Jesus: “I’m so depressed, I could die!” (Updated 2022)

Does this sound sacrilegious to you? Could it be because we think depression is either a sign of weakness or wrong?

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Giacinto Brandi, 1650
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jesus’ depression was neither weak, nor wrong. In fact, it revealed how deeply He cared for the welfare, not of his own self, but for others.

Jesus embraced the overwhelming sorrow he felt because it taught him submission. He valued the outcome of his pain more than its release. That doesn’t mean it was easy for him.

The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus experienced the lure of wickedness, just like you and me. He was tempted in every way we are. He was tempted to feel sorry for himself; to become bitter; to seek glory for his work; to neglect his daily responsibilities; to short-cut God’s plan. But, he never yielded. Because he is intimate with the persistent tug of sin, he is sympathetic with our struggles. 

Not only is that comforting to me, it is inspiring. I can learn from him how to traverse the temptation of depression and be strong, remaining obedient.

When did Jesus get depressed?

After the death of his cousin, John, he sought isolation. (Mathew 14:13) He cried loudly and often in prayer. (Hebrews 5:7-9) He was known for being sad. (Isaiah 53:3)  In Gethsemane, he was afraid his body would not survive the anguish he felt. (Matthew 26:38)

What was the cause of His depression? And how did he respond to it?

Jesus was focused on the suffering of others and it depressed him.

Abraham Lincoln, Jonathan Edwards and David Brainerd were great men who were plagued with life-long melancholy because of their burden to free others from enslavement, punishment or ignorance. The pain of this concern would drive them to bed for weeks.

Jesus, too, sought isolation. But his compassion for the people would always return him to his responsibility to care for their welfare. He did not shut down. He sacrificed his “need” for being alone to serve others. He did not make them feel guilty for asking too much of him. He did not fly into a bitter tirade about the poor circumstance of his life. He did not create more work for his disciples because he neglected his.

Even in the midst of his personal grief, he made life easier for the people near him. This is the lesson of depressed Jesus. His feeling of sorrow did not negate his behavior, it motivated it.

At the pinnacle of his anguish in Gethsemane, he cried to his friends,

“My soul is so sad, it is killing me!”

He begged them to uphold him in prayer; to support him by simply being near. Yet, they deserted him for sleep, unable to understand what he was going through; unwilling to try. He alone fought the dark dirge engulfing him.

Terrified and astonished at the degree of pain he felt, he collapsed, begging God, “Please, make it stop. You can do anything, you are God. Please change your plan for me!”

Troubled, confused, distracted in his emotional travail, he relies on the one truth that shaped his universe, “But its not about me, its about You. I’ll do what you ask.” 

Three times he asked God to reconsider, and three times he submitted to the path God designed for him; the path that lead to shame, abandonment and fleeting hell*.

How? Because he believed God. He was strengthened with His promise. Thinking of the joy only discovered through the ordeal, he began to think less of the shame and pain presently confronting him.  Jesus learned something through his struggle. (Wow! I’m being really sacrilegious, eh?) The blessings – or happiness – of an obedient life far outweigh the depressed state of now.

And he got up off the ground, calmly greeted the mob and submitted his life to God.

 *Separation from God.

Other depressed people from the Bible: Cain, Hannah, Elijah, David, Paul

17 thoughts on “Jesus: “I’m so depressed, I could die!” (Updated 2022)”

  1. Jesus, Please let others realize how much I care for them.Please help me with my pain and depression.I strive to be like you in every aspect of my life. Thank you Lord.

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  2. Keep Goin : Pain is Invietable, Suffering is Optional. Pain comforts Us, in Our Sufferings, It is Our body’s Way of sayin, keep goin : All is Well.

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  3. Jesus please help me to overcome my depression as i am finding it very low at my work place. Give me strength and new way to overcome. Alleluia Jesus, praise the lord…

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  5. Lord please let me hear your voice in my time of struggle; I lack the vision to see the path you have laid before me, I am unable to hear your voice consistently with regards to my life and lastly I am lacking motivation to move forward each day without fear and anxiety.

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  6. God please give me the strength to overcome my depression I thank you Lord for helping me I just want to feel happy again I can’t do it on my own anymore my faith and hope is going down almost every week please help me Lord

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      1. My first feeling to the statement “The blessings – or happiness – of an obedient life far outweigh the depressed state of now” is Not if that is everyday. There is nothing worse than the feeling of crippling debt whether God or man makes you to feel so. Obedient or not currently, why would you not want to serve God if you could? But, no blessing has come to lift me out of my hardship. So, God makes me to worry about money rather than to serve Him in this world. That would be like that young couple in their 20s, fortunate enough to get married, but spends their entire life to go on a honeymoon in their 60s. But, even with this couple, I would find myself fortunate to be one of them because they have each other. I, however, often get eaten by the lion, Satan, everyday. Who is going to help me in God’s Kingdom?

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    1. The passage is Hebrews 5:7. “7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus[a] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” ESV

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    1. evan……i’m praying that you are okay and that God will answer your need in a way that will build your faith and truly strengthen you……….

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    2. Jesus,How will I move on ???💔🥺
      Please help me to overcome all my temptations and be with me in every steps of my life.

      Am totally depressed😵

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