Winds, Waves, Rescue.

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea; “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. [Mark 4:39 New King James Version]

It is evident and goes without saying that severe weather threatens lives. A lot of people have been killed this year by storms. Just for a moment with me today let your mind wander, (a dangerous thing for me to do as mine forgets how to get back), and let's put ourselves in the boat that evening with the disciples. The wind is blowing rain into our faces as we struggle to stay in the boat. The waves are tossing us to and fro and water from the sea is filling the boat each time the bow dips under the waves! Water up around our ankles, the boat rocking, the wind whistling, our stomachs upset and our hearts pounding! I am glad I am only imagining this scene and not actually there, how about you?

Now let’s change gears and compare that scene to one in our everyday life here on land. With one phone call, a doctor’s diagnosis, or the confession from a spouse, our emotions are tossed about and our mind starts filling up with thoughts which upset our stomach and grip our hearts. What went wrong? What did we miss? How did this happen? Why me, why us? You know those feelings and have asked those questions; I know I have.

Go back to the storm on the Sea of Galilee just a moment and look at the words in red (if your Bible has that). “Peace, be still!” Did you notice the exclamation point? That punctuation mark indicates to us that Jesus did not waste any time in answering the call of the frantic cries of the seasoned fishermen who could not save the ship. He arose to do it Mark says.

He arose to save us too. He will speak to the wind and waves that batter our emotions and thoughts as well. When the wind left the ocean became calm and the disciples let out a sigh of relief. Their heart rate returned to normal and their hope of survival increased a hundred percent. “Who is this man?”  They asked.

Do you know who He is? He is the Master of the Sea. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Commander in Chief of the wind and rain. He is your Friend. He is your refuge. He is your Savior.

Jesus Smiled.

²¹ At that, Jesus rejoiced, exuberant in the Holy Spirit. “I thank you, Father, Master of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the know-it-alls and showed them to these innocent newcomers. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.  (Luke 10:21  The Message)

Jesus smiled. That sounds like a good Bible verse to me, how about you? I wonder why we never read it anywhere in the Scripture? We read where He wept and where He was angry but I cannot recollect anywhere that we read He smiled. I am sure that He did. I am sure that He smiled a lot. Why is it important to know whether or not He smiled? To help us relate to His humanity.

The Church has a way of portraying Jesus in one of two ways. One picture depicts Him as being serious all the time; holy and reverent. Walking around with His hands clasped together with a look of sternness on His face. This picture sets Him apart from defiled humanity and puts Him out of touch with the regular folk. The other picture sometimes portrays Him as that of a good man that went about doing good all of the time. Healing people, showing them compassion, forgiving there mistakes. Sort of like a “good old boy” relationship. Being buddy, buddy with everyone; even those who opposed Him. The truth is both pictures are distorted.

Jesus was very serious about His mission and never took it lightly. He is Holy and was always reverent toward His Father. This seriousness drove Him to be compassionate and He is very understanding of our humanness; but He never excused us for being “just human.” Jesus came to take our sins upon Himself and die for them. He was more than just a good man. God filled a human body in order to relate to other humans. His being in a human body allowed Him to experience human emotions, human desires, human fears, and human frustrations. Therefore He is able to relate to us. His Divinity as God allowed Jesus to overcome the fallen human nature and thereby had no sin. You and I are forgiven when we allow Him to impart His Divinity unto us by way of the Cross. Being human does not excuse our sin.

Jesus is as human as you and I are. What we feel, He feels. He was joyful and happy because God sent Him into the world that the world might be saved through Him! Yeah, He smiled. He smiled when people believed in Him and accepted Him; and He still does.