It is one of those books that quickly reaches your heart. It is called The Sun Does Shine. It is the story of Anthony Ray Hinton who was falsely accused and incarcerated by the state of Alabama in 1986. He endured 30 years on Death Row before the truth surfaced and the U.S. Supreme Court intervened. The title of the book is a direct quotation from Ray Hinton upon his release from prison. But it’s not the primary title that grabs you; it’s the byline: “How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row.”
Recently I was reading Hebrews 5 and the writer’s description of Jesus Christ as our great High Priest. He says, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus 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.”
Think of it. Jesus feared! What other reason is there for Him to cry out loudly and tearfully in prayer? What could possibly have prompted such fear in Him? There’s only one solid possibility and that was the fear of being utterly forsaken. Can’t you imagine Satan coming to Him in Gethsemane and saying, “See, You don’t have a friend anywhere! Your Father has closed off His heart to You. His compassion for You has run out. Not an angel in His court will stretch out his hand to help You. All of heaven is alienated from You; You are all alone. Even Your companions with whom You have taken counsel - what are they worth? Son of Mary, see Your brother James there, see Your beloved disciple John there, and Your beloved apostle Peter, how the cowards sleep when You are in Your sufferings! You have not a friend in heaven or earth. All hell is against You. In fact, I have sent my missives throughout every region under heaven to come upon You this night. We will spare no arrows. We will use all our might to overwhelm You: and what will You do, You solitary One?”
It’s not a stretch to imagine this to be the strategy Satan employed against Jesus that night; because it was an angel who appeared to Him that night to strengthen Him.
Now why did the angel make its way to Jesus to strengthen Him and remove His fear? The answer is clear, He was heard in His fear. He was not alone. Heaven was with Him. It may be that this is the reason that He comes back to His disciples three times.
Someone has put it this way:
“Backwards and forwards thrice He ran. As if He sought some help from man.”
He sees for Himself the truth of His own words, “without me you can do nothing.” They had all forsaken Him, except from One—His Eternal Father. He heard Him in His fear. Jesus was heard in His deepest woe. So was Ray Hinton. So are you!
