Gethsemene Jesus had a great burden upon him. How would we describe it? He wept in 2 other places in Scripture.

I recently heard a pastor say that anxiety was sin. He did not say depression was sin. But he did say anxiety was sin because the bible commands us not to do it.

What about during the life of Jesus? Did he ever show himself to be anxious? And how should we describe his emotions at weeping and the burden of Gethsemene?

Hello Pergamum,

Here are some observations. Consider the following passages which are translated as 'anxious/concerned' from the same root:

[merimnate]
Matt 6.25 - Do not be anxious about your life.
Matt 6.28 - Why are you anxious about clothing?
Luke 12.22 - Do not be anxious about your life.
Luke 12.26 - Why are you anxious about the rest?
[merimna]
1Corinthians 7.32 - One who is unmarried is anxious/concerned about the things of the Lord.
1Corinthians 7.33 - but one who is married is anxious/concerned about the things of the world.
[merimnas]
Luke 10.41 - Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things
[merimnēsēte]
Matthew 6.31 - Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
Matthew 6.34 - Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow
Matthew 10.19 - do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say
Luke 12.11 - do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself

The passage with which you alluded in your initial post:
[merimnate]
Philippians 4.6 - do not be anxious about anything

Each use of the verb (to be anxious) above takes a prepositional phrase which identifies the object of anxiety. It is the object of anxiety that seems to determine the righteousness of the action. In 1Corinthians 7.32, the object is righteous (anxious about the things of the Lord) and is immediately contrasted in 7.33 with an object which is seemingly less righteous (anxious about the things of the world).

There is a prohibitive sense in which we should be anxious in Philippians 4, but the intent surely is not to contradict 1Corinthians 7.32 where "anxious about the things of the Lord" is presumed to be an end to which we should aim.

All of the examples above that prohibit anxiety center around a lack of trust in God's provision. Jesus' anxiety in the garden was not due to a lack of trust in the Father's provision. Rather, as others have pointed out, it is quite reasonable to anxious amidst suffering or on the cusp of suffering.

Philippians 4.6 goes on to say, "...but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." The 'anything' earlier in the passage seems precisely to refer to God's provision when it is contrasted the latter portion of the passage.

 

[alexandermsmith]

Hello Pergamum,

Here are some observations. Consider the following passages which are translated as 'anxious/concerned' from the same root:

[merimnate]
Matt 6.25 - Do not be anxious about your life.
Matt 6.28 - Why are you anxious about clothing?
Luke 12.22 - Do not be anxious about your life.
Luke 12.26 - Why are you anxious about the rest?
[merimna]
1Corinthians 7.32 - One who is unmarried is anxious/concerned about the things of the Lord.
1Corinthians 7.33 - but one who is married is anxious/concerned about the things of the world.
[merimnas]
Luke 10.41 - Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things
[merimnēsēte]
Matthew 6.31 - Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
Matthew 6.34 - Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow
Matthew 10.19 - do not be anxious about how you are to speak or what you are to say
Luke 12.11 - do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself

The passage with which you alluded in your initial post:
[merimnate]
Philippians 4.6 - do not be anxious about anything

Each use of the verb (to be anxious) above takes a prepositional phrase which identifies the object of anxiety. It is the object of anxiety that seems to determine the righteousness of the action. In 1Corinthians 7.32, the object is righteous (anxious about the things of the Lord) and is immediately contrasted in 7.33 with an object which is seemingly less righteous (anxious about the things of the world).

There is a prohibitive sense in which we should be anxious in Philippians 4, but the intent surely is not to contradict 1Corinthians 7.32 where "anxious about the things of the Lord" is presumed to be an end to which we should aim.

All of the examples above that prohibit anxiety center around a lack of trust in God's provision. Jesus' anxiety in the garden was not due to a lack of trust in the Father's provision. Rather, as others have pointed out, it is quite reasonable to anxious amidst suffering or on the cusp of suffering.

Philippians 4.6 goes on to say, "...but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." The 'anything' earlier in the passage seems precisely to refer to God's provision when it is contrasted the latter portion of the passage.

The KJV does not use the word "anxious" or "anxiety" in any of the passages quoted. As far as I can tell it doesn't use those words at all. You're assuming "anxious/anxiety" are the correct translation for those texts without proving this. I'm not convinced.

 

[Nomos]

The KJV does not use the word "anxious" or "anxiety" in any of the passages quoted. As far as I can tell it doesn't use those words at all. You're assuming "anxious/anxiety" are the correct translation for those texts without proving this. I'm not convinced.

The Bible wasn't written in English, so I'm not particularly concerned what one antiquated English translation uses. Surely you can find a Greek dictionary and look up the word for yourself?

Earlier you gave synonyms for the word "anxiety" but now you don't believe it is a proper translation? That seems odd. What sources other than an English translation do you use to determine proper translation?

 

[alexandermsmith]

The Bible wasn't written in English, so I'm not particularly concerned what one antiquated English translation uses. Surely you can find a Greek dictionary and look up the word for yourself?

Earlier you gave synonyms for the word "anxiety" but now you don't believe it is a proper translation? That seems odd. What sources other than an English translation do you use to determine proper translation?

Well I use the Bible I have in my hands. Again you are saying the terms I gave are synonyms. I don't agree. The definitions in the lexicons use English words to try to get to an English definition of the term. The translators of the KJV chose the terms they did to translate that term and the terms they used do not describe the psychological state of anxiety.

 

[Nomos]

You're assuming "anxious/anxiety" are the correct translation for those texts without proving this. I'm not convinced.

I appealed to the conventional use of the English language to derive that conclusion. Is an English dictionary also beyond the scope of your available resources? If so, then I'm not entirely sure how you go about determining 'correct translations' or conventional usage.

 

[alexandermsmith]

I appealed to the conventional use of the English language to derive that conclusion. Is an English dictionary also beyond the scope of your available resources? If so, then I'm not entirely sure how you go about determining 'correct translations' or conventional usage.

I choose to go with the translators of the KJV who as translators of Scripture remain unparalleled and were exceedingly godly men.