The Imitation Game
The Emotions of the Heart Pt. 3

MESSAGE:
In the movie Imitation Game, Alan Turig builds a computer that can break the Nazi’s cryptic messages. The allies now have insider information into future attacks from the enemy. In order to keep their code breaker a secret, Alan decides that some Nazi surprise attacks still need to happen. If they interfered with every battle, Hitler would get wise to their machine and change the code. He decided that the enemy opposition was allowed to ambush one naval carrier that had a teammate’s brother on it. Between saving the brother’s life or risking their plan Alan was helpless. 

Any Smart-Alec kid will gloat that they memorized the “Jesus wept” verse; one of the shortest verses in the Bible. But very few of us know about the second time Jesus had a good sob. He was emotionally moved by the death of his friend Lazarus, but his next bout of sadness was a full weeping. Jesus viewed Jerusalem from a bird’s-eye-view and immediately cried over God’s favorite city. Jerusalem was in trouble. She couldn’t find peace or truth concerning the Messiah, and Jesus knew that she was going to face a major tragedy. Around 70 AD, the Romans barricaded the temple and annihilated anyone left standing. It was prophesied as the abomination of desolation.

Jesus showed helplessness in his prayer, even though he had the authority and powers of God. His beloved city, the main hub of God’s glory, would be hurt so badly that it wouldn’t even be worth rebuilding. Because Jerusalem had a major problem with Jesus then Rome would have a major problem with Jerusalem.

Crying in our helpless state is not pathetic or weak. It displays the empathy God has put in you. Sometimes there are people we can’t help and problems we can’t fix. We can see the person or thing heading toward a disaster and we’ve run out of options. God can fix anything, but sometimes letting the thing he loves face tragedy is more appropriate. Some situations only change when they’ve hit rock bottom and we hope it never comes to that.

Sadness for the well-being of a friend or group is righteous sorrow, but the one who prays for them should never feel guilty. Everyone we love is responsible for their own choices, growth, and moral conscious. We can’t assume someone’s life and force them to do good. We are urged to pray and ask God to help them overcome their situation and we leave the rest in God’s very capable hands.
Research: Luke 19:41-44
What issues is Jesus upset about in his prayer?
Why do you think God won’t fix it?
What good is crying and praying over the things that feel impossible?