jess in the mundane

A couple years ago, my younger brother and I were in the middle of one of our random theological debates. This one centered on our guesstimation of Christ’s emotional life. In pondering over Jesus’ apparent divinity, my brother argued that Christ would have been often stoic. His temperament mirroring that of Eren in season 4 of AOT. Omniscience is something unfathomable to our human minds, but if Jesus knew the outcome of all things, it stands to reason that internally, he would probably have been unfazed by anything. Nothing would truly perplex, bother, or disrupt him in the slightest; the physical embodiment of the “meh” emoji 😑.

I, on the other hand, after numerous episodes of The Chosen, and a read through of the gospels, argued and highlighted the humanity of Christ. We know that God wrapped himself in human flesh, and lived a little over three decades as a regular, degular guy. And even during his ministry, the God-man had several moments of joy, righteous anger, and sorrow. So while Jesus might not have had the temperament of a pouty teen, he was still human, and experienced the full breadth of human emotions.

The winner of that argument is still tbd to this day. But let me say this. I do believe that Christ most likely emanated an aura of slight stoicism. Not the unfeeling look of someone on day 64 of a mewing streak. I just know Jesus somehow gave the vibe of being wise beyond his years. Not only because He is the literal Ancient of days, but because even while he lived here on earth, in every circumstance, he stayed grounded on Truth.

Jesus was in constant communion with the Father. Not only talking to God, but thinking about Him, talking about His way to others, pondering and doing His will. When there was a need, he prayed to the Father; when he was tempted, he referred to the Word; when he despaired or cried, he deferred to the Fathers will; when his friends were doubtful or afraid or sad, he reminded them of the truth of his care and sufficiency for them. Christ who is The Truth, stayed grounded on Truth.

Similarly, here’s some truth I’d like to share today:

I often forget the compassionate and caring heart of Jesus. Like my brother, I am tempted to see him as unfeeling, because He is God. And friends, this was me, on a Sunday morning at church, a couple months ago. In the middle of the Pastor’s sermon from Mark 4, holding back tears, the words from Jesus’ disciples jumped out at me, and pulled a conviction from my heart.

“Teacher, do you not care that we are drowning?!”

~ Mark 4:38b

This question ached from deep within my heart. Honestly, it was more an inward confession, a groaning never even leaving my lips. Because uttering those words audibly would conclusively seal the deal for me. That although I claimed to know the Lord, and all His wonderful distinct God-like attributes, in that very moment, I clearly did not trust Him.

More specifically, in claiming to be aware of the sovereignty of God, I’d like to have said that I trust Him wholeheartedly. I trust Him, all the time. But friends, in really hard seasons, in life’s storms, I’ve admittedly thought silently, “Lord Jesus, do you really care?”. I guess in my head, I know that he does, but in the moment, it feels otherwise. I needed to move past just knowing the truth, to being grounded in the Truth. Letting that truth take hold of me and affect my perception of that very moment. And like Jesus, feel those feelings unashamedly and then give it all to the Father.

That Sunday morning message, was a breath of fresh air for me. I was reminded of hard truths; the purpose of storms in life, and the importance of laying down my deepest thoughts before the Lord. Thoughts that he most definitely already knows. Christ is able and willing to carry all my burdens. He is able and willing to still my worried heart in the midst of tempests. And He is able and willing to redirect my focus from every other fleeting thing, to Himself, who is the Way, the Life and the Truth.

So friends, today I’d like to remind you simply, that Jesus cares. More specifically, he cares for you. Yes, as God, He knows all things, including all things about us. But as man, he knows all things related to us, intimately – he knows very well how we feel. Christ can relate to us, and our range of emotions because he has experienced all of it. And as the God-man, our Mediator and High Priest, He done the hard work of reconciliation, and given us the ever-present Holy Spirit.

Jesus is our anchor through the storms of life; his presence and Word, a continuous balm to our souls. He is our steadfast and eternal hope, one that nothing and no-one can hide or ever take away. Rest in this truth friends, amongst many others in Scripture:

“does Jesus care?

Yes! He absolutely does 🧡”

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“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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