Was Jesus Disappointed?

Posted on by Jennifer Arimborgo

Storm ocean

“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matt. 14:31, NKJV).

When you read this verse, how do you picture Jesus’ face? How do you imagine the tone of His voice? This week, Holy Spirit changed my take on these two questions. I believe He showed me the truth about them.

I used to read the story of Peter’s tentative, short-lived walk on the water differently. When I got to this line, I always thought Jesus sounded a little disappointed. (Don’t we often think Jesus is a little disappointed with us?) 

However, this time, Holy Spirit let me perceive the real story. Jesus wasn’t disappointed. (How could someone who prophetically anticipates everything be disappointed?) Instead, His tone was full of warmth and reassurance.

His voice, His face, His body language, and His searching question were all earnestly communicating, “I’ve got you, Peter. I’m right here. How I love you! Do you see that I caught you the very instant you needed Me? Do you see that I didn’t let the storm take you? Feel the gentle strength in My touch. Feel the passion of My commitment to you as I hold your hand. You don’t need to doubt, beloved friend. Can you see it in My eyes? Can you see how much I cherish you? You really can trust Me. I will always be right here, Peter. I will always catch you. I will always empower you. I will always be what you need.”

Jesus can be both honest and exceedingly loving with us, at the same time. He speaks truth to us (that our faith still needs to grow), but that frank truth is drenched in grace. John the Beloved tells us that Jesus came to us “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). With our Savior, grace and truth are inextricably interwoven. His truth is powerful to set us free, exactly because it is saturated in His grace. Grace holds within it His perfect love for us, mixed with the provision of His power for our liberation.

Jesus revealed His heart to us this way: “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). Close your eyes and listen to Him tell you those words, His voice full of love. “I am gentle, child.” “Dear one, I am humble towards you.” Whenever you read His words in the Bible, let them come through the filter of this heart knowledge. This knowledge of who He is.

Jesus is always gentle and humble. He is not disappointed in you – at all. If you need catching, He will catch you. If you need strengthening, He will strengthen you. He’s got you. He’s passionately, eternally committed to you. And He will always be what you need.

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What happens when we speak truth without grace? Grace without truth?

 

23 thoughts on “Was Jesus Disappointed?”

  1. Thanks Jennifer, a great way to remind us, especially one who used to run away when I feel I disappointed Jesus. So instead of coming to Him I run away from him. When it finally sunk into me that God wants me to run to Him when am wrong or when I sin, he does not condemn me, he wants to correct me yes but with lots of love and care and grace! This truth changed my walk with Him up to today. I no longer perceive punishment or judgement as a price for my sin – I see forgiveness! What a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders!

    Truth without grace is harsh – I had a tough time in Costa Rica during my first year at college. My colleagues perceived me as a mean girl – I stick to the truth and do not “sugar coat”. Growing up in Africa, we tell the truth the way it is and period! So when my courageous good friends told me the truth about how people perceived me, my first reaction was to be defensive but then the holy spirit made me realize that I was speaking the truth without love – now I think of it as truth with grace. So many people were hurt. I started to tell them the truth with love, care and not as a way of accusing them. By the end of the four years I had worn very many friends. I still told the truth but with grace!

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely heart, Gladys! I love hearing about your journey in Him and all He has taught you. How faithful and gracious He is! I see His beauty in you, and the work He has done in the depths of you is strikingly evident. You shine! ❤️

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  2. Jennifer, I so need to speak ” real truth-not fabricated” with ” much grace “. So many lessons to learn this late in life! Reading God’s word since 1977, going to church, being in ministry, praying and then LIVING MY LIFE as I determine is not of the Lord. I have been around this mountain so many times, I have lost track. BUT HE IS FAITHFUL to bring me back to where I need to begin even after nearly 70-years. Praise be to God for His LOVE- the Spirit’s comfort and wisdom and the BLOOD OF JESUS. len

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      1. Thank you dear sister in Christ- here is what my prayer partner , Jim Brunner sent me [all of us] – so needed. len
        ” Yes, Christ’s sacrifice redeems us totally. Yet, we still have the need to live it out, we “are being sanctified.” God in Christ did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Jesus declared on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30) making us through faith acceptable in God’s eyes. Now that the work of salvation is done we who believe spend the rest of our lives in the spiritual reality of “being made holy.” Scripture calls the process sanctification.
        What Jesus finished – we believers are living out through obedience to His Presence within. When you are struggling, God understands your weak faith and sees the finished product “in Christ.” Remember – Christ’s sacrifice of you is complete, you cannot add to it or take away from the finished work of the cross while you spend the rest of your live “in progress” growing in God’s grace. Nothing can stop His intended end of being completely achieved: being transformed into His likeness as 2 Corinthians 3:18 states.
        When Jesus uttered, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He was declaring He had completed the work the Father gave Him to do (17:4) – to be “an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). “It Is Finished” – so live it out!

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  4. Regarding your concluding question…I heard a lovely quote recently that posed a similar consideration: is it better to be right or to be kind? In some cases, perhaps it is better to say nothing if you cannot include both grace and truth, or at least love and truth, in your words.

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    1. Goodness is that the truth! Reminds me too of the verse in 1 Peter that says wives of unbelieving husbands can win them over without even a single word. Kindness, love, and graciousness are even more powerful than the words themselves!

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  5. Why? He love people. But i think that money and and government is not what jesus wanted.if we want to live like Jesus then don’t eat to much meat. We live in satanic world and only few people will be saved

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      1. Some thoughts. my big issue with food is TOO MUCH- lack of control! I believe God said to Paul, all is permitted, but not all is good for us. Concerning those being saved- numbers seem unimportant to God- Noah and his family – Lot and his family – etc. Each of us was created by God, in His image and meant for life-everlasting with HIM! For some, our free will has been a great blessing and to others, the choice was a curse. Only God knows the heart and final decision. blessings and love- len w.

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      2. It’s so very true that every single individual is exceedingly precious to Him. So He doesn’t need it to be a large number of people for it to be extremely important to His heart! Thank you so much for your thoughts 🙂

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  7. This was Beautiful; a PROFOUND reflection giving credit to the Holy Spirit.

    I’m not sure why I personally have not given more thought to Jesus being disappointed in ME; I’ve certainty given Him cause to be. … I think maybe it’s because I HAVE seen up-close and personal His incomprehensible Divine Mercy manifested so very often in my own life.

    I suggest the Jesus {GOD} can be and is both disappointed and Joyful at Peter and at US. Jesus heard Peters prayer; granted it; and Peter in Faith looked into the face of Jesus and WALKED ON WATER; until he released what HE was doing; taking his eyes off of Jesus. ….THAT is the weak link of Our Lives.

    So long as we continue to stare in our Blessed Lords face in FAITH; we can have Hope and Love is made evident.

    God Bless you and Thanks!
    Patrick

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    1. What you are saying makes sense. While I sense deeply in my spirit that He doesn’t get disappointed in the traditional sense, like we do, He certainly does have to deal with the unmet longings of His heart, as He reaches out for us, and so many of us humans, or even the ones He’s bought with His blood, don’t reciprocate His reaching for us and yearning.

      Thank you so very much for your visit and your thoughts, Patrick!

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