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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 7, NUMBER 30, JULY 29, 2007 SNAPSHOTS OF JESUS – PART 2 The wonder I feel at the humanity of Jesus has not diminished over time; in fact, it has only grown more profound. How could God in the flesh, the glorious and only begotten Son of God, feel the same physical sensations that I feel? How could He have been thirsty, hungry, or tired? How could He be touched with human sadness, sorrow, and even fear? The Bible tells us, “in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren” (Hebrews 2:17). Let’s continue to notice snapshots of Jesus; short statements made concerning Him in the scriptures that speak volumes about His humanity. Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25 all give us the account of Jesus calming the Sea of Galilee when a great and violent storm had arisen, threatening the lives of the apostles as they sailed on its waters. For our purpose, we will look at four verses from Mark’s account, verses 35-38: “And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” It had been a busy day in the life of the Lord. As “even” descended upon Him, Jesus and His disciples entered into a boat and began to make their way across the Sea of Galilee, traveling from the northwest corner to a point about midway on the eastern side. We know this because of where the boat landed, the country of the Gadarenes. Under normal conditions this would have been a journey of about two hours with a favorable light wind helping the boat along. There is a statement made by Mark that is often overlooked in discussions of this event, yet I find it to be one of those snapshots of Jesus. It gives us insight unto His humanity and into the nature of His ministry. In describing their departure, Mark wrote, “and they took Him even as He was in the ship.” What do you suppose was meant by “even as He was?” Could that not mean without food or time to procure food? Isn’t it probable that it means without rest and exhausted from the day’s labor? It indicates the humanity of Jesus and calls to mind another such reminder that He felt as we feel and experienced the same physical sensations. In John 4 we find the account of Jesus and the Samaritan woman – an event that took place at Jacob’s well. In verse 6 we read, “Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.” Notice the expression that Jesus “sat thus on the well.” The “thus” of John 4:6 is very much like the “even as He was” of Mark 4:36; exhausted, worn out by the tremendous strain and effort of His ministry. I often ask myself, “How could that be?” But then I know that He felt those things for me. He felt those things in order that He might be the perfect high priest. The small flotilla set off. Mark informs us “there were also with Him other little ships.” Since we do not read of these other ships reaching the country of the Gadarenes with Jesus, the indication is that they were soon scattered and left or were perhaps frightened by the signs of the gathering storm and turned back. As the journey proceeded, there is another snapshot, “And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow.” Our Lord, the Son of God, retired to the stern of the boat, laid His head upon a pillow, and slept, even as the storm began to rage around them. Remember that several of the apostles were experienced fishermen who undoubtedly had experienced storms for which the Sea of Galilee was well known. Yet even these men were fearful for their lives with this storm. Still, Jesus slept. How tired He must have been! How exhausting were His labors! How humbling it is for me to view such evidence of His humanity. Later, less than twenty-four hours from His death, Jesus cried out in the Garden of Gethsemane, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). The horrible pain of the scourging, the unspeakable agony of the cross, were all within hours for the Lord now. Here is a snapshot of Jesus that is heart-wrenching to see. Hebrews 5:7 lends depth and color to the snapshot. It says, “Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared.” There was crying, there were tears, and there was fear. It wasn’t fear of the unknown as some have suggested. Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen and what the result would be. But He feared the pain, He feared the agony just as you and I would. Yet our Lord concluded His statement back in Matthew 26:39 by saying, “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Snapshots of Jesus - short statements that speak volumes about His humanity. They should cause our hearts to swell with gratitude and our souls to sing His praise. Greg Litmer |