How Did Jesus Deal With Emotions?

The mere act of living can be a daunting ordeal. But how did Jesus – the man who walked on water, healed the sick, and faced temptation from Satan – deal with His own emotions? What strategies did He use to regulate human feelings while continuing His divine mission on Earth? To get answers to these questions, we look at Jesus’ range of emotion and emotional intelligence as recorded in Scripture.

According to the Bible, Jesus experienced a full spectrum of emotions from joy to anger to sadness. Reading the gospel accounts about Jesus’ life and death shows us valuable lessons in how an emotionally healthy person responds to challenging situations. An example is when Jesus deeply empathized with Martha and Mary as their brother Lazarus lay dying before Him (John 11). Learning and understanding how Jesus dealt with certain emotional situations can help you navigate similar situations. 

 

Jesus’ Emotional Intelligence

Jesus applied his emotional intelligence to understanding and managing His emotions. Through teachings, stories, and relationships, He taught us how to do the same to live a meaningful life. He saw emotions as valuable signals for connection and transformation rather than obstacles to be ignored or surmounted.

Understanding and Managing Emotions

Jesus was known for His perfect love and unwavering devotion to God. Besides providing us with spiritual guidance, Jesus’ life teaches us the best way to manage our emotions. It is evident from the Bible that He experienced a wide range of human emotions – including joy, exhaustion, anger, compassion, sorrow, empathy, frustration, and forgiveness – all while maintaining His composure and grace in difficult circumstances.

But it wasn’t just Jesus’ expression of emotions that made Him a model—it’s His emotional intelligence. Jesus consistently displayed the four essential aspects of this form of behavioral acuity: self-awareness (recognizing how we feel), stress management (not getting overwhelmed by our emotions), empathy (putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes), and assertiveness (expressing negative feelings without lashing out).

With Jesus able to discern these wise examples for us so carefully, Christians today can adopt such behaviors to help cope with tough situations or even everyday emotions better than they may have previously done.

Essential Aspects of Emotional Intelligence, Based on Jesus’ Life

1.Self-Awareness: Jesus was self-aware and knowledgeable about His strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. He often sought solitude to renew his commitment to God’s will (Matthew 14:23). Through prayer and reflection, He found the strength to move forward with faith in difficult moments (John 6:15) or when facing temptation (Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.). 

You have to be aware of your natural tendencies. For example, if you easily get angry, you must avoid situations that can make you angry. And if you find yourself in such situations, the best thing to do is to walk away. 

2. Self-Regulation: Jesus regularly displayed an intentional approach to understanding the power of words (Matthew 12:36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.), reminding others of the importance of accountability (Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”), and controlling one’s rage (James 1:19–20). In short, He encouraged people around Him to make thoughtful decisions instead of being driven by their emotions. 

 

Always be thoughtful about how you behave. For example, if you are in a situation where everybody is speaking harshly, no matter how you feel, it is important to remain calm. This will help you manage the situation properly. 

3. Motivation Based on Values and Principle: Jesus stood out from all other historical figures due to His unwavering commitment toward values-based living over expectations-based achievements. He often did things according to the will of God rather than following success goals all the time. As human beings, we have our personal desires. However, it is important that we do things based on the will of God instead of our personal desires. 

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and everything else will be added unto you.” 

Conclusion

The emotional life of Jesus provides a powerful example for us all. We see His empathy, compassion, and willingness to connect with others on an emotional level. Despite His pressures and demands throughout His ministry – betrayal, exhaustion from long hours of teaching and healing, sadness at the effects of sin – He mastered His emotions excellently. As Jesus has mastered His emotions, you can also master yours as well.

You can pray this prayer:

“Father, thank You for giving me authority over my emotions. No difficulty or challenge can make me behave contrary to what I have been taught in the Scriptures. I know You are always by my side in everything that I go through. My emotions can never control me.”

FAQs

1. How did Jesus handle his emotions?

Jesus experienced a full range of human emotions, just like any other person. Historical records indicate that He showed great empathy, patience, and restraint in dealing with difficult situations or people, demonstrating an emotionally mature response to many challenges throughout His life.

2. Was Jesus ever angry?

Several instances are recorded of Jesus being angry when faced with injustice. However, some scholars point out that his anger was never expressed as destructive rage but, instead, directed toward teaching those around him valuable lessons about morality and humility through complex parables and stories.

3. What kind of emotional life did Jesus live?

The exact details of what emotional life looked like for Jesus continue to be debated by historians and theologians alike. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that he had strong feelings regarding the plight of vulnerable communities, and He shared deep friendships with disciples such as Peter, who depended on him for guidance and comfort during difficult times.

4. Did Jesus have any special methods for managing challenging emotions?

Though it is impossible to know for certain if Jesus followed specific strategies for managing negative states such as sadness or fear, popular thought among theologians centers on the idea that prayer played a major role. Prayer allowed Him to pause instead of responding hastily to distressing circumstances while gaining clarity from God’s wisdom about the next steps along His journey into ministry work.