It is because he went through it himself that he can see you through it too.

4 min read

Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he [Jesus] is able to help us when we are being tested.

Hebrews 2:18, NLT

Fresh off of another celebration of Easter, we have been reminded of all the Lord went through to secure our redemption. For some of us, the worship services were so powerful we are still riding a wave.

Hopefully, you had opportunity to go beyond the rituals and traditions this Easter to personally reflect on the reality that Jesus died for your sins on Friday, rose again on Sunday, so he could be with you on Monday. Hopefully, you were drawn closer to God.

This was my experience.

A Deeper Look

This year, as I read through the crucifixion narrative in the Gospel of Mark, my understanding of what happened went a little deeper.

For one, I was struck by how dizzyingly quick the whole thing happened. It had never occured to me how fast they ran Jesus through the process. My goodness, he was arrested in the middle of the night, sentenced to scourging and death shortly thereafter, and he was hanging on the cross by 9am. He breathed his last breath by 3pm. It all happened so fast.

It also never occurred to me how much trauma Jesus sustained in those few hours. In every way – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally – Jesus absorbed an absolute torrent of pain, with not so much as a moment to regain his wits or catch his breath. Though he was the Son of God and knew what was coming, everything Jesus saw, heard, and felt in those dark and bloody moments, no doubt, left him traumatized and in an utter state of shock.

Why do I mention it?

Because for those of us who live with the effects of past trauma, it may be helpful to know that Jesus can relate to us in this difficult part of our lives. He knows trauma. He lived through trauma. In fact, he died from it.

Jesus knows trauma inside and out. He knows its pain, the numbness it causes, and how it marks us.

The writer of Hebrews makes the point that this is one of the reasons why God became man in the first place. He took on human form so he could sympathize with what it’s like to be us. Because God became flesh, he fully understands what it feels like to be tempted to sin, to be depressed, to be angry, to be lonely, to be traumatized, and what it feels like to die.

He’s been down every one of those roads and he has the scars to prove it.

There’s Hope

But most importantly, Jesus knows about life on the other side of trauma.

You see, Jesus was a victim of trauma, but he is no longer a victim. Though it is a part of his story, it is no longer the defining part. Friday’s trauma became Sunday’s triumph. He overcame and now he invites us to share in his victory. He offers to fill our empty spaces, to heal our hurts, and to empower us so that we, too, are no longer defined by the pain and brokenness of our past.

Because God became flesh, he fully understands what it feels like …

Jesus is alive today, post-trauma, and because he is, he can help even the most traumatized of souls. Don’t make yourself an exception on this point. Your situation isn’t too difficult for him. He can and he is willing. Let him in. Let him help. Invite him into your traumatized heart and watch him do what only he, the Risen One, can do. You’ll be glad you did.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.